Chinese Companies Going Global: The Operational Strategies and Communication Challenges

Abstract

Based upon the textual analysis of over 2000 Chinese and English web pages, as well as on the author's ethnographic observations with three Chinese multinational corporations, six operational strategies and three communication challenges on the Chinese companies' global outreach and expansion are conceptualised. The operational strategies include Chinese companies establishing overseas production bases, closing global mergers and acquisitions, building up global brand names invested in technology and efficiency, acquiring a Zigzag route of starting from emerging markets, accumulating overseas capital from global stock markets and recruiting global talents. The three communication challenges that threaten the growth of the Chinese companies are their inefficient conflict management style, low proficiency in local cultures and lack of 24/7 communication channels with the customers.