申请成功了的博士方案(PHD proposal)

PHD Research Proposal

Title:

The Extent of Guanxi between Chinese Suppliers and Their Western Customers

Submitted by:

Terry Ji Ruan

Table of Contents of this Proposal

1. Introduction

2. Aims and objectives

3. Topics justification/scope and limitations

4. Literature review

5. Methodology and data collection

6. Proposed development

Bibliography

1. Introduction

China started its economic reform since 1979 and now becomes the second biggest economy in the world due to the dramatic rise of Chinese economic development. More and more attentions have been focused on how the Chinese do business and how to cooperate with them through culture. Likewise, as for the Chinese businessmen, they are facing the outside word and need to learn more about other cultures. Therefore, Intercultural business communication becomes a big issue during the rising of the Chinese economic development.

Owing to the Chinese culture, Chinese businessmen spend a lot of time and money on establishing personal relationship with the domestic customers, which is called guanxi in China. Guanxi, a phase from Chinese PinYing, can be roughly translated as personal ties, which presents the totality of the relationship between two persons. It is so complicated and quite different from the Western business relationship (So and Walker, 2006).

In international business section, do the Chinese people do the same way as they do to their domestic customers? And does guanxi work? Because when we talk about guanxi, it usually refers to the relationship among the Chinese. In China, when a person has a lot of powerful guanxi, it will be easier for him or her to succeed in business. As for the international business section, is it conducive to the sale if the Chinese establish guanxi with their foreign customers by the Chinese ways, like big dinner, valuable gifts and big entertainment? What extent does guanxi exit between them?

Most of the researches have focused on guanxi in Chinese society, whereas

research on guanxi between the Chinese and the Westerners is scarce. More over, guanxi and cultural dimensions, these two areas of work, have never been brought together before. This paper will focus on the guanxi between the Chinese and the Westerners by the means of analyzing the cultural dimensions and so-called “guanxi dimension”. And a research will be carry on from the cooperation between the Chinese suppliers and their Western customers.

2. Aims and objectives

2.1 Aim(s) of proposed study:

Find a better way for the Chinese to build up relationship with their Western customers. Also give some suggestions for Westerners to cooperate with their Chinese suppliers.

2.2 Objectives

To find out what extent guanxi exits between Chinese suppliers and their Western customers? Also, establish a new theory named “ guanxi dimension”, which can specify the extent of guanxi between two cultures.

3. Topics justification

3.1Why I chose this topic?

I have been working for Chinese companies as a part-time interpreter and