This book considers the impact of multinational companies in China on the Chinese economy and on indigenous firms in China. It shows how the global business environment has undergone profound changes since the early 1990s, leading to an explosion of merger and acquisitions activity and consequent unprecedented degrees of concentration in many industries at a global level. It discusses the effects of these developments on the Chinese economy – both on multinationals and indigenous firms – analysing company strategies, activities and value chain structures. It shows that, as China’s integration into the global economy increases, new, globalised value chain structures are becoming the established norm across the Chinese economy. In particular, it explores the effects of these developments for local Chinese firms, where the strategy of "catch-up" has recently been a primary goal, demonstrating how difficult it is for Chinese firms to achieve "catch-up" when the competitors they are chasing are themselves moving forward and evolving so fast. The book includes detailed case studies of Boeing, Wal-Mart and Coco-Cola, considering their activities both at the global level and within China, and case studies of the sectors in which these forms operate in China. The book’s profoundly important conclusions concerning the impact of multinationals on the local economy and on indigenous firms are applicable to other developing economies as well as to China.

This book explains how Chinese firms are increasingly developing innovative capabilities and engaging in globalization. It focuses on knowledge-intensive and innovative entrepreneurial firms and multinationals, which already are – or are striving to become – world-leaders in their technologies and markets, and which do so by their use of advanced knowledge for innovation as well as their ability to act globally. The book advances related debates in entrepreneurship, innovation management, economic geography and international business.

This text tells the story of China's emergence as a major economic power and the impact this will have on world business. It is an executive summary of the opportunities for business in one of the largest markets in the world.

The era of globalization saw China emerge as the world's manufacturing titan. However, the "made in China" model—with its reliance on cheap labor and thin profits—has begun to wane. Beginning in the 2000s, the Chinese state shifted from attracting foreign investment to promoting the technological competitiveness of domestic firms. This shift caused tensions between winners and losers, leading local bureaucrats to compete for resources in government budget, funding, and tax breaks. While bureaucrats successfully built coalitions to motivate businesses to upgrade in some cities, in others, vested interests within the government deprived businesses of developmental resources and left them in a desperate race to the bottom. In Manipulating Globalization, Ling Chen argues that the roots of coalitional variation lie in the type of foreign firms with which local governments forged alliances. Cities that initially attracted large global firms with a significant share of exports were more likely to experience manipulation from vested interests down the road compared to those that attracted smaller foreign firms. The book develops the argument with in-depth interviews and tests it with quantitative data across hundreds of Chinese cities and thousands of firms. Chen advances a new theory of economic policies in authoritarian regimes and informs debates about the nature of Chinese capitalism. Her findings shed light on state-led development and coalition formation in other emerging economies that comprise the new "globalized" generation.

Offers critical perspectives and unique analyses of the growth and development path of mainland Chinese enterprises on the worldstage.

China has achieved remarkable, sustained economic growth under the policies of ‘reform and opening up’ put into place since the late 1970s. China’s industrial policies have nurtured a large group of firms with high profits and a high market capitalisation. However, few people in the West can name a single Chinese firm. During the modern era of capitalist globalisation firms from the high income countries have spread their business systems across the world. This has presented a profound challenge for industrial policy in developing countries, including even China, the world’s second largest economy. China is unique among large latecomer developing countries in having reached the position of being a huge, fast-growing economy, with a tremendous impact on the rest of the world, but lacking a substantial group of globally competitive firms. This volume explores this paradox. Fully understanding the industrial policy challenge that the era of capitalist globalisation has produced for China is essential for harmonious international relations.

This investigation uses state-mobilized globalization as a framework to understand China's capitalism and emergence as a global power.