title: A study of the impact of foreign direct investment on firms in the Chinese wine industry

authors: Yin, Haolin

subjects: FDI

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the process by which emerging market firms leverage foreign resources and capabilities through linkages with foreign affiliates in the home country. This is achieved through a thorough examination of the inter-firm transfer of firm Ownership-specific advantages, resources and capabilities from locally-based foreign affiliates to local Chinese firms via joint ventures and non-equity-based collaborative partnerships.
The theoretical foundation of this study draws on the Linkage, Leverage and Learning (LLL) framework (Mathews, 2006a; 2017) within the broader contextual frameworks of the Investment Development Path (IDP) framework (Dunning & Narula, 1996) and the Ownership, Location and Internalisation (OLI) paradigm (Dunning, 2000; 2001). The particular focus of the study is on the Linkage and Leverage constructs.
A case study method, focused on the Chinese wine industry and its participants, is employed. Qualitative data was collected through 48 in-depth semi-structured interviews with firms (including wine producers, suppliers and distributors), wine institutes and wine bureaux.
This thesis finds that the leverage process encompasses three phases:
a) Application, or directly utilising foreign resources and capabilities without change;
b) Adaptation which involves incrementally changing foreign resources and capabilities and/or adjusting the existing resources and capabilities of local Chinese firms to better utilise foreign resources and capabilities; and
c) Amelioration, or remodelling original foreign resources and capabilities by fundamentally improving and innovating them to better fit the needs of local Chinese firms.
The leverage process shows that local Chinese firms not only learn from foreign affiliates, but also develop foreign resources and capabilities to upgrade their competences. Foreign multinationals contribute to the upgrading of local firms in the Chinese wine industry by introducing technology, techniques and experience in winegrowing and winemaking; expertise in corporate governance and vineyard management; and well-developed philosophies in the winery business. Further, the findings suggest that inward FDI (IFDI) has played a catalyst role in the development of the Chinese wine industry by a) expanding industrial scale, b) introducing winery business philosophies, c) closing the technology gap between the industry and its international counterparts, d) creating a climate for Sino-foreign communication regarding wine techniques, e) engaging in wine education, f) promoting local wine regions, and g) boosting industrial confidence.
The theoretical contributions of this thesis include the exploration of how the LLL framework can be employed in a home-country context; a richer understanding of “Leverage” within the LLL framework; and the development of a process model which illustrates IFDI’s impact on the upgrading of emerging market firms and their industry within the home country.
Although this research is limited contextually to the wine industry in China, it has implications for other emerging economies that have unique, competitive and irreplaceable Location-specific advantages attractive to IFDI. Public policies that seek to achieve industrial development in such economies can draw on the catalyst role of IFDI. Emerging market firms to gain greater access to foreign resources and capabilities by adopting the linkage-leverage-learning concept as a strategy in their home countries.

text: A study of the impact of foreign direct investment on firms in the Chinese wine industry The purpose of this thesis is to examine the process by which emerging market firms leverage foreign resources and capabilities through linkages with foreign affiliates in the home country. This is achieved through a thorough examination of the inter-firm transfer of firm Ownership-specific advantages, resources and capabilities from locally-based foreign affiliates to local Chinese firms via joint ventures and non-equity-based collaborative partnerships.
The theoretical foundation of this study draws on the Linkage, Leverage and Learning (LLL) framework (Mathews, 2006a; 2017) within the broader contextual frameworks of the Investment Development Path (IDP) framework (Dunning & Narula, 1996) and the Ownership, Location and Internalisation (OLI) paradigm (Dunning, 2000; 2001). The particular focus of the study is on the Linkage and Leverage constructs.
A case study method, focused on the Chinese wine industry and its participants, is employed. Qualitative data was collected through 48 in-depth semi-structured interviews with firms (including wine producers, suppliers and distributors), wine institutes and wine bureaux.
This thesis finds that the leverage process encompasses three phases:
a) Application, or directly utilising foreign resources and capabilities without change;
b) Adaptation which involves incrementally changing foreign resources and capabilities and/or adjusting the existing resources and capabilities of local Chinese firms to better utilise foreign resources and capabilities; and
c) Amelioration, or remodelling original foreign resources and capabilities by fundamentally improving and innovating them to better fit the needs of local Chinese firms.
The leverage process shows that local Chinese firms not only learn from foreign affiliates, but also develop foreign resources and capabilities to upgrade their competences. Foreign multinationals contribute to the upgrading of local firms in the Chinese wine industry by introducing technology, techniques and experience in winegrowing and winemaking; expertise in corporate governance and vineyard management; and well-developed philosophies in the winery business. Further, the findings suggest that inward FDI (IFDI) has played a catalyst role in the development of the Chinese wine industry by a) expanding industrial scale, b) introducing winery business philosophies, c) closing the technology gap between the industry and its international counterparts, d) creating a climate for Sino-foreign communication regarding wine techniques, e) engaging in wine education, f) promoting local wine regions, and g) boosting industrial confidence.
The theoretical contributions of this thesis include the exploration of how the LLL framework can be employed in a home-country context; a richer understanding of “Leverage” within the LLL framework; and the development of a process model which illustrates IFDI’s impact on the upgrading of emerging market firms and their industry within the home country.
Although this research is limited contextually to the wine industry in China, it has implications for other emerging economies that have unique, competitive and irreplaceable Location-specific advantages attractive to IFDI. Public policies that seek to achieve industrial development in such economies can draw on the catalyst role of IFDI. Emerging market firms to gain greater access to foreign resources and capabilities by adopting the linkage-leverage-learning concept as a strategy in their home countries.

year: 2021

title: An Assessment of Contemporary Dining Out Behaviour: The Moderating Factors of Culture and Food Selection within Chinese Full-Service Restaurants in Shanghai, China

authors: Zhang, LingHao

subjects: Dining Out Behaviour

abstract: Shanghai can be described as metropolitan, a gateway, a hub of international traffic and a multi-cultural city. Given these facts, it can be expected that the Shanghai population is comprised of people from not only different regions of China, but also from other countries. It is been asserted by many researchers (e.g. Bojanic and Xu, 2006) that culture affects one’s dining behavior and people are subject to the influence of other cultures. Shanghai, as a place with a population of mixed cultural background, is therefore an ideal research subject for this study. The main purpose of this study is to understand the dining out behaviour of Shanghai residents in Chinese full-service restaurants in Shanghai, China. This study seeks to understand how other cultures have integrated into the Shanghai culture and how that affects the dining habits of Shanghai people. The study proposes that different people are subject to different levels of acculturation. Past research in the hospitality field indicates that the level of acculturation may affect the food practices and preferences of an individual (Sukalakamala and Brittin, 2006; Maamoun et al, 2007; Kremmyda, et al., 2008). However, most studies about acculturation affecting food habits focus on how people adapt themselves when they move overseas (e.g. Chinese people living in the USA). Little attention has been attributed to studying acculturation within the same country, which is important since people may exhibit different behaviour even within the same culture (Chang, 1979). Therefore, it is the intention of this study to contribute to what is a gap in the literature. This study collected 2103 responses from 42 Chinese full-service restaurants in Shanghai. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in this study. The techniques that this study relied on to analyse the data included statistical computer software AMO S (structural equation modelling), CATPAC (artificial neural network software), SPSS 16.0 which was used for frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA, factor analysis and cluster analysis. Results indicate that culture is a strong predictor of Shanghai people’s dining out behaviour, which includes their motives, restaurant choice, food choice and dining evaluation. It is also evident that Shanghai people are showing a growing awareness towards health food.

text: An Assessment of Contemporary Dining Out Behaviour: The Moderating Factors of Culture and Food Selection within Chinese Full-Service Restaurants in Shanghai, China Shanghai can be described as metropolitan, a gateway, a hub of international traffic and a multi-cultural city. Given these facts, it can be expected that the Shanghai population is comprised of people from not only different regions of China, but also from other countries. It is been asserted by many researchers (e.g. Bojanic and Xu, 2006) that culture affects one’s dining behavior and people are subject to the influence of other cultures. Shanghai, as a place with a population of mixed cultural background, is therefore an ideal research subject for this study. The main purpose of this study is to understand the dining out behaviour of Shanghai residents in Chinese full-service restaurants in Shanghai, China. This study seeks to understand how other cultures have integrated into the Shanghai culture and how that affects the dining habits of Shanghai people. The study proposes that different people are subject to different levels of acculturation. Past research in the hospitality field indicates that the level of acculturation may affect the food practices and preferences of an individual (Sukalakamala and Brittin, 2006; Maamoun et al, 2007; Kremmyda, et al., 2008). However, most studies about acculturation affecting food habits focus on how people adapt themselves when they move overseas (e.g. Chinese people living in the USA). Little attention has been attributed to studying acculturation within the same country, which is important since people may exhibit different behaviour even within the same culture (Chang, 1979). Therefore, it is the intention of this study to contribute to what is a gap in the literature. This study collected 2103 responses from 42 Chinese full-service restaurants in Shanghai. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in this study. The techniques that this study relied on to analyse the data included statistical computer software AMO S (structural equation modelling), CATPAC (artificial neural network software), SPSS 16.0 which was used for frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA, factor analysis and cluster analysis. Results indicate that culture is a strong predictor of Shanghai people’s dining out behaviour, which includes their motives, restaurant choice, food choice and dining evaluation. It is also evident that Shanghai people are showing a growing awareness towards health food.

year: 2011

title: Pūtahitanga: The intersection of western science and mātauranga Māori in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand’s physical oceanography

authors: Stevens, Craig L.

subjects: Mātauranga Māori

abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is a land and cultures surrounded by one of the planet’s larger marine exclusive economic zones per capita. Understanding, living within and utilising this domain requires a well-developed knowledge of the physical oceanography–fate, provenance and transfer of ocean-water, material and energy. In the Aotearoa New Zealand context, understanding and utilising the environment through science also requires that Māori have a stake in the science and a pathway to connecting with their mātauranga. The pūtahitanga (intersection) of mātauranga Māori and western science perspectives brings challenges for implementation of the Vision Mātauranga framework for physical oceanographic science. Here we discuss the drivers and key themes for the pūtahitanga and propose a mahere kaupapa/plan bound by: (i) climate, (ii) decolonisation, (iii) shared language, (iv) data sovereignty, and (v) developing a cohort who can lead the field in the coming decades.

text: Pūtahitanga: The intersection of western science and mātauranga Māori in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand’s physical oceanography Aotearoa New Zealand is a land and cultures surrounded by one of the planet’s larger marine exclusive economic zones per capita. Understanding, living within and utilising this domain requires a well-developed knowledge of the physical oceanography–fate, provenance and transfer of ocean-water, material and energy. In the Aotearoa New Zealand context, understanding and utilising the environment through science also requires that Māori have a stake in the science and a pathway to connecting with their mātauranga. The pūtahitanga (intersection) of mātauranga Māori and western science perspectives brings challenges for implementation of the Vision Mātauranga framework for physical oceanographic science. Here we discuss the drivers and key themes for the pūtahitanga and propose a mahere kaupapa/plan bound by: (i) climate, (ii) decolonisation, (iii) shared language, (iv) data sovereignty, and (v) developing a cohort who can lead the field in the coming decades.

year: 2021