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Author

Jiaxin Liang

Date of Award

9-2-2022

Author's School

School of Law

Degree Name

Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)

Degree Type

Dissertation

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes several significant ancient Chinese literary works to provide business negotiators with valuable insights and a new perspective to consider business negotiation. Negotiation theory often focuses on analyzing cases, experience, or doing simulations, experiments, surveys. There is an argument that great literature crystalizes some human experience and cross-disciplinary analysis of literature can yield valuable insights that may help enrich negotiation theory. 4 This idea motivates and inspires analysis of significant ancient Chinese literary works full of ancient Chinese philosophy in this dissertation. There are many metaphors and analogies in ancient Chinese literature that are full of wisdom. This dissertation analyzes significant pieces (related to Dao and the Doctrine of the Mean) of some ancient Chinese literary works that are masterpieces of Taoism and Confucianism. Although society, science, and technology are developing rapidly, the central wisdom of Dao in Taoism and the Doctrine of the Mean in Confucianism will not lose its importance over time. The analysis will combine wisdom in ancient Chinese literature with existing negotiation research to provide business negotiators with a new perspective to consider business negotiation.

Chair and Committee

Rebecca Hollander-Blumoff, Supervising Professor, James Reeves, Examining Professor, Karen Tokarz, Examining Professor, Ann Davis Shields, Examining Professor.

Available for download on Friday, April 24, 2026

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