Intercultural Problems Within Joint Ventures In China

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Structure of the Chinese industry
  • 2.1. Growth and Direct Investments
  • 2.2. Qualification and Training
  • 2.3. Definition IJV
• 3. Chinese Culture
  • 3.1. Language
  • 3.2. Religion
  • 3.3. School of thought
  • 3.4. Values
    • 3.4.1. Communism and Socialism
    • 3.4.2. Confucianism
    • 3.4.3. Collectivism and Buddhism
    • 3.4.4. Taoism
  • 3.5. Legal Culture
    • 3.5.1. Laws and contracts
      • 3.5.1.1. Possibilities to cope with the current system
    • 3.5.2. Socialist planned Economy
    • 3.5.3. Democratic centralism
• 4. Intercultural problems during certain stages of the JV process
  • 4.1. Partner Selection
    • 4.1.1. Cultural Traits
    • 4.1.2. Strategic Traits
      • 4.1.2.1. Absorptive Capability
      • 4.1.2.2. Market Power
      • 4.1.2.3. Product Relatedness
      • 4.1.2.4. Market Experience
    • 4.1.3. Organizational Traits
      • 4.1.3.1. Firm Size
      • 4.1.3.2. International Business Experience
      • 4.1.3.3. Previous Cooperative Experience
      • 4.1.3.4. Organizational Skills
  • 4.2. Negotiations
    • 4.2.1. Personal Connections (Guanxi)
    • 4.2.2. The Intermediary
    • 4.2.3. Social Status
    • 4.2.4. Interpersonal Harmony
    • 4.2.5. Holistic Thinking
    • 4.2.6. Thrift
    • 4.2.7. "Face" or Social Capital
    • 4.2.8. Patience, Endurance and Enduring Labour
• 5. Management Process
  • 5.1. Control
    • 5.1.2. Focus of control
    • 5.1.3. Extent of control
    • 5.1.4. Mechanisms of control
    • 5.1.5. Input Control
    • 5.1.6.. Process Control
    • 5.1.7. Output Control
  • 5.2. Decision Making
  • 5.3. Planning and scheduling
  • 5.4. Managerial Pragmatism
  • 5.5. Trust
    • 5.5.1. Definition of Trust
    • 5.5.2. Effects of Trust
    • 5.5.3. The significance of trust in China
      • 5.5.3.1. Power Distance
      • 5.5.3.2. Individualism
      • 5.5.3.3. Masculinity
      • 5.5.3.4. Uncertainty avoidance
      • 5.5.3.5. Long-term versus short – term orientation
  • 5.6. Communication
    • 5.6.1. Attitudes
    • 5.6.2. Social Organization
    • 5.6.3. Thought Patterns
    • 5.6.4. Language
    • 5.6.5. Nonverbal Communication
    • 5.6.6. Body language (kinesics)
    • 5.6.7. Body distance (Proxemics) and haptics
    • 5.6.8. Paralanguage
    • 5.6.9. Time
    • 5.6.10. Communication and its Consequences
  • 5.7. Human Resource Management
    • 5.7.1. Work attitude
      • 5.7.1.1. Motivation
    • 5.7.2. Quality and Care
    • 5.7.3. Conflict Management
    • 5.7.4. Lay Offs
• 6. Survey: Opinions and cultural values of Chinese students in Germany
  • 6.1. Findings
  • 6.2. Possible implementation strategies
    • 6.2.1. Redesigning the Hierarchy, work organization and communication
    • 6.2.2. Transforming the management
    • 6.2.3. How to address motivation and quality
    • 6.2.4. Improving intercultural competence
    • 6.2.5. Developing a common understanding of the firm

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This diploma thesis examines the cultural problems within International Joint-Ventures in China. It aims to analyze the specific cultural challenges encountered during various stages of the JV process, from partner selection to management and communication.

• Understanding the Structure and Dynamics of the Chinese Industry
• Exploring the Influence of Chinese Culture on Business Practices
• Identifying and Analyzing Intercultural Problems in JV Stages
• Investigating the Role of Trust and Communication in JV Success
• Developing Potential Implementation Strategies to Address Cultural Challenges

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces the topic of cultural problems within International Joint-Ventures (IJVs) in China. It sets the stage for the subsequent analysis by providing an overview of the Chinese industry, its growth, and the role of direct investments. Chapter two delves into the complexities of Chinese culture, exploring its language, religion, schools of thought, values, and legal culture. Chapter three focuses on the specific intercultural problems that arise during partner selection and negotiations. The chapter highlights the importance of understanding cultural traits, strategic considerations, and organizational factors. Chapter four examines the management process within IJVs, focusing on key areas such as control, decision-making, planning, and communication. The chapter analyzes the role of trust and its significance within the Chinese context. The concluding chapter presents a survey of Chinese students in Germany, their opinions, and cultural values, as well as possible implementation strategies to address the cultural challenges identified throughout the thesis.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This thesis focuses on the following keywords and concepts: Chinese culture, International Joint-Ventures (IJVs), intercultural problems, partner selection, negotiations, management process, trust, communication, human resource management, implementation strategies.