Cultural impact on entry mode strategies into Chinese market by Australian companies

This Paper examines the cultural impact on the choice of entry mode strategies of Australian companies entering the Chinese Market. The Paper stresses the view that cultural differences must be considered when making entry mode  decisions. The evidence gained from an analysis of case studies undertaken of two Australian companies is presented in this paper. In both cases cultural differences have major affects on the decision-making process of China operations at a strategic level. It also indicates that a uniform process of entry mode stages, as suggested in the literature on entry options, may not be  suitable. Entry mode strategy should be determined on a case-by-case base and evaluated with culture considered prior to other criteria.

An international strategy taxonomy for entry into China

Taxonomies explaining internationalisation strategy are effective in relating connected variables to the decision-making process and entry mode strategies of organisations. The taxonomy developed in this paper from research into 40 Australian companies which had successfully and unsuccessfully internationalised into China identified resource transferability and international experience as connected variables that can categorise the factors of entry choice. High levels of resource transferability lead to joint ventures or wholly-owned foreign enterprises. Low levels led to exporting/importing or project/client based/licensing. High levels of international experience led to wholly-owned foreign enterprises or joint ventures. Low levels led to project/client based/licensing or exporting/importing.

Australian businesses in China : examining motivations and influences on entry modes for service providers

Purpose : The purpose of this paper is to examine the explanatory power of internationalisation theory for service firms internationalising into China.

Design/Methodology/Approach : Interviews were conducted with Australian based 23 service businesses that had entered China. Internationalisation theory was examined in this research. A number of constructs were investigated, which included the type of service (hard or soft), internationalisation motivation/pathways, previous international experience and whether companies plan or not. A number of propositions were tested in relation to these constructs.

Findings : The research found that soft services were more likely to choose full control modes, and hard services choose lower control modes. The most common motivation for entering China was to seek markets there, and these resulted in lower involvement modes. There was no relationship found between having international experience and entry mode, and it was found that businesses with low levels of planning still engaged high control modes. Internationalisation theory was partially supported in the research and was found to correctly predict the progression of equity in Chinese businesses owned by Australian companies.

Research Limitations/Implications : The limitation of the research was the small sample size, and future research should consider the constructs over a larger sample.

Practical Implications : The implications for other Australian service businesses is they should consider the type of service they have (hard or soft), and then make appropriate entry mode choices.

Originality/Value : There is limited research on the internationalisation of service businesses, and no other research has examined Australian service providers going to China.

Mathematical modelling of the crankshaft pin grinding process

Novel mathematical models to predict crankshaft pin grinding forces, out-of-roundness and thermal damage were developed as part of this thesis. The models were validated at a local automotive manufacturer's plant. The outcomes of this research have resulted in reduced scrap and warranty costs, improved manufacturing process quality and reduced lead times.

The effects of cultural barriers on market entry strategy

The increasing interests worldwide urge researchers to examine the strategies used specifically for tackling the Chinese market. This urgency is brought forward by the fact of a low success rate of international businesses operating in China in the past twenty years. This paper identifies the fundamental barrier — cultural difference and its impact on Australia-China business practices. It identifies the differences which impinge on basic decision making processes. It raises the issue of where cultural factors should be placed in organizations. It stresses that consideration of cultural differences plays an important role in the success of entering the Chinese market. Through a single case study of an Australian organisation's operation in China, it is demonstrated that cultural differences are to be considered at a strategic level rather than an operational level. In this method, appropriate implementations will be able to be carried out.

Chinese construction industry performance after entry into the world trade organization

The Chinese construction industry has had significant activity in the international market in the last decade following the entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). However the degree of activity and the sector performance is still relatively uncertain. A review of the literature in this field indicates that there is very little rigor in relation to adoption of quantitative measurement and performance indicators for internationalization, in particular for the measurement of the degree of internationalization specifically related to the international construction sector at both firm and country level. In addition the estimation of the influence and status of a country's construction activity in the international market has not been considered. There are useful indicators that we can borrow and consider from mainstream economics literature, such as, Dunning's Eclectic Paradigm (based on the ownership (0), location (L) and internalization (1) advantages of a firm) and Low et al.'s OLI+S Model (based on the Ownership, Location, Internalization and Specialty). Through an analysis of the attributes of the Chinese construction industry and a discussion on trends for the last decade, this paper proposes to develop a new model by adapting the Dunning model and acknowledging the significance of "Specialty" to measure the degree of internationalization both at the firm and country level. The International Level and Status Index was generated to measure the level and status of a country's construction industry in the international market by adopting the Depth Index (revenue composition), Height Index (top enterprises) and Width Index (fields involved). The key finding is that the degree of internationalization of Chinese construction industry and the status and influence of Chinese construction industry in the international market has not increased quickly. Surprisingly even though China had expectations of high growth after entry to WTO it has in fact declined. Contrarily, both of them declined in the early years after the accession to WTO.

Planning helps : the impact of release planning on subsequent re-entry experiences of child sex offenders

Recent research has demonstrated that poor release planning is associated with sex offender recidivism; however, whether release planning correlates with actual re-entry experiences has not been investigated systematically. Accordingly, in the present study release planning was rated for 16 child sex offenders, and semi-structured interviews about re-entry experiences were conducted at one, three and six months following their release from prison. As expected, significant positive correlations were found between release planning and re-entry experiences across the follow-up period, indicating that higher-quality release planning is associated with more positive re-entry experiences. Accordingly, it can be assumed that re-entry experiences differ between recidivists and non-recidivists, and hence positive re-entry experiences contribute to a reduction in sex offender recidivism. The implications for the management of offender release, policy makers and society as a whole are discussed.