Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, grade: 1,3, Berlin School of Economics and Law (IMB), language: English, abstract: This paper investigates Chinese automotive companies’ internationalisation activities into the European market. They are still short on experience and young in history. Since the Chinese economy has only gradually liberalised after 1978, the industry has been highly influenced by joint venture activities with foreign automobile companies in China.12 years ago, Chinese automotive companies started to internationalise. Dunning’s eclectic paradigm is utilized as academic foundation and related motives and entry modes are aligned to current Chinese activities. In early attempts to enter Europe there was a predominant resource-seeking motive, while later market-seeking reasons became more obvious and have dominated the activities since. So far, ownership-specific advantages do not play a major role in terms of valuable intangible assets like patents, whereas location specific determinants are significant, especially in terms of governmental impact. Additional home market advantages in labour endowment, resources, legal environment and strong finan- cial resources give Chinese automakers an edge and prepare them to further internationalise. However, regarding all OLI forces, there are still no outweighing advantages over European competitors. The interviewed experts do not expect a noticeable market entry with significant sales volume within the next ten years. To date, Chinese exports and FDI in Europe are the most relevant modes even though visibility is marginal. According to industry experts, companies like Qoros, BYD and Geely are possible candidates to succeed on the European market in the future. Other brands, which failed to enter Europe, e.g. due to lacking safety standards, are yet still opinion-forming. It is concluded, that if China’s automotive industry consolidates and advances technologically, it will be prepared to successfully compete on global markets, in particular Europe. The acquisition of European car manufacturers represent – in this context – a feasible possibility to speed up the process and offset technological deficiencies.

Im ersten Teil des Buches werden einschlägige Internationalisierungstheorien vorgestellt. Neben traditionellen Konzepten der Internationalisierung (z.B. Produktlebenszyklusansatz von Vernon, Uppsala Modell und Porter’s Diamant Ansatz) wird den moderneren Netzwerkansätzen (z.B. Systemansatz, New Venture bzw. Born Global und Entrepreneurkonzepte) besonderer Stellenwert eingeräumt. Im zweiten Teil werden Alternativen des internationalen Markteintritts (z.B. Exporte, Franchising, Joint Ventures, Auftragsproduktion und Direktinvestitionen) mit Bezug auf elementare Entscheidungsdeterminanten aus Sicht der Unternehmensführung, wie hierarchische Kontrolle, Marktnähe, Investitionsrisiko und dem Faktor Zeit, erläutert. Im empirischen Teil des Buches werden im Resultat einer Langzeituntersuchung Fallstudien asiatischer Firmen der Konsumentenelektronikindustrie, wie beispielsweise Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Matsushita (Panasonic), LG Electronics und TCL China, deren Organisationsstrukturen, Unternehmenskulturen, jeweilige Umsatz- und Gewinnentwicklung, sowie strategische Konzepte zur Marktdurchdringung in Europa erläutert. Ein Schwerpunkt bildet die Darstellung interner (z.B. diversifizierte Geschäftsfelder, vertikale Produktionstiefe) und externer Netzwerke (z.B. Joint Ventures, Zuliefer- und Abnehmercluster sowie Kapitalbeteiligungen) die aus Sicht des Autors wesentlich dazu beitragen, dass sich asiatische Unternehmen im Vergleich zu ihren europäischen Wettbewerbern der Fernsehgeräteindustrie (z.B. Grundig, Thomson oder Philips) in den letzten beiden Jahrzehnten wesentlich erfolgreicher am Markt positioniert haben. In diesem Zusammenhang werden Ziele, Erfolgsfaktoren sowie der strategische Einfluss der involvierten Partnerfirmen, einerseits in bilateralen japanischen Joint Ventures und andererseits, in europäisch - asiatischen Joint Ventures, über einen Zeitverlauf von mehreren Jahren untersucht. Das Buch liefert komplexe Hintergrundinformationen zur Entwicklung des europäischen Fernsehgerätemarktes. Im Ergebnis wird unter anderem nachgewiesen, dass Unternehmen mit den intensivsten Netzwerkaktivitäten auch gleichzeitig technologische Marktführer in ihrem Segment sind. Die Weiterentwicklung der Netzwerktheorie und die ausführlichen Fallstudien mit hohem Aktualitätsanspruch, der wichtigsten asiatischen Unternehmen der Konsumentenelektronikindustrie, prägen den besonderen Wert dieser Publikation. Auf der Basis der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse können darüber hinaus Chancen- und Risikopotentiale für andere europäische Branchen (z.B. Automobilbau) abgeleitet werden. Das in Englisch geschriebene Buch eignet sich hervorragend für Studierende international ausgerichteter Bachelor-, Master- und MBA Studiengänge und bietet vor dem Hintergrund eines globalisierten Wettbewerbs darüber hinaus relevante Industrieeinblicke für interessierte Entscheidungsträger aus Politik und Wirtschaft. The first part of the book introduces relevant theories of internationalization. In addition to traditional concepts of internationalization (e.g., the product life-cycle approach of Vernon, the Uppsala model, and Porter's diamond approach), particular attention is paid to the more modern network approaches of internationalization (e.g., systems, new venture/born global, and entrepreneur concepts). In the second part, alternatives for international market entry (e.g., exports, franchising, joint ventures, contract manufacturing, and foreign direct investments) are explained. These market entry modes are categorized according to decision determinants, such as hierarchical control, proximity to the market, risk of investment, and the factor of time, which are important from the point of view of the corporate management involved in international business. The empirical part of this publication, which is the result of a longitudional study, consists of case studies of Asian firms doing business in the consumer electronics industry. The cases of Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Matsushita (Panasonic), LG Electronics, and TCL China provide fundamental insights into the firms’ organizational structures, corporate cultures, respective sales volume, and earnings performance as well as strategic concepts for their market penetration in Europe. A main emphasis is placed on an understanding of internal firm networks (e.g., diversified business fields and vertical production depth) and external firm networks (e.g., joint ventures, supplier and buyer clusters as well as mutual capital interests). From the author’s view, these network grids fundamentally contribute to the fact that Asian firms have more successfully positioned themselves in the market within the last two decades compared to their European competitors in the television set industry (e.g. Grundig, Thomson, or Philips). The networking aims and success factors as well as the changing strategic influence over the years of the partner firms both in bilateral Japanese joint ventures and in European-Asian joint ventures are examined. The book provides complex background information about the development of the European television set market. The analysis demonstrates that firms holding the position of technological market leaders in their segment simultaneously indicate the most intensive network activities. The further development of the network theory and the detailed and up-to-date case studies of the most important Asian enterprises in the consumer electronics industry contribute to the value of this publication. Furthermore, on the basis of the knowledge gained from this study, chances and risk potentials can be derived for other European industries (e.g., automotive). The book, written in English, is suitable for internationally oriented bachelor’s, master’s and MBA programs. Additionally, against the background of worldwide competition, the publication at hand offers relevant industry insights for interested political and economic decision makers.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,0, Vienna University of Economics and Business (Institute for Strategic Management), language: English, abstract: This bachelor thesis deals with the development of the Chinese automobile industry (only passenger cars) over the past fifteen years (2005-2020). In the first part of the thesis, the political and economic development in China is outlined and major political events in contemporary Chinese history are discussed. A special emphasis is put on the open-door policies introduced by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1980s that still have a major impact on the Chinese automobile industry. In the literature review, the development of this industry is analyzed along four categories: government regulations, competitive landscape, products available and consumer behavior. In each of the categories, the changes and developments are elaborated in detail. Significant changes were found in all four categories. Particular attention was paid to government regulations as the research has shown that major changes have been made in recent years that have significantly impacted the entire industry. Ultimately, the current state of the Chinese automobile industry is outlined and shows the importance of this industry for the Chinese as well as the world economy. In the last part of the thesis, the opinions of experts working in or with the Chinese automobile industry are outlined. Over the working time of this thesis, eight expert interviews have been conducted with professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds and work experience in the Chinese automobile industry. The insights provided should allow a better understanding of the current state and challenges. While for some topics all experts agreed (e.g. surprising rapid growth of Chinese automobile industry), there was no common opinion on other topics (e.g. potential of Chinese EVs).

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,3, , course: Automotive Management, language: English, abstract: China’s economy is growing year by year. The persistent growth has affected the auto-mobile sector in particular. Increasing income and the passenger vehicle as an exclusive status-symbol has risen the private demand. In 2009, the PRC overtook the USA as the biggest automotive market in the world in production as well as in sales. This trend will certainly continue: With economic problems like stagnating real income, rising raw material prices and credit-driven consumerism in the industrial countries the importance of the Chinese market for car companies will even grow. Saturated passenger car markets in the USA and Western Europe and low rates of motorisation in new auto-motive markets like China focus the attention of the market participants on these new, growing markets. But the upward trend has already shown a downside. Increasing de-pendency on the strong politically influenced market and claims about know-how transfer are exemplary threats. As German enterprises in this industrial sector are popular worldwide and the car-industry is the key industry in our country, the internationalisation strategies of German automotive companies in China will be analysed in the following. The trend of the Chinese automobi-le market can be summarised in a quote of Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler: “Wir fahren noch nicht im höchsten Gang, wir können noch mehr”. The quote relates to the expected turnover and profit records of Daimler in 2011, which were mainly based on the success in the PRC: The Swabian vehicle manufacturer sold 198,500 automobiles in China. In spite of these difficulties, the automotive market in the PRC is very attractive, especially for the well-known German firms. However, the companies should know how to manage the problems in China. Therefore, the choice of a suitable strategy of internationalisation is crucial. By definition internationalisation strategy is the orientation of corporate development by growth in different foreign markets. In contrast to an international market entry strategy, an internationalisation strategy is not only about starting business in a foreign market, but also developing a strategy in a market which has already been entered. The focus of this bachelor thesis is put on the passenger vehicle market and lines out why the Chinese market is profitable and attractive for German and international manu-facturers in general. [...]

Since 2008, while the global automotive manufacturing has been faltering, the Chinese auto industry has been swiftly transformed into the largest producer in the world. The growth of the Chinese automakers is a close reflection of China's powerful manufacturing economy, and Geely Auto is one such best example. This book closely examines the rise of Geely as a privately-owned automaker in China. From its humble beginning as a refrigerator component maker and motorcycle manufacturer in the late twentieth century, Geely has grown to become not only a top selling national brand in China, the largest auto market in the world, but also a significant player in the global automotive industry. The book studies Geely's successful acquisition of Volvo, within a long-term framework of asset-seeking foreign direct investment, and then further investigates its recent strategic initiatives with Daimler, London Taxi, PROTON and Lotus. The book reveals how the little-known carmaker is worth close examination, via its product development, organizational dynamics, corporate culture, brand development, talent and cross-cultural management strategies, as well as the entrepreneurship of its visionary founder Shufu Li. From catching up in technology to a leader in product, service and business model innovations, Geely has driven out as a new Chinese automaker on the world stage. Facing challenges in clean energy and Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, new user's experience towards smart and mobility solution, Geely will continue to play an increasingly important role in the globalization age of the twenty-first century.