Opportunities and Threats for Chinese Multinationals

Thunderbird International Business Review is pleased to invite submissions to a special issue which will address issues faced by Chinese multinationals investing in the U.S. market. While the special issue has a focus on Chinese multinationals in the U.S. market, we also invite submissions on Chinese multinationals in other countries as compared to United States (Child & Rodrigues, 2005).  Papers dealing with intersections between theory and practice are especially encouraged (Alon, Yeheskel, Lerner, & Zhang, 2013; Jansson & Söderman, 2012; Quer, Claver, & Rienda, 2012).

Chinese firms have quickly become instrumental players in the global marketplace and are on a U.S. buying spree (Yang, Yang & Doyle, 2013).  Outbound Chinese FDI in January 2014 was $7.23 billion, up 47.2 percent from a year earlier and expected to exceed for the first time the inbound FDI in 2014. In 2013, Chinese firms invested more than $14 billion in the United States, and are continuing to search for new markets and new ventures. In the first quarter of 2014, Chinese firms spent $1.36 billion on 26 FDI transactions in the United States. This tremendous growth has been driven by large-scale acquisitions in food, energy and real estate.

Although some Chinese firms have gained a solid foothold in the United States (e.g., Lenovo and Haier), the U.S. market remains notoriously difficult for outsiders to enter. Many European, Japanese and Latin American firms have come to the United States with high hopes, only to retreat or go through a painful readjustment of expectations.  Growing up in a distinctly different institutional environment (Deng, 2013; Yang & Stoltenberg, 2014), how have Chinese firms been managing the legal, financial and economic risks in the United States (Tan & Wang, 2011)?  How are Chinese firms addressing the opportunity and challenges faced in the United States? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese multinationals implementing a marketing and R&D strategy, and even manufacturing across the United States?  We welcome papers addressing these issues and related topics.

Topics of Special Interest:

• Entrepreneurship, innovation & technology transfer by Chinese multinationals
• Contributions to the U.S. economy
• Challenges of Localization: Product safety, environmental and labor issues, intellectual property, regulatory, and legal issues.
• Image: Managing skepticism toward the globalization of China business
• Politics: Managing conflict and relationships with local and national governmental entities
• Motivations in Chinese enterprises in the United States
• Adapting Chinese managerial practices to the U.S. market
• Marketing Chinese brands in the United States
• Impact of CSR philosophy and practice in China vs. United States
• HR: Recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining talent in Chinese enterprises operating in the United States
• M&A of Chinese firms in the United States: Challenges and opportunities
• Chinese investment in real estate & hospitality industry; Chinese tourism in the United States

The topics listed are meant to be illustrative; submissions on any topic that relates to the theme of Chinese multinationals are encouraged.

Submissions should be prepared in accordance with Thunderbird International Business Review's style guide and submitted to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tibr by June 30, 2015. Be sure to indicate that it is for the special issue, Opportunities and Threats for Chinese Multinationals. The special issue is tentatively scheduled to be published in 2016.

For additional information and questions, please email chinabusiness@usfca.edu.