Already the world's third largest economic power, China presents enormous potential for businesses worldwide. Opportunities abound, and despite current economic crises throughout Asia, Richter and the contributors to this unique volume are convinced that opportunities in China can only increase. They explore and analyze these opportunities and the management practices that implement them. In doing so they study the Chinese economy, forecast the future of Chinese business organization, and assess China's place in the coming global economy. Recent developments in the Chinese economy show how Chinese firms actively pursue new strategies to shape their organizations. The current Asian crisis will radically alter the patterns of doing business in China, and Richter and his contributors explain how Western firms can cope with these ongoing changes. Other books, usually from the Western viewpoint, tend to describe only the present structure of the Chinese economy. Richter's looks at it from China's viewpoint and advocates a dynamic approach to the study of Chinese organizations. The analytical scope of the book concentrates more thoroughly on transforming organizations' structures than is found in other mainstream studies. Their book is thus a true inside view of China's economic and business structures, by people who have studied and know it intimately--a book that will help corporate executives and their academic colleagues appreciate China's vitality and understand the reasons for her optimism. Although knowledge of China is growing it still remains relatively sparse, considering the rise to prominence of Chinese business enterprises. Richter and his Chinese experts ("visionaries" he calls them) seek to fill the gaps. They look at the complex questions associated with the concept of ownership and control in China and address economic policy and the development of the Chinese firm. They look at the development path of some selected industries, then itemize the challenges that multinational companies face in China, ending with a discussion of a hypothetical way of managing. All of the contributors are members of the worldwide Chinese business and academic communities. The research presented inspires further academic discourse and managerial policy in face of evolving Chinese reality. The book supplies expert knowledge and support for business practitioners, policy analysts, scholars and students in China and abroad.

Frank-Jurgen Richter has lived, worked, and traveled extensively throughout Asia. Fluent in Mandarin and Japanese as well as his native German, he holds a doctorate from Stuttgart (Germany) University, has studied business administration and mechanical engineering, and done other postgraduate work at Tsukuba University Cheah Hock Beng is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics and Management, University College, University of New South Wales Chen Baizhu is Assistant Professor at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California Chen Jin, a former visiting researcher at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is an Associate Professor at Tianjin University of Commerce Deng Shengliang is Managing Director of Shell Companies in Northeast Asia and Professor of international business and marketing at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada Feng Yi is an Assistant Professor at Claremont University Ip Po-Keung is Research Associate of the Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia David Li is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a fellow of the National Center for Economic Research (NCER) at Tsinghua University Lu Tong is Associate Professor of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing Luo Yadong is Associate Professor of International Management at the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii Qi Hantang is Senior Lecturer in international business strategy at the School of Business and Management, University of Greenwich, U.K Siu Wai-Sum is Acting Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing, Hong Kong Baptist University Edward Tse is Vice President of Booz-Allen and Hamilton and the managing partner of its Greater China operations Wang Xueli is a lecturer at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University Xu Xiaojie is Research Fellow of Petroleum Strategic Studies with China National Petroleum Corporation and Associate Professor with Petroleum Management College, University of Petroleum, China Zhang Lijun is a lecturer at the school of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University (Beijing)