Going global, crossing cultures: intercultural management in Chinese enterprises

Abstract

This paper discusses the problem of intercultural management in international Chinese companies with a major focus on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in Germany. With an increasing number of Chinese enterprises investing abroad, the need for intercultural competences becomes an issue that obviously has to be approached by these firms. Investment abroad requires especially careful preparation as shown by the experience of many Western companies struggling to set foot in foreign countries. But do Chinese firms prepare for this? Are there similar intercultural training opportunities as in some Western countries? Do curricula at universities offer relevant courses for future managers? What is the state of the field in the research on issues of intercultural management in the academe? The paper seeks to answer these questions by analysing problems of Chinese firms in Germany, by investigating consulting opportunities for Chinese investors planning to go abroad and by evaluating Chinese academic materials on intercultural problems.