An Examination of Key Issues in a Small Chinese Manufacturing Firm’s Internationalisation: A Longitudinal Case Study Approach

In contributing to the literature at the IE/Marketing interface, the aim of this research is to understand how Chinese small firms internationalise. The four key issues emerged and discussed are: (1) market orientation; (2) knowledge and entrepreneurial learning; (3) social capital; and (4) innovation. This was examined by employing a longitudinal qualitative case study using the grounded theory approach. This thesis is empirically-based, and is characterised by three key features: a) it uses a process approach; b) it focuses on its contribution to the growing body of the IE literature by exploring a unique case phenomenon; and c) it provides a ‘micro-level’ perspective: the key issues were examined as they evolve in the process of firms’ internationalisation. The methodology is grounded in a social constructionist approach in which narrative accounts are used to develop understanding of the processes of entrepreneurial internationalisation, over a period of six years. Data were gathered primarily through in-depth interviews and observations on-site. A number of important results emerged from this study. Key findings are: (1) whilst individual’s knowledge plays a vital role in decisions made to expand internationally, the competence to learn and absorb capacity at the firm level overall played a significant role in the growth stage and in sustaining the overall competitive advantages and performances. (2) Social capital plays a crucial role in small firms’ internationalisation however, its various dimensions plays a dissimilar role in the process. (3) MO and innovation appears to be factors, embedding within, and interacting with, other factors, acting as both antecedent and outcome of international expansions. Moreover, the close coupling of these four key issues and their interaction with various factors has been advanced to explain the forward momentum of firms’ internationalisation. Finally, an integrated conceptual framework was developed which offers a holistic view in IE and in China for future theory testing

Mapping provision of enterprise education and support for entrepreneurship in England's higher education institutions

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship education within England's Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The paper is based upon the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) Mapping Study of this activity. Research commissioned by NCGE (NCGE 2004; Hannon, 2005) has shown that there is a growing knowledge base about enterprise education but less so concerning the provision for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. There has been no recent study that has comprehensively mapped enterprise education activity in all higher education institutions across England. Institutional contacts in 94% of all the HEIs for this study entered data into an online institutional mapping template containing questions on modules/courses, non-accredited support and other institutional characteristics. The researchers maintained regular telephone contact and made personal visits to maximise data entry and to provide support where needed. This approach has led to the collection of a unique and robust data set that has been thoroughly and empirically analysed using SPSS. The paper presents a national overview and highlights selected regional variations in enterprise education and non–accredited entrepreneurship support. This includes: current and planned course provision over time; student profiles and targets; primary learning outcomes; non-accredited provision and student engagement; primary funding sources; and the development of a range of institutional characteristics conducive to supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. The findings from the mapping study illuminate the current HE landscape of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship thereby providing HEIs and educators with a valuable national resource as well as informing other key stakeholders – RDAs and central government – of the scope and scale of the contribution that HEIs offer to regional economic and social agendas. From such a unique evidence base more informed decisions can be taken in considering effective mechanisms for the future growth and development of HEI contributions. This paper offers the findings from a current comprehensive dataset on the HE provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education in England. With 94% of the HEIs in the study providing data online the study has also created a nationaldatabase that can be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience across the community. Furthermore conducting a repeat online study on an annual basis will provide valuable time series data. The study findings will help shape the future environment for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship across England

The role of guanxi networks in the performance of women-led firms in China

This exploratory paper examines how knowledge acquired via guanxi (networks and connections) have enabled women-led firms in China to overcome a number of significant barriers and challenges in order to start and grow a successful business. We draw upon two case studies, in order to illustrate how they have utilized guanxi as a means of overcoming these barriers. We investigate the way in which guanxi facilitates the business owner in engaging in a process of entrepreneurial learning (Harrison and Leitch 2005; Politis, 2008) – and making connections and contacts – by which she is able to improve the firm’s performance. Further research is necessary to build upon a small number of studies that have already cleared the ground in terms of guanxi. More reliable and country-wide, but disaggregated, statistics on small businesses would be a welcome start, including information on their owner-manager’s or owner-managers’ gender

The state of education provision for enterprise and entrepreneurship: A mapping study of England’s HEIs

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of provision for enterprise and entrepreneurship education within England’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The paper is based on the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) Mapping Study of enterprise education in England. Research commissioned by NCGE (ISBA 2004) has shown that there is a growing knowledge base about the nature of enterprise education but less so evidence concerning the provision for enhancing student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. Although studies have taken place in the US and Levie undertook a study of the UK published in 1999, there has been no recent study that has comprehensively mapped enterprise education activity in all higher education institutions across England. Institutional contacts in 94% of all the HEIs for this study entered data into an online institutional mapping template containing questions on modules/courses, non-accredited support and other institutional characteristics. The researchers maintained regular telephone contact and made personal visits to maximise data entry and to provide support where needed. This approach has led to the collection of a unique and robust data set that has been analysed using SPSS. The paper presents a national overview and highlights selected regional variations in enterprise education and non–accredited entrepreneurship support. This includes: current and planned course provision over time; student profiles and targets; primary learning outcomes; non-accredited provision and student engagement; primary funding sources; and the development of a range of institutional characteristics conducive to supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. The findings from the mapping study illuminate the current HE landscape of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship thereby providing HEIs and educators with a valuable national resource. Additionally, this informs other key stakeholders – RDAs and central government – of the scope and scale of the contribution that HEIs offer to regional economic and social agendas. From such a unique evidence base more informed decisions can be taken when considering effective mechanisms for the future growth and development of HEI contributions. This paper offers the findings from a unique and current comprehensive dataset on the HE provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education in England. With 94% of the HEIs in the study providing data online the study has created a national database that can be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience across the community. Furthermore conducting a repeat online study on an annual basis will provide valuable time series data. The study findings will help shape the future environment for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship across England

"Enter the dragoness": Firm growth, finance, guanxi, and gender in China

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory paper is to theorise and examine gender differences in the impact of financial capital on Chinese firms' growth, and investigate the role of guanxi (connections and networks) in the process of obtaining finance. Design/methodology/approach: A structured questionnaire is used to collect comprehensive financial data from 18 women to 69 men, which is analysed empirically. Findings: Women appear to be no more disadvantaged from obtaining finance than men in China and in some respects appear to be in a better position. Both women- and men-led firms are significantly stronger in relation to having access to enough finance to grow than at the start-up phase. A majority of participants in this study used guanxi to access finance. Furthermore, the paper finds that guanxi is used equally by men and women, and that guanxi-sourced finance comprised a significant proportion of the overall capital obtained. Research limitations/implications: One major limitation of the study is that, of the 87 questionnaires returned, 21 per cent are women and 79 per cent are men and, although the findings are not representative or generalisable, the results do suggest a number of possible avenues for future research. Originality/value: The paper has illuminated the under-explored area of the financing of growth in women-led firms in China. This research agenda is particularly important because small- and medium-sized enterprise finance in China is a key need-to-know area, there is a paucity of specific research on financing women entrepreneurs in China and of the phenomenal rise of women's entrepreneurship in China. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Huawei aligns with SDGs to achieve differentiation and competitive advantage in the smartphone industry

Recent years have witnessed a growing intensity of competition in business. Aligning an organisations’ differentiation strategy with the SDGs not only contributes to a sustainable future but also brings tangible benefits such as market growth and competitive advantage. The case study focuses on Huawei and SDG initiatives. Founded in 1987, Huawei has emerged as one of the leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smartphone devices. With 194,000 employees operating in over 170 countries. By incorporating specific sustainable development goals (SDGs) relevant to the smartphone industry, Huawei has differentiated itself in line with Porter’s generic strategies for growth, with particular emphasis on differentiation as a strategy for growth to create a unique identity in the smartphone industry. The case study explains Porter’s generic strategies for growth, with particular emphasis on differentiation as a strategy for growth. The case then goes on to explore how Huawei’s differentiation strategy aligns with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through the SDGs adopted in 2015, to drive sustainable competitive advantage in the smartphone industry. In addition, the case study explores how Huawei contributes to specific SDGs to drive innovation in the telecommunications sector as well as strengthened their market position as industry innovators and achieved sustainable competitive advantage in the smartphone industry both in China and globally. The case study suggests that businesses should consider aligning the SDGs in their strategic planning to inspire change, create a positive impact on the environment and most importantly achieve market growth and drive sustainable competitive advantage. Finally, the case study provides questions that encourages students to engage in critical thinking to demonstrate how the Porter’s generic strategies model is applied in real life situations in the context of Huawei and its SDG initiatives to achieve competitive advantage in the smartphone industry

Research on Teaching Satisfaction under the Application of Social Media Tools from the Perspective of Multiple Incentives

Education big data has risen to China's national strategy, and the construction of education big data has ushered in major historical development opportunities (Zhang Wei, 2017). Social media, as the collector of the most micro-level education big data, supports the entire data ecology. Social media-based mixed teaching is changing the traditional classroom, but we still know very little about the current status of social media teaching, especially the internal and external environment of social media teaching for college teachers. In this study, a questionnaire survey was used to systematically investigate the satisfaction of college students with mixed teaching based on social media. The study found that in the mixed teaching process, teachers can have an impact on teaching results through multiple incentive modes; among them, spiritual and interactive incentives can have a significant impact on teaching satisfaction; this will provide a useful reference for college social media teaching. Promoting the transformation of the role of teachers in colleges and universities helps to promote the high development of education

The Interplay of Alcohol and Wellbeing in the Workplace: Combining Soft Systems Methodology and Foucauldian Approach

This paper focuses on the topic of alcohol and wellbeing in contemporary work organisations. It explores the relationship between stakeholders’ viewpoints regarding alcohol in the workplace and how they have shaped organisational practices regarding wellbeing. The work of Michel Foucault is used to explore these issues. The notions of power, knowledge and discipline are identified as key Foucauldian themes that offer an alternative understanding of how discourses on alcohol are shaped in the United Kingdom workplace. The paper combines certain stages of Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology and Foucault’s Poststructuralist approach in addressing the topic. Foucault’s method of analysis, particularly archaeology and genealogy, is used to explore how and why certain discourses surrounding alcohol in the workplace become dominant over time. Qualitative cases with semi-structured interviews in knowledge-intensive firms were adopted to capture contrasting, varied experiences and perceptions of these organisational actors and shed light on alcohol and wellbeing and its relationships with the power dimension