Unicorns & Unicorpses: China’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

CEIBS Associate Professor of International Business & Strategy Shameen Prashantham explains how the coming together of money, technology and people has created one of the world’s most dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystems in China. He offers some practical examples of successful companies that have thrived here, both homegrown startups (like the bikesharing company Mobike) and those founded by international entrepreneurs (Falafel Games and Zotter Chocolate). He also discusses some of the challenges entrepreneurs face, and some universal lessons for entrepreneurs no matter where they may be headquartered.

Prof. Prashantham’s talk was recorded at an Executive Forum at CEIBS Shanghai Campus September 7, 2017 titled “Entrepreneurship in China: CEIBS’ Role” which also featured a discussion with CEIBS alumni entrepreneurs and Financial Times Business Education Correspondent Jonathan Moules.

Read Prof. Prashantham’s Financial Times column on start-up opportunities in China here. He also discusses China’s dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem in this Tech in Asia article.

To learn more about Mobike and China’s many bike-sharing start-ups and their overseas expansion see here and here. 

From Pancake to Cake: Which Chinese Foreign Acquisitions Will Succeed?

In the coming one or two decades CEIBS Vice President and Dean Professor Ding Yuan predicts we’ll see at least US$ 100 billion in outbound investment each year from China. What motivates Chinese companies’ global ambitions? Which deals make sense? What are the challenges in making these cross-border mergers and acquisitions work?

In a talk recorded at the CEIBS Europe Forum in London on July 6, 2017, Professor Ding shares some of the findings from more than 30 case studies done by the CEIBS Centre for the Globalization of Chinese Companies that explore Chinese outbound investments across a wide range of industries and countries. As he explains in his talk, when they began their research, the CEIBS faculty found that the frameworks for globalization followed by Western multinationals do not apply to Chinese companies going global. Their reasons for pursuing foreign acquisitions and joint ventures, and the way they manage them are quite different. He explains the differences and provides some practical examples in this talk.

To learn more about CEIBS 2017 Europe Forums in London, Paris, Munich & Warsaw, see here. 

What is China’s Belt & Road Initiative?

CEIBS Associate Dean and Professor of Economics Bala Ramasamy discusses the findings of a research study he co-authored that looks at how trade along the six corridors of China’s Belt & Road Initiative may be impacted by improvements in infrastructure and customs and border administration. Professor Ramasamy’s paper is titled “Market Integration in the BRI”.

This year CEIBS is holding a series of forums in London, Paris, Munich and Warsaw that bring together renowned academics, business leaders, and government officials from China and Europe to discuss the benefits of China’s Belt & Road Initiative. Learn more about CEIBS 2017 Europe Forum and China’s Belt & Road Initiative here.

Read Professor Bala’s columns in Caixin Global discussing his research findings here:

Free Trade a Hidden Key to ‘Belt and Road’ Success

3 Reasons Why China’s Belt and Road Will Succeed

What can we expect from the 2017 BRICS Summit?

As China prepares to host the 2017 BRICS Summit in Xiamen September 3 to 5, CEIBS Professor of Strategy and International Business Klaus E. Meyer sat down with ARD Radio to discuss what we can expect from the Summit, and the importance of this economic alliance between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Visit the official website of the BRICS Summit here.

Greenfield Investment Challenges for Chinese Companies

How will Brexit impact the business of Chinese companies in the UK? What are the challenges of integrating Chinese and European business cultures and practices after a cross-border M&A deal closes? How do Chinese companies learn to navigate through a foreign regulatory environment?

In a lively discussion recorded at the CEIBS Europe Forum in London on July 6, 2017, senior executives from Alipay, NVC Lighting UK, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (London) Plc, and the London Taxi Company discuss the challenges Chinese companies face when going global, and share practical examples of how their companies have solved them. The Roundtable is titled “Greenfield Investment: Creating Value for Win-Win Outcomes”.

For more information on CEIBS Europe Forum London (as well as the stops in Paris, Munich & Warsaw) please see here.

Chinese Companies’ ‘Light Touch’ M&A Approach

Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group’s acquisition of the French resort company Club Med, and the acquisition of the UK department store chain House of Fraser by China’s Sanpower Group are both successful examples of the unique ‘light touch’ approach that many Chinese companies take in managing their overseas acquisitions. CEIBS Vice President & Dean Ding Yuan weighs in on the benefits of this approach, and senior executives from these companies share their experiences to illustrate why it has worked in their cases.

Managing Director of International Business Development at Deloitte Mr. David Percival moderates  this discussion which was recorded at the CEIBS Europe Forum in London on July 6, 2017 at a roundtable titled “Mergers & Acquisitions: Generous Returns from the Chinese Market”.

For more information on CEIBS Europe Forum London (as well as the stops in Paris, Munich & Warsaw) please see here.

Read more about Sanpower Group's acquisition of House of Fraser here

Who are the ASEAN Champions?

Parkland Chair Professor of Strategy at CEIBS Seung Ho Park explains some of his key research findings on ASEAN Champions - strong local firms operating in the ASEAN Economic Community in Southeast Asia, which is set to become the seventh largest economy in the world. Here Professor Park discusses the factors that have enabled these high-performing firms to succeed, and in many cases to beat rival multinational firms. He also shares several examples of these firms in different countries throughout the ASEAN community.

For more about Prof. Park’s research on this topic read his book, ASEAN Champions: Emerging Stalwarts in Regional Integration.

This lecture was recorded on April 11, 2017 at the 2^nd CEMS Corporate Roundtable Discussion on Emerging Markets held at the CEIBS Shanghai Campus, which was hosted by the CEIBS Center for Emerging Markets Studies. The complete agenda for the event is here. For more on the CEIBS Center for Emerging Markets Studies see here.

US MNCs foreign cash worth less?

CEIBS Professor of Finance Cong Wang and his co-authors, Prof. Jarrad Harford of University of Washington and Kuo Zhang of Xiamen University, looked at a sample of US-listed multinational firms that disclose their foreign cash holdings. The findings show that the more cash a firm holds overseas, the lower shareholders value that cash. The researchers also found that firms with large cash holdings overseas tend to under-invest domestically and over-invest abroad. Read more about Prof. Cong Wang's research on this topic here.

How China is Driving Sharing Economy Innovation

CEIBS Professor of Marketing Jeongwen Chiang takes us on a deep dive into China’s sharing economy. Among the topics he explores: why China’s sharing economy is among the most advanced and innovative in the world, which sharing platforms are most popular right now with Chinese millennials, and what criteria venture capital investors use to evaluate sharing economy start-ups.

This podcast was recorded during a session at the CEIBS Center for Emerging Market Studies Corporate Roundtable Discussion held on April 11, 2017 at our Shanghai Campus. 

You can find a complete event agenda here.

Learn more about the CEIBS Center for Emerging Market Studies here.

Corporate Tax Reform & MNC's Foreign Cash Holdings

Most US multinational companies park their foreign earnings in jurisdictions with favorable tax policies in order to reduce their tax bill. For example, Ireland charges 12.5 % corporation tax while in the US it’s 35 %. If a multinational wants to repatriate foreign cash back to the US they need to pay the tax difference. CEIBS Prof. Cong Wang explains this taxation issue and discusses how the Trump administration might help solve it, and what the benefits would be. Read more about Prof. Cong Wang's research on this topic here.