Sino-foreign Joint Ventures Research Articles

‘Feedbackpacking’: mapping the journey towards independent L2 student feedback literacy

Generally, there are two kinds of travellers: package tourists and independent backpackers. The journey towards second language (L2) student feedback literacy shares many features with independent backpacker travel, and there are benefits to viewing student feedback literacy this way. Despite feedback playing a fundamental role in higher education learners’ development, students and teachers are currently dissatisfied with feedback. This research uses the metaphor of independent backpacker travel to explore how L2 learners can become more effective users of feedback through feedbackpacking. Specifically, seven Chinese undergraduate English for Academic Purposes students at a Sino-foreign joint venture university were interviewed. Data were analysed thematically to highlight salient features of students’ journeys towards L2 student feedback literacy and to demonstrate that for such learners, this journey is perhaps more complex than current understandings assume. By linking students’ self-reported feedback practices to the concept of independent backpacker travel, the practical insights reported will benefit higher education practitioners across disciplines who wish to develop their L2 learners’ feedback literacy. The results emphasize the importance of context, culture, and language for effective feedback, highlighting the benefits for L2 learners to adopt a mindset of feedbackpacking in order achieve L2 feedback literacy.

Defying the gravity of “dominant parent” Sino-foreign JVs Chinese state leadership and control of Eurasia Aviation Corporation, 1931–1943

In 1931, Deutsche Luft Hansa and China's Nationalist government came together to form the Sino-German airline Joint Venture (JV), the Eurasia Aviation Corporation. Eurasia plied the skies over China and beyond, as part of its mandate to project newfound state power in a global infrastructural race to prove its technocratic capabilities and modern identity. By tracing the founding, development, and dissolution of Eurasia Aviation Corporation, this paper seeks to overturn the paradigm of the “dominant parent” enterprise where the foreign side controlled the destinies of Sino-foreign JVs. Using epistles and contracts between Luft Hansa, the Executive Yuan, Eurasia, and the ministries that had purview over the Sino-foreign JV – as well as using aerophilatelic catalogues, route networks, and Chiang Kai-shek's lectures ( Chinese Citizenry and Aviation) – this paper proposes that Nationalist state actors were capable of formidable and strategic stewardship over the business that transcended the quasi-equity on paper.

Direct search or remote search? Export market expansion path for firms in underdeveloped areas - evidence from the five cities of the Hexi Corridor, China

ABSTRACT The expansion of firms’ export markets is crucial for their own growth and local economic growth. Studies suggest two market expansion modes: direct search and remote search. However, research often overlooks underdeveloped areas and the influence of firm heterogeneity. Using data from China Customs Database and CEPII Database, this article investigates the export market expansion patterns of firms in underdeveloped regions. The study focuses on five specific cities in the Hexi Corridor, a representative underdeveloped region in western China. The results show that firms in underdeveloped areas mainly follow the remote search path during their export market expansion. The likelihood of success in entering new target markets is significantly influenced by the similarity between the target market and their existing markets, while the geographical distance between trade partners has little effect. Additionally, there are significant differences in the market expansion path of different types of firms. Private-owned enterprises demonstrated a greater reliance on the remote search mode than state-owned enterprises, collective-owned enterprises and Sino-foreign joint ventures. It may stem from their limited ability to access resources and policy support.

The Situation of Sino-foreign Joint Venture Schools under Globalization

This paper examines the intricate dynamics between globalization and education, with a specific focus on the rise and development of Sino-foreign joint venture schools in Sichuan, China. It intricately analyzes how these institutions, notably the Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute and the Sino-French Aviation University, are reshaping educational practices by integrating Eastern and Western pedagogical approaches. These collaborations aim to produce globally competent graduates, highlighting the role of such institutions in elevating China's educational standards. The study delves into various aspects of these joint ventures, including their organizational structures, funding mechanisms, curriculum designs, and faculty and student demographics. A comparative analysis of two representative joint programs is provided, underscoring differences in teaching methods, curriculum focus, and targeted student backgrounds. The paper concludes by discussing the developmental potential and challenges faced by these institutions amidst the rapidly evolving landscape of international education. It emphasizes the significance of these joint ventures in fostering educational innovation and cross-cultural understanding. The research presented in this paper not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the impact of globalization on higher education but also provides valuable insights into the future of international educational collaborations. The findings suggest the need for thoughtful policy interventions to support the growth and sustainability of such transformative educational models.

Meeting the Looming December 31, 2024 Deadline for Corporate Reorganizations of Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures Under China's 2020 Foreign Investment Law

Meeting the Looming December 31, 2024 Deadline for Corporate Reorganizations of Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures Under China's 2020 Foreign Investment Law

КОМЕРЦІАЛІЗАЦІЯ РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ ІННОВАЦІЙНОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ СПІЛЬНИХ УКРАЇНСЬКО-КИТАЙСЬКИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

Research objective. The objective of this study is to examine the current state of the establishment of joint Ukrainian-Chinese enterprises and to analyse the prospects for the formation of business associations engaged in commercialization of the results of innovative activities in Ukraine and China on a mutually beneficial basis. Research methodology. In the paper, the authors examined the innovation process in Ukraine and China in order to substantiate the feasibility of establishing joint Ukrainian-Chinese companies engaged in the commercialization of innovative solutions. The review of publications demonstrated China’s significant achievements and global leadership in innovation. The paper describes a set of prerequisites that led to China’s innovative leadership. The considered prerequisites and the chronology of the legislative regulation of the Ukrainian-Chinese cooperation in the field of innovation activity allow to state that there are prospects of establishing joint Chinese-Ukrainian enterprises. A review of the development of the Ukrainian-Chinese partnership in historical retrospect shows the advantages and disadvantages involved in the establishment of joint Ukrainian-Chinese enterprises. In line with the findings of the study, the prospects for the organization of innovative joint ventures are outlined. The dominance of the Chinese system of state control and management of economic development over the private sector is emphasized. Conclusions. The authors conclude that China intends to use planned economic expansion to conquer foreign markets and subjugate all continents to its sphere of influence. The creation of Sinoforeign joint ventures also fits into the scheme of the superiority of the Chinese economic model over the Western model of economic relations. Ukrainian-Chinese joint ventures are also influenced by China's global long-term development program. Examples of Chinese investments in the Ukrainian economy and the placement of Ukrainian capital in China confirm the above observations. In each of the cited cases, the advantage of the Chinese influence over the partner party can be traced. It is relevant that China achieves this state of affairs by keeping the levers of influence in the hands of the state at all levels of state management of the country's economy. Practical implications. The results of this study are of interest to representatives of business structures that are interested in implementing projects on commercialization of the results of innovation activities. The authors conclude that in the process of creating joint ventures one should look for the “do no harm” sector, which maintains a level playing field for partners. Originality/value. This study highlights the similarities and differences in approaches to creating innovative joint ventures in Ukraine and China. The authors emphasize that China systematically defends the interests of both state-owned and private Chinese companies in foreign and domestic markets. In the domestic market, foreign investors are regulated, while in the foreign market, this is achieved through a set of measures that include financial instruments, intergovernmental agreements, and many other effective mechanisms to ensure success. China benefits most from international globalization and free trade.

Electric Pioneers: Nationalist Lobbying, Technology Transfer, and the Origins of the Chinese Electric Lamp Industry, 1921–1937

This article uses the case of Oppel Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd.—the most important Chinese manufacturer of light bulbs before 1937—to explore the early development of the Chinese electrical lamp industry. The article first explores the Chinese market for electrical lamps before the 1920s and shows how the market was dominated by imports and lamps locally manufactured by foreign firms. It then traces how Oppel was established in the 1920s and subsequently grew into a successful manufacturing business able to compete with foreign products. The article explores how the fact that government institutions were major purchasers of light bulbs allowed Oppel to engage in nationalist lobbying and thereby win government contracts. The article shows how the absence of Western-style intellectual property rights allowed Oppel to transfer technology cheaply, efficiently, and without needing to enter into Sino–foreign joint ventures. These discussions of nationalist lobbying and China’s intellectual property environment contribute to our understanding of China’s early industrialization, both in terms of the rapid industrial growth early twentieth century China saw and the leading role that Chinese firms played in this growth.

Chinese EFL Learners’ Lived Experience of Communication Apprehension in a Sino-Foreign Context

A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the development of communication competencies among students in light of the significance of effective communication in the 21st century. Past studies identified communication apprehension (CA) as one factor that hindered learners’ ability to communicate effectively. This study used a qualitative, phenomenological method involving six (6) participants who have lived experience of CA in a unique Chinese context, the Sino-Foreign Joint Venture, a concept that promotes cooperation of foreign educational institutions with China’s educational services industry. In-depth interviews, essays of the participants’ experiences, stimulated recall, and classroom observation has been employed. The video-recorded interviews were carried out as the primary method of data collection. The results revealed eight themes identified as anxiety-provoking classroom situations, namely, level of difficulty and familiarity with the topic, incomprehensible input, preparation, interpersonal evaluation and criticism, voluntary speaking and being asked to, making mistakes and losing face, classroom oral presentations, and oral language assessment and rate of recurrence. This study throws in user input to sensitize Sino-Foreign higher education institutions, curriculum developers, and teachers to the debilitating influence of communication apprehension on language learners.

Fund immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Chinese equity funds

This paper discusses the connection between public equity fund characteristics and performance reactions to COVID-19 using data over 1300 equity funds across 105 Chinese fund companies. Empirical evidences from over 20 fund characteristics show that the liquidity, diversification and pre-2020 Sharpe ratio, fund management abilities, agency costs can determine the fund immunity to COVID-19. Based on these characteristics mentioned, our empirical results can explain why COVID-19-induced drop in fund performance is milder among open-end funds, active funds, ETFs, and growth funds, and also can explain why funds controlled by private companies or by sino-foreign joint ventures or by companies with more independent directors of financial experiences perform better in the pandemic. Our work also provides some valuable suggestions for investors and regulators confronting an exogenous shock.

The influence of subnational corruption on the conversion of foreign proprietorship: Stumbling block or lubricant? Evidence from Sino-foreign joint ventures

The influence of subnational corruption on the conversion of foreign proprietorship: Stumbling block or lubricant? Evidence from Sino-foreign joint ventures

Consumers’ reaction to automobile recalls: The role of corporate non-market strategies and interstate relations

We investigate how the two signals of non-market strategies of foreign automakers (i.e. the domestic share of ownership and recognition of social responsibility) and the relations between China and the foreign automaker’s home country (i.e. interstate relations) jointly affect the business performance of Sino-foreign joint venture automakers (SJVAMs) when an automobile recall event occurs. Analysing 422 automobile recall events in 2013–2019 befalling SJVAMs in China, we find that the domestic share of ownership and recognition of social responsibility can buffer the negative impact of recalls on SJVAMs’ business performance. Meanwhile, the buffering effect of recognition of social responsibility is stronger when the domestic share of ownership is lower. Additionally, the buffering effects of domestic share of ownership and recognition of social responsibility are stronger when the interstate relation is poorer. We discuss our contributions to research on corporate legitimacy and crisis management.

Research on the Conflicts and Countermeasures of Other Culture in Sino-foreign Joint Ventures

Research on the Conflicts and Countermeasures of Other Culture in Sino-foreign Joint Ventures

Research on Culture Development Strategy of Sino-foreign Joint Venture Automobile Manufacturing Enterprises

Automobile manufacturing enterprises develop fast, focusing on hardware upgrading, quality control and other issues to implement innovation as well. However, looking back on its steady development, its deep “Soft strength”is even more essential in addition to the need to have“Hard strength”. Construction of enterprise culture has become an important way to support enterprise management and become one of the core competitiveness of sustainable development of enterprises. The lag of company culture development is an essential factor that hinders its sustainable development for large sino-foreign joint venture automobile manufacturing enterprises. Corporate culture construction is a systematic, long-term and continuous internalization process. Excellent corporate culture can lead the development of the enterprise continuously, and also can Down to Earth the reality of the enterprise Combined with the new characteristics and problems in the development of Chinese automobile manufacturing enterprises. This paper conducted an in-depth research on the current situation, existing problems and primary cause of the culture construction of SGMW. The optimizing strategy of SGMW culture development is analyzed combining with new development tendency of sino-foreign joint venture automobile manufacturing enterprises and the corresponding requirement of culture progress. This paper proposes the culture construction localization strategy in terms of spirit, system and behavior culture, in order to provide reference and reference for more automobile manufacturing enterprise culture construction.

An Analysis of the Demand for Business English Talents in the Context of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ——Based on a Survey of Export-oriented Enterprises in Guangdong

Based on the background of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the questionnaire data was collected from 239 export-oriented enterprises in Guangdong with a view to analyze the demand structure for business English talents through SPSS17.0. The demand structure for business English talents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area includes the flowing dimensions: “professional knowledge”, “external communication”, “professional competence” and “professional ethics”. In the city with higher economic level, there is a higher demand for the “professional ethics” of business English talents. State-owned enterprises and foreign-funded enterprises (including Sino-foreign joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative enterprises, wholly foreign-owned enterprises) have higher requirements for the “professional ethics” dimension of business English talents, while private enterprises have higher requirements for the “external communication” dimension of business English talents. Large enterprises and small and micro enterprises have higher requirements for the “external communication” dimension of business English talents, while medium-sized enterprises have higher requirements for the “professional ethics” of business English talents. Finally this paper puts forward suggestions to the colleges and universities on business English talents’ cultivating.

Improved Teaching Model of Ideological and Political Courses in Chinese Colleges and Universities

The promotion of ideological and political theory courses should respect and understand students’ different visions and appeals, uniting the successful learning and wonderful life, and making the Chinese Dream education deeply rooted in undergraduates’ mind. Teaching model is one of the important ways to realize the goal of cultivating high-quality talents. The improved teaching model research focuses on exploring the course of Morality and Law by designing targets, paths, content, methods and evaluation ways, to enhance the efficiency and effect. The research group made a questionnaire survey in Beijing among students in 6 colleges and universities and staff in 67 enterprises covering the fields of state-owned, private, sino-foreign joint ventures or foreign-funded companies. The group also made interviews with counselors and deans. By careful analysis, the team summarized an 1133 teaching model demonstrating new definition of the target, methods, and evaluation. The results should be connected with teachers’ appointment, promotion and rewards to improve the main channel of ideological and political education.

Policy support for own-brand innovation in China’s auto industry: panacea or placebo?

PurposeChina has become the world’s largest vehicle market, because of the strong governmental support to boost car sales and particularly because of the establishment of joint ventures between state-owned enterprises and world-class automakers. However, because many Sino-foreign joint ventures have performed unsatisfactorily in terms of creating indigenous brands, the purpose of this paper is to explore the cause-and-effect relationships among governmental policy support, Sino-foreign joint ventures and own-brand innovation in China’s passenger-car industry.Design/methodology/approachAfter briefly introducing the development history of the Chinese auto industry and reviewing relevant literature, first, the analytic hierarchy process method is used to create a unique, context-specific equation to measure the degree of policy support in China. This paper then uses the hierarchical multiple regression method to process the 2014 public data set.FindingsThe findings show that the degree of policy support increases the preference of the firms for producing foreign-brand cars, while such a relationship is fully mediated by the establishment of Sino-foreign joint ventures.Research limitations/implicationsThe research brings greater and deeper insights into the interplay among governmental policy, the conduct of own-brand strategy and international joint ventures in China’s auto market, showing that policy support may not always be beneficial, but sometimes be detrimental to indigenous innovation.Originality/valueThis paper can be seen as an exciting step that adds to a better understanding of the role of political support in shaping the strategic choices of firms in terms of brand innovation in the Chinese automobile industry. The proposed novel, context-specific approach for evaluating the degree of policy support embodies the distinctive institutional complexity and intricate social network embedded in the local car market during the period of China’s socio-economic transformation – an approach that is original in this field.

Exploration of relational factors: Sino-foreign joint venture partnering

Purpose– Despite recent threats of economic contraction, China still offers attractive opportunities for foreign companies seeking to expand their business activities through joint venturing (JV) partnering entry strategies. Recent research has indicated a growing recognition of the importance of relational factors in JV partnering. The purpose of this paper is to build on recent research findings that identify critical relation success factors in JVs and explores these in the context of a Hong Kong-based civil aviation services company seeking to expand business activities in Greater China.Design/methodology/approach– While the extant management literature focuses primarily on factors relevant to the inter-partner relationship between partners in the formation stage of a joint venture, this research takes a dynamic stakeholder perspective in respect of the relevant relational factors over the evolution of a partnership. The research described in this paper is based on a case-based study that identifies and examines the relevance and importance of uniquely Chinese factors such asguanxi,renqingandmianziin the specific context of a strategic partnering relationship.Findings– This phenomenological study provides empirical evidence of critical linkages of these to intrinsically Chinese notions ofguanxi,mianziandrenqing– it links these to key strategic partnering success factors identified to be trust, conflict resolution, commitment and cooperation. This study thereby reinforces the importance of the uniquely Chinese relational context in cross-border JVs. Moreover, the research findings suggest that these factors underpin the dynamic bi-directional stakeholder relationship in a Sino-foreign strategic partnership.Originality/value– This study conceptually links the uniquely Chinese relational factors (guanxi,mianziandrenqing) to key success factors supporting the establishment of a strategic partnership in a Sino-foreign context; moreover, it contributes empirical evidence substantiating the proposed conceptual linkage.

Prospective safety performance evaluation on construction sites

This paper presents a systematic Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based approach for Prospective Safety Performance Evaluation (PSPE) on construction sites, with causal relationships and interactions between enablers and the goals of PSPE taken into account. According to a sample of 450 valid questionnaire surveys from 30 Chinese construction enterprises, a SEM model with 26 items included for PSPE in the context of Chinese construction industry is established and then verified through the goodness-of-fit test. Three typical types of construction enterprises, namely the state-owned enterprise, private enterprise and Sino-foreign joint venture, are selected as samples to measure the level of safety performance given the enterprise scale, ownership and business strategy are different. Results provide a full understanding of safety performance practice in the construction industry, and indicate that the level of overall safety performance situation on working sites is rated at least a level of III (Fair) or above. This phenomenon can be explained that the construction industry has gradually matured with the norms, and construction enterprises should improve the level of safety performance as not to be eliminated from the government-led construction industry. The differences existing in the safety performance practice regarding different construction enterprise categories are compared and analyzed according to evaluation results. This research provides insights into cause–effect relationships among safety performance factors and goals, which, in turn, can facilitate the improvement of high safety performance in the construction industry.

Cultural or Structural? Two Perspectives on Conflicts in Sino-U.S. Joint Ventures

There has been growing academic interests on conflicts in Sino-Foreign joint ventures. Existing literature shows that special attention has been paid to conflicts in Sino-US joint ventures, particularly about the internal conflicts among the Chinese and American partners/management teams. The paper reviews previous research on conflicts in Sino-U.S. joint ventures within two main theoretical perspectives, cultural and structural. It aims to find out are 1) what issues of conflicts these two perspectives tend to address, 2) what is the central issue of their studies, respectively, 3) how they interpret conflicts in joint ventures, and 4) what kind of conflict resolution strategies they tend to propose. By exploring these, the paper seeks to contextualize empirical studies into broader theoretical contexts and develop healthy dialogue between the two dominate approaches, and thus set up a stage for further studies.

On the Legal Methods for Foreign Shareholders to Withdraw from Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures

Recent years have witnessed a growing number of Sino-foreign Joint Ventures from which the foreign shareholders are willing to withdraw. There are two methods available for shareholders to withdraw from a joint venture according to the Chinese laws and regulations: namely equity transfer and corporate dissolution. Foreign shareholders should take into account the company’s specific situation and the goals and effectiveness they want to achieve when deciding on the best way to withdraw. Usually equity transfer is deemed to be the first choice.