30 July 2026 

The School of Business (SBUS) at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) hosted the 15th Junzi Corporation Awards Presentation Ceremony on 27 July, honouring 34 organisations with a total of 36 awards for their commitment to ethical business practices. At the event, HSUHK also unveiled the HSUHK Business Ethics Index 2026, which rose to 67.2, continuing its sustained upward trajectory in recent years.

This year’s ceremony marked a record high in participation, with the number of participating organisations surging more than 30% from those of the previous year. The increase reflects growing recognition among Hong Kong enterprises of the importance of ethical conduct and corporate trustworthiness.

To broaden the Awards’ scope and impact, HSUHK introduced two new categories this year: The “Junzi Corporation Award (Social Enterprise)” and the “Junzi Corporation Award (Charitable Organisation)”. These distinct additions celebrate organisations that contribute society and support community development, alongside the established “Junzi Corporation Award” and “Junzi Corporation Award (Small and Medium Enterprise)”.

This year’s awards recognise 34 outstanding organisations across four categories: 12 recipients of the “Junzi Corporation Award”, 13 recipients of the “Junzi Corporation Award (Small and Medium Enterprise)”, 5 recipients of the “Junzi Corporation Award (Social Enterprise)”, and 4 recipients of the “Junzi Corporation Award (Charitable Organisation)”. Among this year’s awardees, Henderson Land Development Company Limited and Peoplebank Hong Kong Limited are conferred the Junzi Corporation Award for Exemplary Business Practices and the Junzi Corporation Award for Exemplary Business Practices (Small and Medium Enterprise) respectively, in recognition of their exemplary adherence to ethical business principles and meaningful contributions to industry and community progress.

In his speech, Professor Simon Ho, President of HSUHK, explained why enterprises must be grounded in ethical behaviour. He pointed out that, as “social institutions,” businesses are bound by a “social contract” and must coexist harmoniously with stakeholders such as customers, employees, and the wider community. Ethics, he noted, is the foundational prerequisite for business success, with ethical conduct preceding value creation. He also highlighted the Five Junzi Virtues – “Ren (Benevolence)”, “Yi (Righteousness)”, “Li (Propriety)”, “Zhi (Wisdom)”, and “Xin (Trustworthiness)”, and called on the award-winning enterprises to keep putting business ethics into practice.

Since adopting the Five Junzi Virtues as the cornerstone of its business ethics research in 2011, HSUHK has conducted systematic evaluations of corporate conduct in Hong Kong. The annual “HSUHK Business Ethics Index” serves as an important reference for the business community.

The 2026 Index score of 67.2 (out of 100) represents a 0.9% increase from 66.6 in 2025 and an 11.4% rise from 60.3 in 2024, reflecting steady improvement in public perception of enterprises embracing the “Junzi” model.

Notable shifts were also evident in the individual virtue scores. “Zhi (Wisdom)” reached 69.1, overtaking “Xin (Trustworthiness)” at 68.9 to become the highest-rated virtue for the first time. This development indicates public recognition of Hong Kong enterprises’ progress in digital transformation and optimism regarding the sector’s future.