China's Domestic Private Firms: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Management and Performance

One of the most important outcomes of market reforms in China over the past 20 years has been the emergence of a significant domestic private sector, which now accounts for almost a third of China's GDP and is by far the country's most important source of employment growth. This book is the first in-depth analysis of the management and operation of these domestic private firms, which are defined as companies or organizations created by PRC citizens, including township enterprises and collectives. The book provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective on the factors important to the successful operation and growth of these firms. It begins with a review of the literature on the topic in three different disciplines - economics, sociology, and management - each followed by several chapters covering recent developments in these areas. Featuring contributions by distinguished scholars and China experts, the work concludes with an insightful chapter on the future of China's public sector in the global economy.

Preface and Acknowledgments; List of Abbreviations; 1. Explaining the Growth and Development of the Chinese Domestic Private Sector, Anne S. Tsui, Yanjie Bian, and Leonard Cheng; 2. Explaining China's Emerging Private Economy: Sociological Perspectives, Yanjie Bian and Zhanxin Zhang; 3. Family Businesses in China, 1978-96: Entry and Performance, Xiaogang Wu; 4. Transnational or Social Capital? Returnees versus Local Entrepreneurs, Wilfried R. Vanhonacker, David Zweig, and Siu Fung Chung; 5. The Sweatshop and Beyond: Authority Relations in Domestic Private Enterprises, Yi-min Lin; 6. Property Rights Regimes and Firm Behavior: Theory versus Evidence, Xueguang Zhou, He Cai, and Qiang Li; 7. Observing Private Business in China, Thomas B. Gold; 8. A Survey of the Economics Literature of China's Nonstate Enterprises, David D. Li; 9. Chapter Decentralization and the Structure of Chinese Corporate Boards: Do Politicians Jeopardize Board Professionalism and Firm Performance? Dong-Hua Chen, Joseph P.H. Fan, and T.J. Wong; 10. Firm Behavior in a Mixed Market: The Case of China, Changqi Wu and David D. Li; 11. In Marketplace and Boardroom: What Do We Know and Not Know about China's Nonstate Enterprises? Yijiang Wang; 12. China's Domestic Private Firms: A Literature Review and Directions for Future Research, Jiatao Li and Ji Yu Yang; 13. Authority and Benevolence: Employee's Responses to Paternalistic Leadership in China, Jiing-Lih Farh, Bor-Shiuan Cheng, Li-Fang Chou, and Xiao-Ping Chu; 14. The Commitment-Focused HRM System: Adoption and Performance Implications in Domestic Private Firms, Yaping Gong, Kenneth Law, and Katherine Xin; 15. Lenovo's Pursuit of Dynamic Strategic Fit, Steven White and Wei Xie; 16. The Emergence of China's Private-Sector Firms: Theory Development in the Midst of Evolving Institutional and Industrial Conditions, Claudia Bird Schoonhoven; 17. China's Private Sector: A Global Perspective, Andrew G. Walder; About the Editors and Contributors; Index.

Anne S. Tsui, Yanjie Bian