The Successful Chinese Family Businesses

Family businesses have been an important part of the economy in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and in the Chinese diaspora, and, since the reforms, in mainland China itself. Some people have argued that the success of Chinese family businesses occurs because of the special characteristics and approach of such businesses. This book examines the nature of Chinese family business and the key issues involved by exploring in detail the case of a leading Hong Kong jewellery company which was established in the early 1960s and which has grown to become one of the biggest jewellery manufacturers, exporters, and retailers in post-war Hong Kong. The book considers the motivations of Chinese people to set up their own businesses, outlining the strategies adopted, including the strategies for raising capital, and the qualities of successful Chinese entrepreneurs. It discusses the management of the company, including relations between family members, profit sharing and succession planning, and assesses how conflict and crises are coped with and overcome. It charts the evolution of the company, looking at how it has been transformed into a listed corporation. The book concludes by arguing for the importance of studying Chinese family businesses culturally.

What's driving the burgeoning global Chinese family businesses? Chinese family businesses are the driving force behind Asia's economic prosperity. As the world becomes more global they have had to adapt to the new environment. This timely book draws on an extensive regional survey to reveal the key players and the strategies that will drive their success going forward. The book discusses and analyzes the business life and achievements of some prominent overseas Chinese family businesses in Asia and reveals their life philosophies, their business journey, and their family role in business. Includes analysis regarding how the senior Chinese generations prepare their children to run the business in the future Reveals that flexibility, ability to adapt to changing business environments, and resilience contribute to the success of many overseas Chinese family businesses Offers illustrative examples of successful family businesses from Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, and China Based in solid research and filled with illustrative examples, The Dragon Network offers an inside look at how family businesses succeed and thrive in Asia.

Crossroads of Family Businesses in China: Succession and Transformation studies the intergenerational succession in family-owned businesses, specifically in the Chinese mainland. With the succession of family businesses over time, transformation is required as it needs to correspond to the world's development to successfully sustain the company. There is a multitude of factors that play their roles accordingly to perform a prosperous accession.Hence, this book highlights common issues such as the challenges for both succession and transformation of the company, the interest of the second generation, introducing the second generation to the business before fully passing on, family culture and morale, the distinction between wealth inheritance and business succession, the unorthodox tradition of mother-to-daughter succession and opening management to professionals. These topics are substantiated by case studies of Chinese family businesses, such as Neoglory Group, Midea, Red Collar, Fotile and even more. The book offers theories, practices and models for strategic transformations during succession.Readers will be able to enjoy insights into a critical evaluation of the intersection between succession and transformation. They will also discover how the different methods of succession utilized by real-life Chinese family-owned businesses affect the businesses' performance. This book will be their first step in constructing a thought on this topic, while indulging in an incredible learning experience.

Unlike other economies, family businesses in China are greatly affected by the derived Confucian culture, excessive marketization, as well as the seemingly endless institutional supervision by a transitional Chinese government. China has a strong historical legacy, devoted to patriarchal values and strong family-centered traditions. This volume explores the social foundations and historical legacies of families, business families, and family businesses in China. It begins with an overview of a household, family, and clan in ancient China before an examination of the economic, social, and cultural functions that the family system served in Ancient China as well as the four unique features that distinguish the family system in ancient China from those in western societies. It later discusses the evolution of the family system and the rise of family business before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Finally, it evaluates the family system before and after the “Open-up and Reform” in 1978. This interdisciplinary work, incorporating sociological, anthropological, and institutional contexts pertaining to China, offers researchers the first advanced perspective of the development of family firms in China.

Unlike other economies, family businesses in China are greatly affected by the derived Confucian culture, excessive marketization, as well as the seemingly endless institutional supervision by a transitional Chinese government. China has a strong historical legacy, devoted to patriarchal values and strong family-centered traditions. This volume discusses the current status, upcoming challenges, and future prospects for family businesses in China. It explores unique organizational characteristics that are associated with Chinese family firms, such as being entrepreneurial, having concentrated power in the hands of the family business owners, and extensive family and semi-family involvement in the business. It also discusses shared features of strategic actions among Chinese family firms that include technology innovations, diversification, and internationalization, as well as the political connections that Chinese family firms often have. This book offers researchers a comprehensive overview of small family firms that are likely to be home-based microenterprises as well as large publicly traded business groups that are frequently owned by business families.

‘Well-being’ is a contemporary term used by people around the globe to address how comfortable their lives are. The notion is considered significant to business management. Nevertheless, is well-being significant to Chinese family business? In response to this inquiry, this book demystifies the notion from a critical lens. It examines well-being in a Chinese family business context of Hong Kong. This book consists of an archaeological and anthropological examination. The first part of the analysis draws from Foucault’s (1979) Archaeology of Knowledge to examine the discursive (trans)formation of well-being. The second part is an ethnography that focuses on a Chinese perspective regarding the everydayness of life. In light of the recent social movements, this book not only offers an insight into the core values of Hong Kongers, but also dissects various layers of meaning in these values. Hopefully, this book can lift up the voices of Hong Kongers, who was once marginalised in the discourse of well-being.

With 175 family businesses on the Fortune 500 list, from DuPont and Motorola to IBM, there is no doubt that family-run enterprises play an important role in global economic development. Their role is no less significant in China where, in keeping with the country's rapid economic growth, family businesses are emerging in increasing numbers.Unique characteristics, such as succession, management, staffing, family affairs, strategy planning and governance structure, set family businesses apart from other business types. As a result, they face particular challenges in survival and sustainability.In this book, three modern Chinese family businesses, including food and beverage company Yeo Hiap Seng, are studied to analyze the problems that family enterprises face. Other case studies include long-standing family businesses in Europe, America and Asia, such as Ford, Kikkoman and Samsung. This book also discusses the changing characteristics of Chinese family businesses, the pitfalls that such enterprises are likely to face, and how they can overcome these pitfalls and achieve sustainable development.