Abstract
Overseas Chinese family business (OCFBs) have gained a reputation for cost efficiency, responsiveness, and flexibility as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and as pioneers of the mainland's industrialization. This success is based upon a relatively simple ‘personally managed’ organization operating within a network of kin and ethnic relations. To what extent are mid-sized OCFBs now able to develop the capacity to compete in new strategic domains and manage more complex value chains? The paper examines competing views of the OCFBs organizational and competitive capabilities. The strategies of 50 mid-sized Hong Kong based manufacturing firms are used to provide insight into the questions of capabilities upgrading and long-term competitiveness in personally managed enterprises. In contrast to prevailing cultural and institutional accounts of OCFB behavior, the paper suggests that current (western) theory of the family firm and of organizational networks provides an alternative explanation of observed investment strategies and organizational structure.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
