Within the China Case Series,
ACRC recently initiated a set of strategy cases and industry notes on multinational corporations
(MNCs) in China. These cases deal with issues and challenges that arise at different phases of business development
and identify the strategies they employed to succeed in this vast and unique marketplace.
These cases, used individually or collectively, are effective tools for teaching generic
frameworks and concepts in strategic analysis, formation and implementation. They highlight the dynamics of
international expansion into emerging and fast-moving markets and shed light on critical success factors
in doing business in China¡ªwhere the current market environment is substantially different from that of ten years ago.
Examples of issues covered include first-mover v late-mover advantages,
localisation v standardisation, consumer-driven v technology-driven strategies, and strategic alliances v technology protection.
A number of leading MNCs have been carefully selected, each representing a unique set of issues,
while also sharing common challenges. Industries represented range from automotive to pharmaceutical,
from home appliances to retail, and from personal computers to telecommunications.
Accompanying industry notes provide instructors with a clearly etched backdrop to the case.
These cases also serve as empirical evidence in a more in-depth competitive-advantage
study addressing businesses operating in markets characterised by high velocity and uncertainty.
China is a perfect example of such a market, due to the pace, scope and magnitude of the social, economic,
legal and technological transitions it is undergoing. Competitive landscapes in major industries are
being reshaped everyday by older and newer, foreign and domestic players with different corporate agendas and resources.
