Abstract: Chinese firms are widely perceived as cooperative with one another through the history of connecting themselves as joint ventures or through a supply value chain, but recent practice show that in reality, there is fierce intraspecific competition when investing in the same or different foreign countries with firms employing a myriad of legitimate and illegitimate tactics. How did a nation defined by homonymous, coherence, and relational cultures nurture the mindset and behaviour of inter-Chinese competitive attacks? Solving this puzzle is what spurred us to initiate this research. Since 2005 we launched the fieldworks on Chinese firms in 11 countries and interviewed over 100 managers and officials. This study found that inter-Chinese competitive attack phenomenon does not support the central prediction of the mainstream theory on interfirm rivalry.

Abstract: This study examines the role of dynamic change of cluster heterogeneity in the relationship between agglomeration effects and the performance of FDIs in clusters. We investigate the role of cluster heterogeneity in terms of cluster density and FDI presence in a cluster. We argue that there is inverted U-shaped relationship between cluster density and the performance of FDIs located within a cluster, and inverted U-shaped relationship between the level of FDI presence in a cluster and the performance of FDIs located within the cluster. Controlling for self-selection bias and using the panel on foreign firms in Chinese manufacturing industries during the period of 1998-2002, our results support these hypotheses.

Abstract: Researchers have examined born-global firms extensively from different theoretical perspectives, however the extant literature has neglected the post-entry dynamics of geographic expansion of emerging market born-global firms. This paper examines whether emerging market born-global firms can obtain good financial performance and better probability of survival when implementing rapid geographic expansion strategies. Three contingency conditions under which the above geographic expansion-performance relationship may vary will also be tested, namely external resources, learning capabilities and product quality. A Cox survival analysis model and general method of moments model (GMM) will be developed and tested, using a large panel of firm-level export data (containing information of value, price and destination of every export transaction) of 90 thousand Chinese born global firms over the period 2000-2006.

Abstract: This paper aims to contribute to the literature by evaluating the performance of four subsidiary strategies (natural resource seeking, market seeking, low cost seeking, and strategic asset seeking) under a changing investment environment. We focus on a combination of changes of economic factors and institutional factors. Economic factors refer to internal and external market changes; institutions refer to the government policies relevant to subsidiaries in China. Unearthing the relations between host country specific advantages (CSAs), subsidiary’s strategy and competitiveness will help us understand not only the success factors in China, but also the role of subsidiary in MNEs’ sustainability. The information of 5048 subsidiaries over 2003-2010 will be used to test our hypotheses.

Abstract: In the rise of foreign direct investments in transition economies, scholars have been paying increasing attentions to foreign firms’ activities in China. However, current research has almost exclusively focused on large or established foreign firms such as multinational enterprises (MNEs), but neglected practices of smaller foreign firms. In this study, we draw from the resource-based and learning perspectives to analyze the differences between small and large foreign firms from the aspect of their relationships with Chinese transaction partners and governments. We propose that, given gaps in capabilities and willingness, small foreign firms differ from larger ones in contracting behaviors, disputes and resolutions, and relationships with local governments. Using a nation-wide firm-level survey in China, we find strong empirical supports for the hypotheses.