A chamber of commerce is an organization, a system, and a culture.
Release Time:
2015-08-14 12:37
Source:
Chamber of Commerce Circle
The chamber of commerce, as an organization composed of all industrial and commercial practitioners, is undoubtedly the largest family of merchants in scale, and more importantly, a type of organization.
A family needs rules to be harmonious and prosperous; similarly, an organization needs systems and culture to progress.
Before the formal chamber of commerce emerged, guilds existed as its prototype during the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, undergoing some changes in form.
Merchant groups appeared in the mid-Ming dynasty, essentially no different from guilds, but structurally looser. Their members mostly belonged to merchants from the same region, showing obvious regional characteristics. At that time, industry and commerce developed further, and many merchant groups emerged. The ten most famous merchant groups were: Hui, Jin, Shan, Jiangyou, Longyou, Ningbo, Dongting, Linqing, Yue, and Min. These major merchant groups gradually united, consolidating their strength to some extent. With their development, their organizational forms became clearer, and guild halls and offices began to appear.
Merchant guild halls appeared in the early Ming capital and flourished in the early Qing dynasty. Although the initial purpose of establishing guild halls was to accommodate those coming to the capital for imperial examinations, with commercial development and the increase of merchants forming groups to trade outside, they used the guild hall form to lay the foundation for establishing a stable market system.
Merchant guild halls quickly became gathering places for merchants. Besides lodging, storage, and trading, they were also used for meetings, worship, and even banquets.
Offices emerged after guild halls, roughly appearing during the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty. After the Opium War in 1840, office organizations became more widespread. The difference between offices and guild halls is that the former was a trade-based organization mainly composed of industry and commerce peers; the latter was a region-based organization gathering merchants from the same hometown. After the Opium War, Sino-foreign trade rapidly spread in a new model, and industrial and commercial products became more specialized in type and structure, so offices once flourished.
The chamber of commerce officially appeared in the early 20th century. Its emergence gave Chinese merchants' organizations a chance to leap over traditional barriers, bringing a fresh look in organizational form, system, and culture.
Compared with other traditional merchant groups and commercial bodies, the chamber of commerce is not only an organization but also more complete in organizational structure, usually composed of internal and external organizational systems.
The general assembly is the highest authority of the chamber of commerce and convenes on scheduled dates. It discusses and decides on internal organizational activities and major commercial matters, such as determining membership fees, membership changes, use of public funds, election of positions, and revision of regulations.
The highest daily leadership body of the chamber of commerce is the board of directors. Any major affairs or decisions are discussed by the board, which usually meets weekly.
The highest administrative leaders of the chamber of commerce are the president and vice president, also elected. Their main responsibilities include presiding over meetings, fundraising, expense accounting, and external liaison.
In addition, some full-time staff are employed by the chamber to handle specific affairs, such as secretaries, accountants, general affairs, recorders, and translators.
It can be seen that the chamber of commerce's internal organization already has relatively formal job assignments and institutional setups, and its democratic centralism system is more advanced than traditional guild organizations. The chamber's external organization mainly has two forms:
First, organizations connected with chambers of commerce in the same province or region, including general associations, branches, and offices, form a system of information exchange and host control. This setup allows chambers across provinces and regions to flexibly unite when necessary and govern separately when peaceful, greatly highlighting its flexibility.
Second, the mutual connections between the chamber of commerce and subordinate groups. What are subordinate groups? They are groups initiated or funded by the chamber, such as some commercial groups and business associations. There is personnel infiltration and business linkage between the chamber and these groups.
Because of the chamber's extensive external organizational network, members have multiple social identities and can participate in various social activities in different roles, greatly enhancing social influence.
Compared with the original guilds, the chamber of commerce's responsibilities are more professional. Although its main duty remains to fully protect merchants' rights and promote commercial economic development, the professional responsibilities require members to regard a sense of responsibility as supreme, embodying a noble cultivation of "everyone for me, I for everyone."
The chamber of commerce has always combined moral obligations, social responsibility, and professional honor. Whether in the Western Middle Ages, early China, or today's chambers, "fairness" is regarded as the highest principle within the organization. Any technical deficiencies or adulteration are seen as triggers damaging the chamber's interests and must be avoided.
Since its establishment, chamber members have addressed each other as brothers and sisters, upholding a spirit of sharing weal and woe. Although there are different positions within the organization, in principle, there is no status difference; everyone is equal and united for a common cause. Therefore, disputes should not occur within the chamber, and to prevent disputes, strict reward and punishment systems are in place.
As an organization, the chamber of commerce has an almost instinctive infinite desire for "integration," but we must also see that this organization is forged through systems and culture.
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