Central European Business Review 2014, 3(3):23-30 | DOI: 10.18267/j.cebr.90

Chinese Companies in Switzerland

Esther Kessler1, Markus Prandini2, Juan Wu3
1 Esther Kessler, Ph.D., Lecturer and Researcher for Economics and International Business, Regional Competence Center Asia-Pacific, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), School of Management and Law, Stadthausstrasse 14, CH-8401 Winterthur, esther.kessler@zhaw.ch
2 Markus Prandini, Ph.D. HSG, Professor for International Business, Head of Competence Center Asia-Pacific, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), School of Management and Law, Stadthausstrasse 14, CH-8401 Winterthur, markus.prandini@zhaw.ch
3 Juan Wu, MSc., Researcher for International Business, with a focus on China, Regional Competence Center Asia-Pacific, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), School of Management and Law, Stadthausstrasse 14, CH-8401 Winterthur, juan.wu@zhaw.ch

In recent years, some of China's leading firms have made headlines with their European expansion, by either opening new facilities or by acquiring or merging with significant enterprises in Europe. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature by examining Chinese enterprises expanding into Switzerland. The study also allows some conclusions for Chinese companies entering Central and Eastern Europe. We analyze via interviews the motivations of Chinese companies to expand into Switzerland as well as their behavior and the impediments in their internationalization process. Our findings show that Chinese companies fail to take advantage of certain benefits of western economies (such as open information and stable rule of law). To move forward efficiently, they should develop competence in dealing systematically with readily available market information, building professional networks that recognize a separation between business life and personal life, and managing their Chinese and foreign employees in the foreign cultural environment.

Keywords: Globalization; foreign direct investment; Switzerland; China; Chinese enterprises
JEL classification: F21, F23, M14, M16

Received: July 18, 2014; Revised: September 17, 2014; Published: September 30, 2014  Show citation

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Kessler, E., Prandini, M., & Wu, J. (2014). Chinese Companies in Switzerland. Central European Business Review, 3(3), 23-30. doi: 10.18267/j.cebr.90
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