Catalyst for Change

This book serves as a textbook for courses on Asian studies with a focus on ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs and business management in Asia. It provides a comprehensive Asian perspective on the organizational peculiarities and changing business practices of ethnic Chinese businesses and their leaders who continue to form the backbone of Asia's dynamic economies. The book features selected chapters written by reputable scholars on Chinese business, covering diverse and yet closely related topics such as the role of ethnic identity, trust, guanxi, Chineseness, leadership, change management, learning and knowledge management in organizations owned and managed by ethnic Chinese.
Contents:Introduction: Coping with Change — Understanding Ethnic Chinese Business Behavior (Thomas Menkhoff, Chay Yue Wah, Hans-Dieter Evers and Hoon Chang Yau)The Story of the “Chinese Overseas”: Implications for Identity, Business and “Chineseness”:The Sea as Paddy: The Making of Fujian as a Transnational Place (Jessica Chong)What Chinese Am I? The Use of Heritage for Economic Imperatives in Singapore (Daphnée HL Lee)Managing Change in Asian Business: A Comparison between Chinese-educated and English-educated Chinese Entrepreneurs in Singapore (Thomas Menkhoff, Ulrike Badibanga and Chay Yue Wah)Chinese Business in Malaysia: Ethnicity and Knowledge Management (Chin Yee Whah)Evolving Chineseness, Ethnicity and Business: The Making of the Ethnic Chinese as a “Market-Dominant Minority” in Indonesia (Hoon Chang Yau)The Management of Business Networks and Change:Trading Networks of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Singapore (Thomas Menkhoff and Chalmer E Labig)Improving Small Firm Performance through Collaborative Change Management and Outside Learning: Trends in Singapore (Thomas Menkhoff and Chay Yue Wah)Ethnic Chinese Family-Controlled Firms in Singapore: Continuity and Change in Corporate Governance (Lai Si Tsui-Auch and Dawn Chow Yi Lin)Building a Successful Brand: The Story of Eu Yan Sang (Jessica Chong, Willem Smit, Thomas Menkhoff and Christopher Clayman (with Richard Eu)Generational Change in Chinese Indonesian SMEs? (Juliette Koning)The Salim Group: The Art of Strategic Flexibility (Marleen Dieleman)Leadership, Knowledge and Learning in Chinese Business:In Search of “Asian” Conceptions of Leadership with a Focus on Mindfulness (Chay Yue Wah, Charles Chow, Hans-Dieter Evers, Lee Cher Leng, Thomas Menkhoff, Jochen Reb, Jayarani Tan and Elfarina Zaid)Exploring Lee Kong Chian's Knowledge Leadership Style in Nam Aik Company (Dai Shiyan and Zhang Guocai)Organizational Learning Approaches of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: A Comparative Study of Chinese Firms in Singapore (Thomas Menkhoff)Understanding the Role of Cultural Orientations in Students' Predispositions toward Knowledge Transfer in Project Teams: Evidence from Singapore (Thomas Menkhoff, Chay Yue Wah and Hans-Dieter Evers)Asian Business in Local Contexts:Urban Property Development in Malaysia: The Impact of Chinese and Malay Conceptions of Space (Hans-Dieter Evers)Informal Banking and Early International Entrepreneurs: The Case of the Chettiars (Jayarani Tan and Tan Wee Liang)The Internationalization of Mainland Chinese Businesses (Hinrich Voss)Readership: Undergraduate students, researchers, managers and professionals who are interested in Asian business and management.