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2016/2017  KAN-CCBLO2009U  Institutions and Business Strategy in the Chinese Context

English Title
Institutions and Business Strategy in the Chinese Context

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Xin Li - Department of International Economics and Management (INT)
Xin Li is Assistant Professor in International Business. He has been teaching undergraduate ASP course at CBS since 2009 and postgraduate course at Sino-Danish Center (SDC) in Beijing, China since 2012.

Xin Li's research focuses on how Chinese firms internationalize, strategic management, and Chinese indigenous management research.
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalization and international business
  • Sociology
  • Strategy
Last updated on 14-08-2016
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • Having a clear understanding of the institutional theory and the institution-based view of strategy.
  • Having a clear understanding of the three aspects of China's institutional environment, as the lecturer has explained in the course.
  • Having a clear understanding the different responses to such an institutional environment of the businesses situated in China, as the lecturer has explained in the course.
  • Having the capability to apply the institutional theory and the institution-based view of strategy to a specific Chinese business strategy-related topic of the student's own choice.
  • Having the capability to clearly explain and defend his or her analysis (above mentioned application) at the oral exam.
Examination
The exam in the subject consists of two parts:
Institutions and Business Strategy in the Chinese Context - Content:
Sub exam weight50%
Examination formOral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group examIndividual exam
Size of written productMax. 10 pages
This course has only one exam, and it consists of two parts: 50 % language and 50 % content. This grade is given for the content of the synopsis and the oral presentation.
Assignment typeSynopsis
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
30 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation timeNo preparation
Grading scale7-step scale
Examiner(s)Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam periodSummer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Institutions and Business Strategy in the Chinese Context - Language:
Sub exam weight50%
Examination formOral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group examIndividual exam
Size of written productMax. 10 pages
This course has only one exam, and it consists of two parts: 50 % language and 50 % content. This grade is given for the students' language skills.
Assignment typeSynopsis
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
30 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation timeNo preparation
Grading scale7-step scale
Examiner(s)Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam periodSummer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content and structure

This course focuses on China's institutional environment and business strategies in response to that institutional environment.

 

We adopt W. Richard Scott's (1995) view that 'the Institutions are composed of cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative elements'. 

 

Accordingly, we divide the 10 lectures (three hours each) into four parts, i.e., Introduction, Regulative aspect, Normative aspect, and Cognitive aspect. Each of the latter three parts has three specific topics.

 

Introduction

  1. Why should we pay attention to China? The institution-based view of business strategy. Three aspects of institution (regulative, normative, cognitive)

Regulative aspect

  1. China’s SOEs and industrial policy
  2. Diversification with Chinese characteristics: a politician-entrepreneur exchange perspective (ALSO, business groups as development friendly institution, Amsden 2009)
  3. China’s e-commerce and platform competition

Normative aspect

  1. Doing business in China: Face, Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China
  2. Spurious competitiveness: why many rose and fell rapidly
  3. Huawei’s catch-up: how and why did it happen?

Cognitive aspect

  1. Chinese Culture: collectivism or individualism, long-term or short-term oriented, cultural paradox?
  2. Creativity Chinese vs. Western: notion, dialectic thinking-creativity connection
  3. Solutions to organizational paradox: Chinese vs. Western philosophy
Teaching methods
lecture, group work, group presentation
Student workload
Lectures 30 hours
Exam 0.5 hours
Preparation 175.5 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

to be announced on learn.
Last updated on 14-08-2016