The Interpretation of Globalization Amongst Chinese Business Leaders: A Managerial Organizational Cognition Approach

Abstract

Much of what has been reported about the impact of globalization is based on macroeconomic and social analyses. There is a dearth of research on the meaning and impact of globalization at the individual level. This paper attempts to fill this gap in the literature. The paper is divided into two sections; section one provides a brief review of literature on the conceptualization and meaning of globalization. Section two presents the results of a survey of a sample of 128 Chinese business people and professionals in the city of Beijing. The survey attempts to explore answer to questions such as: What do ordinary Chinese business people and professionals think of globalization? Do Chinese consider globalization mainly as an economic phenomenon or socio-political phenomenon? What are the practical and research implications of the meanings of globalization? The answer to these questions should shed light on the potential impact of the individual dimension of globalization. This assumption is based on the managerial and organizational cognition (MOC) literature, which suggests that interpretation and meanings attached by managers to events and phenomenon can explain their actions and organizational strategy (Hodgkinson, 2007; Mintznerg, Ahlsband & Lampel, 1998). Therefore the meaning attached to globalization by business people and professionals who can influence government policies directly or indirectly can shed light on the type of policy and strategy they might advocate or how they might react to government policies vis-a-vis globalization.