Chinese Stakeholders Research Articles

To what extent does China’s aid in Africa affect traditional donors?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the welfare and social policy ideas that characterize Chinese aid in Africa are influencing traditional donors and becoming global. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilised a qualitative study that has two main components: first, a comprehensive content analysis of over 50 key Sino–African, Chinese and Western policy documents from 2000 (since cooperation between Beijing and African countries first became institutionalised); and, second, there were semi-structured interviews with Chinese, African and Western stakeholders in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), who were directly involved in the relationship between China and Africa and related development issues. Findings The results of documentation and interview analyses show that there are currently significant differences between Chinese and Western approaches. China has developed much stronger and more explicit links between development aid and economic activity than most Western donors. The aid is usually implemented through specific projects rather than broader programmes or policies. Originality/value It is reasonable to assume that the new developments initiated by the Agency’s international pioneers are likely to be a new emerging trend. As the conditions and processes of social policy design in developing countries are so closely linked with the ideas of international development institutions (if not predetermined), a possible change in the direction of travel of the ideas and activities of this community requires close coordination analysis and evaluation.

Chinese Film Laws: An Unintended Driver of Intellectual Property Infringement

This timely comment introduces readers to the history and recent rise of the Chinese theatrical film industry, Hollywood’s subsequent reliance on the market, China’s current laws governing film and its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, and analyzes the unintended intellectual property implications of its film laws. While China has made commendable efforts at copyright reform and enforcement, its film laws undermine its progress and drive Chinese consumers to pirated content, costing Hollywood studios millions. This comment includes up to date laws and box office statistics, analyzes implications of the Trump administration's escalating trade war, and proposes realistic legal solutions that benefit Chinese and Hollywood stakeholders as China struggles to square the policy goals of the Communist Party with its increasingly capitalistic economy.

Practices in operating a small business in a host community: a social capital perspective of Chinese immigrant entrepreneurship within the South Africa business context

This study explores how Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs who own small retail businesses in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa draw from their social capital to operate their small businesses. The study followed a qualitative research design in which 21 in-depth interviews were conducted. The findings show that the Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs used different forms of social capital to operate their small retail businesses in the host business environment. Drawing from their social capital, the Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs were able to respond to opportunities and challenges in the host business environment. Social capital embedded in relationships and networks between the Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs and different stakeholders was central to the operations of the small retail businesses.

Towards a typology of university technology transfer organizations in China: evidences from Tsinghua University

This paper argues that failure to deeply understand various existing organizations of university-industry technology transfer in China impedes the progress of both practice and research on technology transfer between university and industry in that country. In response, it attempts to categorize different types of university technology transfer organizations in China in over a 30-year time span and analyze the relations between these organizations. In so doing, Tsinghua University is taken as an example for analysis, because technology transfer at Tsinghua University can be seen as a microcosm of university-industry technology transfer in China with pioneer practices and successful experience to be followed by other universities in China. The analysis is guided by an analytical framework, constructed by integrating the insights from relevant literature. The framework distinguishes between different forms of university technology transfer organizations by focusing on six dimensions of the organizational characteristics. After identifying eight types of university technology transfer organizations in Tsinghua University with detailed descriptions of their respective organizational characteristics, the paper further groups them into a four-category typology. Besides its contribution in constructing a framework to understand university technology transfer organizations in the Chinese context, the paper also solicits suggestions for Chinese and international stakeholders who may potentially cooperate with Chinese research universities in research, development, and innovation.

An Organizational Life Cycle Approach to Exploring the Elite Sport Legacy of Summer Olympic Host Nations: The Cases of China (Beijing 2008) and Australia (Sydney 2000)

This paper investigates the elite sport legacies of hosting the Summer Olympics for China (Beijing 2008) and Australia (Sydney 2000). The classic organizational life cycle approach provides the conceptual framework for this retroductive study. The data for both cases are sourced from official publications, academic research, and documents from various government departments and organizations. Additional data are drawn from three semi-structured interviews with key Chinese stakeholders. The analysis provides clear evidence that governments and their stakeholders use the opportunities afforded by a home Olympics to boost Olympic performance. China and Australia experienced a similar four-phase pattern of elite sport legacy life cycle: start-up, growth, maintenance, and decline. Both countries also shared many similar policy and management factors throughout each stage. An increased awareness of the sequential nature of elite sport legacy can help Olympic host countries make a more informed decision about their long-term strategies for elite sport success.

A qualitative study on learning trajectories of non-native Chinese instructors as successful Chinese language learners

This paper reports a qualitative study on the Chinese language learning trajectories of non-native Chinese instructors as successful Chinese language learners. While some literature has been found on studying good learners of English and other languages, there is a lack of research on studying good learners of the Chinese language, especially on their life-long Chinese learning process. Six active instructors teaching Chinese at K-12 schools or universities in the United States, whose native language is English, were interviewed on a one-on-one basis with an auto/biographical approach. This approach, as one type of narrative inquiries under a qualitative paradigm, has been increasingly used in the study of English language learners. Findings of the study include that the six participants all had experiences studying in Greater China, and all held lifelong learning attitude as well as demonstrated various self-regulation strategies with strong self-motivation and dedication. While they all took Chinese classes at college, only two of them studied prior to college, which is encouraging for Chinese learners who were unable to learn Chinese from an early age. This study helps to fill the gap in literature on good language learners of Chinese, and provides educational implications for Chinese language learners, instructors, researchers, and other stakeholders.

Cosmopolitan risk community in a bowl: a case study of China’s good food movement

Ulrich Beck fundamentally transformed our way of thinking about human interdependence through his three core theses on risk, individualisation and cosmopolitanisation. However, two commonly observed deficiencies in Beck’s grand theory were its Eurocentric orientation and a lack of empirical grounding. Based on 5 focus groups and 14 interviews with participants of the emerging Clean Food Movement in China, this paper extends the Beckian discussion outside Europe. Through examining how individuals understand both ‘traditional’ and ‘new’ risks associated with contemporary food consumption, this paper demonstrates that in the face of unpredictable and incalculable harms, risks are not seen as a ‘thing’, but are translated into ‘causal relations’. Subsequently, for Chinese stakeholders, the best way to safeguard food risks is to enact more visible and functioning interdependent relations in the food system. This in turn has given rise to new forms of communities which cut across conventional geographic, socio-economic and political boundaries. The paper deepens a Beckian theorisation in two ways. First, it demonstrates that the ‘enabling’ effect of risk towards a cosmopolitan society is not limited to obvious global crises, such as climate catastrophes and financial meltdown. In fact, the mundane yet intimate concern of putting ‘good’ food in one’s dinner bowl already presses actors to form new social solidarities that are cosmopolitan in nature. Second, it goes beyond Beck’s assertion that the risk society has culminated in a cosmopolitan moment, and explores how a performative cosmopolitan community reshapes the ‘relations of definition’ to mitigate risks on the ground.

Evaluating the Behaviour of Chinese Stakeholders Engaged in Large Hydropower Projects in Asia and Africa

AbstractHydropower dams are back in the spotlight owing to a shifting preference for low carbon energy generation and their possible contribution to mitigating climate change. At the forefront of the renaissance of large hydropower dams are Chinese companies, as the builders of the world's largest dams at home and abroad, opening up opportunities for low- and middle-income countries. However, large hydropower dams, despite their possible developmental and carbon reduction contributions, are accompanied by huge economic costs, profound negative environmental changes and social impacts. Using fieldwork data from four hydropower projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Cambodia and Malaysia, this paper evaluates the behaviour of Chinese stakeholders engaged in large hydropower projects in Asia and Africa. We do this by first exploring the interests of the different Chinese stakeholders and then by investigating the wider implications of these Chinese dams on the local, national and international contexts. The paper concludes that hydropower dams will continue to play a prominent role in future efforts to increase energy security and reduce energy poverty worldwide, therefore the planning, building and mitigation strategies need to be implemented in a more sustainable way that takes into account national development priorities, the needs of local people and the impacts on natural habitats.

Singapore, a Model for (Sustainable?) Urban Development in China

In order to face the challenge of sustainable urban development on its own territory, China has chosen Singapore as its model and privileged partner. By analysing more than 20 years of cooperation, the aim of this article is to study what sort of vision and model for development China is pursuing, how the “Singaporean model” is imported and incorporated by Chinese stakeholders, and in what ways it is transforming the specificities in planning, building, and organising the country’s cities. Our analysis covers two Sino-Singaporean urban operations that are currently leading the way in China: the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin eco-city. The incorporation of the Singaporean model into these two operations shows that the latter offers an effective way of linking economic development with urban production, and of enabling the building of orderly cities with good environmental standards. However, these advances have only been made possible by the capacity to take political and financial initiatives that are still exceptional in the country as a whole, and until now do not appear to be easily extendable to other Chinese cities. Moreover, the Sino-Singaporean view of urban development based on productivity and concentrating on supply, infrastructure, and technology encounters major limitations in terms of environmental sobriety and the cities’ social integration.

Perceptions of European and Chinese stakeholders on doctoral education in China and Europe

ABSTRACTThis study investigates perceptions of European and Chinese stakeholders on doctoral education (DE) in China and Europe, particularly the cooperation between the two sides. Data were collected through online and paper survey from both European and Chinese stakeholders (N = 946). The results provide insights for policy-makers, university administrators, doctoral students and their supervisors when planning and engaging in DE in collaboration between European and Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs). Various cooperation models are currently implemented between Chinese and European HEIs. European respondents reported a higher awareness level of cooperation issues compared to the Chinese respondents. Significant differences were found between the Chinese and European respondents regarding their perceptions, perceived advantages and challenges, as well as expectations on cooperation in DE.

Precision Agriculture in China: Exploring Awareness, Understanding, Attitudes and Perceptions of Agricultural Experts and End-Users in China

Precision agriculture (PA) may improve the sustainability of Chinese agriculture. Ten experts were interviewed and 34 farm workers surveyed regarding their understanding, attitudes and perceptions towards PA. PA technologies were considered inaccessible, unsuitable and unnecessary for smaller farms. High cost, lack of perceived benefits, and skills and capability required to adopt PA represented barriers to adoption. Financial incentives/subsidies, the need for tangible benefits and tailored solutions to be demonstrated to farmers, and agronomic and peer support were desired. Future research should further explore PA with Chinese stakeholders and end-users in China, to inform future socio-technological developments.

Skirting or Courting Controversy? Chinese FDI in Latin American Extractive Industries

China has become a key player in the development sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), not only due to trade but also because of the growing scope and visibility of its foreign direct investments (FDI). However, Chinese investments in the region are far from homogeneous, not only oscillating over time and space, but also varying across modes of incorporation into LAC economies. In the extractive industries, Chinese actors rely on a wide gamut of strategies to open up markets and to help ensure access to oil and minerals. This chapter breaks down the concept of FDI into three umbrella categories—greenfield projects, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures—to analyse how Chinese capital enters LAC extractive sectors. The chapter argues that, faced with a relatively unfamiliar landscape and new sources of uncertainty, Chinese companies tend to ‘test the water’ through mergers and acquisitions, as well as joint ventures, before delving into greenfield activities like direct mining or drilling. This cautious approach signals a degree of institutional learning on the part of Chinese stakeholders, as well as the desire to avoid charges of neo-colonialism, imposed dependency, and lax adherence to formal regulations.

The Effectiveness of Crisis Communication Strategies on Sina Weibo in Relation to Chinese Publics’ Acceptance of These Strategies

With their timely, interactive nature and wide public access, social media have provided a new platform that empowers stakeholders and corporations to interact in crisis communication. This study investigates crisis communication strategies and stakeholders’ emotions in response to a real corporate crisis—the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214—in order to enhance our understanding of socially mediated crisis communication. The authors examine 8,530 responses from Chinese stakeholders to crisis communication on the Chinese microblogging Web site Sina Weibo. Their findings suggest that the integrated use of accommodative and defensive communication strategies in the early stage of postcrisis communication prevented escalation of the crisis.

Sustainable land and water management of River Oases along the Tarim River

Abstract. The Tarim Basin in Xinjiang province in northwest China is characterized by a hyper arid climate. Climate change and a strong increase in agricultural land use are major challenges for sustainable water management. The largest competition for water resources exists between irrigated fields and natural riparian vegetation, which is dependent on seasonal flooding of the Tarim River. In addition to numerous water management measures implemented by the Chinese government, the Sino-German project SuMaRiO (Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River) provided a decision support system based on ecosystem services for the Chinese stakeholders. This tool will help to implement sustainable land and water management measures in the next 5-year plan.

Intellectual capital disclosure and the information gap: Evidence from China

Our research examines the extent and quality of intellectual capital (IC) disclosure by Chinese companies, as well as investigates if the disclosure practices of Chinese companies meet the expectation of stakeholders. A mixed methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative elements, was used. An IC coding index was developed as an instrument to analyze annual reports of the top 100 Chinese A-share listed companies. The results indicate that the current level of IC disclosure was quite high in both extent and quality, and there was no significant information gap between the expectation of Chinese stakeholders and the actual disclosure practice of Chinese firms. This research provides further evidence as to the state of IC disclosure in the Chinese context, and makes some contributions to the existing literature.

Impacts of China Tourism Law on Chinese Outbound Travelers and Stakeholders: An Exploratory Discussion

China’s first Tourism Law came into force on October 1, 2013 with the purpose of regulating malpractices in the tourism industry, in particular coercive shopping, low price, and poor quality tours. It is still not clear how it has impacted on travelers and the relevant stakeholders, such as destinations and travel agencies. As an exploratory study, the authors have identified and analyzed the possible outcomes of the Tourism Law’s impacts on various stakeholders and pointed directions for future research on this topic.

A Multiple-Stakeholder Perspective on Bank Performance Measurement

The dominance of financial ratios used by market analysts and the absence of a more holistic approach to evaluating bank performance motivates this study. The primary objective of the article is to illustrate how to develop a multiple stakeholder perspective (MSP) on a common set of financial ratios using a cross-country survey and reflect this information in a single comparative bank performance estimate. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) brings together the varying perspectives of five key stakeholders, namely, regulators, shareholders, customers, bank managers and employees. We develop the MSP approach by taking advantage of a recent online survey of stakeholder perceptions on key financial ratios across the major trading partners Australia, China and Japan. We focus on publicly quoted commercial banks. Key research questions demonstrated are (1) which banks are considered efficient by all the stakeholder groups? (2) which banks are considered inefficient by all the stakeholder groups? (3) which stakeholder group is most frequently evaluating the banks as inefficient (4) which stakeholder group is most frequently evaluating the banks as efficient? (5) how does the ranking of Australian banks change when their performance is viewed from the perspectives of Chinese or Japanese stakeholders? (6) how does the ranking of Chinese banks change when their performance is viewed from the perspectives of Australian or Japanese stakeholders? (7) how does the ranking of Japanese banks change when their performance is viewed from the perspectives of Australian or Chinese stakeholders? Insights gained through MSP can guide regulatory vigor, promotional or public relations activities, raising of equity capital in overseas markets and other cross-border operations such as positioning a bank’s international presence in a host country.

Integrating stakeholders’ multiple intelligences into the leadership development of a cross-cultural entity: Evidence from the CI Ljubljana

This paper presents the first qualitative research study of the multiple intelligences of Chinese and Slovenian stakeholders at the Confucius Institute Ljubljana. Our research question is: “How can the integration of multiple intelligences into leadership development help in accomplishing the mission of CI LJ?” According to a contemporary leadership development literature review, sustainable leadership development – based on the theory of multiple intelligences – is more appropriate for social and environmental needs than a focused leader development. The findings demonstrate that individual differences influence cultural orientation and that management needs to integrate the individual, organisational, social and environmental developmental components through sustainable leadership development.

Perceptions of Chinese Stakeholders on the Disclosure Importance of Intellectual Capital Attributes: A Note

The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of Chinese stakeholders on the disclosure importance of the most significant intellectual capital (IC) attributes by firms, primarily using a questionnaire survey. It proceeded in two stages. In the first stage, a number of IC attributes were selected on the basis of prior literature and aconsultation process with a panel of Chinese stakeholders. In the second stage, a questionnaire survey wasdesigned to gather the opinions of the stakeholder panel on the disclosure importance of the identified IC attributes. The results show that all the attributes achieved a rating at least moderately important, including 60%rated as extremely or very important to disclose. In addition, the stakeholders offered some insightful comments and suggestions on the disclosure of IC in China.

Game analysis of Chinese stakeholders in collective forest rights system reform

In the current stage of Chinese forest ownership reform, the central and local governments as well as the forest farmers play different roles with variations in their expected returns. Managing these respective relationships between the forestry stakeholders to maximize their benefits while actively engaging each stakeholder in the collective forest ownership reform process has become an important issue. This study uses the game theory methodology to analyze the relationship between the different reform stakeholders and then builds on the forest farmers’ participation in the reform model process at the reform movement micro-level. This model calculates the forest products equilibrium marketing sales and the government subsidies provided to the forest farmers, when the forest farmers willingly participate in the reform process. It will provide a reliable basis for formulation of government policies which positively impacts Chinese forestry reform.