Contemporary physical education reform in China : Teachers talk
- Hickey, Christopher, Jin, Aijing
- Authors: Hickey, Christopher , Jin, Aijing
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at AARE 2007 International Educational Research Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia : 25th-29th November 2007
- Full Text:
- Description: Among the many changes occurring across Chinese society in the early phase of Y2K is the construction and implementation of a new physical education (PE) curriculum. Not unlike recent changes in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, this process has seen a heightening of the profile of health. Presented within a wider framework for making the school curriculum more relevant, PE is more closely aligned with China's emerging health concerns around young people. Foremost here are burgeoning social anxieties about decreased levels of physical activity, dietary practices, risk-taking tendencies, and a general decline of social cohesion/connection across the profile of contemporary youth. This paper reports on a study undertaken to explore the experiences of Chinese PE teachers as they engage with the new curriculum.The data reveals a number of structural, personal and cultural factors that work against teachers taking up the opportunities presented in the new curriculum. Prominent here are; low professional status, an expanding generation gap, lack of training and the grip of deeply rooted cultural values. Juxtaposed against the like experiences of PE teachers in Australia and the UK the paper concludes with practical recommendations for nurturing curriculum change in China.
- Description: 2003006441
- Authors: Hickey, Christopher , Jin, Aijing
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at AARE 2007 International Educational Research Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia : 25th-29th November 2007
- Full Text:
- Description: Among the many changes occurring across Chinese society in the early phase of Y2K is the construction and implementation of a new physical education (PE) curriculum. Not unlike recent changes in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, this process has seen a heightening of the profile of health. Presented within a wider framework for making the school curriculum more relevant, PE is more closely aligned with China's emerging health concerns around young people. Foremost here are burgeoning social anxieties about decreased levels of physical activity, dietary practices, risk-taking tendencies, and a general decline of social cohesion/connection across the profile of contemporary youth. This paper reports on a study undertaken to explore the experiences of Chinese PE teachers as they engage with the new curriculum.The data reveals a number of structural, personal and cultural factors that work against teachers taking up the opportunities presented in the new curriculum. Prominent here are; low professional status, an expanding generation gap, lack of training and the grip of deeply rooted cultural values. Juxtaposed against the like experiences of PE teachers in Australia and the UK the paper concludes with practical recommendations for nurturing curriculum change in China.
- Description: 2003006441
Market entry strategy into China by entrepreneurial new venture firms
- Authors: Wan, Stephen , Lowe, Julian
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 4th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange : Regional Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2007, Brisbane Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland : 6th-9th February 2007
- Full Text:
- Description: Principal Topic: This paper examines the entry strategy and start-up of a technology based small firm entering the China market through the vehicle of a joint venture company. The research deals with two main issues: - The intersection of the entrepreneurship and internationalization literatures - The specific considerations pertinent to foreign companies operating in China The internationalization of entrepreneurship theory has been the subject of ’special issues’ in the journals Entrepreneurship in Theory and Practice (1996); and Academy of Management Journal (2000). It has its roots in the seminal work of McDougal and Oviatt (1996, 2005). Much of this literature identifies internationalization as an important determinant of performance in SMEs, and emphasizes the specific factors that link entrepreneurial perspectives and the processes of internationalization. Mode of entry choice is dominated by a number of complementary paradigms in the international business literature. These include the ’stage’ or sequential approach proposed by the Uppsala group (Johanson and Widersheim-Paul, 1975); network theory (Chen and Chen, 2002); transaction cost economics (Buckley and Casson 1976); and the resource based view (Peng, 2001). China as an international market, supplier and collaborator has changed radically since 1982, following the Deng reforms. It is now the third largest economy in the world but despite its promise has also proved a problematic partner for Western firms. Since its entry into the WTO there have been significant changes but the culture and practice of doing business in China has proved a problem. This research examines how an SME can participate in this market without incurring very high costs and risks. Methodology/Key Propositions: With some exceptions (Jolly, 1992) the issue of SME entry strategies has not received a great deal of attention in the literature. In addition Mcdougall and Oviatt, (2003) challenge the notion that the theories of market entry that dominate the international business literature are applicable to the smaller firm. Our research approach is two-fold: - An examination of Chinese government statistics to identify the distribution by industry and firm type of FDI by SMEs in China - A case study of a technology based SME that has established a successful joint venture in Northern China. We use the secondary data to examine the conventional (large firm) propositions of the international business literature; we use the case study to examine how the specific entrepreneurial and China element require a modified perspective. Results and Implications: Whilst some research has suggested that internationalization is a problematic strategy for SMEs we find that even in a high risk market like China, these companies have struck up effective but non - conventional organizational forms. The network theory of internationalization seems the dominant paradigm, although our case study introduces some specific considerations that the model had not previously acknowledged.
- Description: 2003005182
- Authors: Wan, Stephen , Lowe, Julian
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 4th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange : Regional Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2007, Brisbane Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland : 6th-9th February 2007
- Full Text:
- Description: Principal Topic: This paper examines the entry strategy and start-up of a technology based small firm entering the China market through the vehicle of a joint venture company. The research deals with two main issues: - The intersection of the entrepreneurship and internationalization literatures - The specific considerations pertinent to foreign companies operating in China The internationalization of entrepreneurship theory has been the subject of ’special issues’ in the journals Entrepreneurship in Theory and Practice (1996); and Academy of Management Journal (2000). It has its roots in the seminal work of McDougal and Oviatt (1996, 2005). Much of this literature identifies internationalization as an important determinant of performance in SMEs, and emphasizes the specific factors that link entrepreneurial perspectives and the processes of internationalization. Mode of entry choice is dominated by a number of complementary paradigms in the international business literature. These include the ’stage’ or sequential approach proposed by the Uppsala group (Johanson and Widersheim-Paul, 1975); network theory (Chen and Chen, 2002); transaction cost economics (Buckley and Casson 1976); and the resource based view (Peng, 2001). China as an international market, supplier and collaborator has changed radically since 1982, following the Deng reforms. It is now the third largest economy in the world but despite its promise has also proved a problematic partner for Western firms. Since its entry into the WTO there have been significant changes but the culture and practice of doing business in China has proved a problem. This research examines how an SME can participate in this market without incurring very high costs and risks. Methodology/Key Propositions: With some exceptions (Jolly, 1992) the issue of SME entry strategies has not received a great deal of attention in the literature. In addition Mcdougall and Oviatt, (2003) challenge the notion that the theories of market entry that dominate the international business literature are applicable to the smaller firm. Our research approach is two-fold: - An examination of Chinese government statistics to identify the distribution by industry and firm type of FDI by SMEs in China - A case study of a technology based SME that has established a successful joint venture in Northern China. We use the secondary data to examine the conventional (large firm) propositions of the international business literature; we use the case study to examine how the specific entrepreneurial and China element require a modified perspective. Results and Implications: Whilst some research has suggested that internationalization is a problematic strategy for SMEs we find that even in a high risk market like China, these companies have struck up effective but non - conventional organizational forms. The network theory of internationalization seems the dominant paradigm, although our case study introduces some specific considerations that the model had not previously acknowledged.
- Description: 2003005182
The influence of national and organizational culture on absorptive capacity of Chinese companies
- Authors: Tian, Feng , Lowe, Julian
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The international journal of knowledge, culture & change management Vol. 7, no. 10 (2007), p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The paper reports on a research study of knowledge acquisition by Chinese firms involved in collaborative ventures with foreign enterprises. The study uses 152 Chinese businesses and examines how absorptive capacity (ACAP), as conceptualized by Cohen and Leventahl (1990) and modified by Zahra and George (2002), and national and organizational culture differences, affect the transfer of knowledge between Chinese firms and their international partners. The study uses a multivariate modeling approach to examine the impact of a number of factors on successful knowledge transfer. It finds that ACAP has a significant effect on successful knowledge transfer but that the relationship is significantly modified by cultural differences and inter-firm communications. Culture per se does not influence knowledge transfer directly but does so through its impact on communications channels and institutions. Knowledge management practices and organization are also able to impact successful knowledge transfer.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005181
- Authors: Tian, Feng , Lowe, Julian
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The international journal of knowledge, culture & change management Vol. 7, no. 10 (2007), p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The paper reports on a research study of knowledge acquisition by Chinese firms involved in collaborative ventures with foreign enterprises. The study uses 152 Chinese businesses and examines how absorptive capacity (ACAP), as conceptualized by Cohen and Leventahl (1990) and modified by Zahra and George (2002), and national and organizational culture differences, affect the transfer of knowledge between Chinese firms and their international partners. The study uses a multivariate modeling approach to examine the impact of a number of factors on successful knowledge transfer. It finds that ACAP has a significant effect on successful knowledge transfer but that the relationship is significantly modified by cultural differences and inter-firm communications. Culture per se does not influence knowledge transfer directly but does so through its impact on communications channels and institutions. Knowledge management practices and organization are also able to impact successful knowledge transfer.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005181
A case study of organisational culture and ideological issues in a joint venture in China
- Authors: Jiang, Xiaoli
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Enterprising Culture Vol. 9 , no. 3 (2006), p. 313-330
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study utilises interviews to investigate issues within a joint venture (JV) in China. The findings demonstrate that the organisational culture of this JV was dominated by its former state-owned enterprise (SOE) culture. The culture was influenced by Chinese culture, particularly by Maoist ideology. This organisational culture appeared not to be compatible with the liberalist ideology of the capitalist market economy. This incompatibility had contributed to management difficulties and financial losses for the JV. Discontent existed between the Chinese staff/workers and Western expatriates. Changing the organisational culture by changing staff may assist the JV to survive in the market economy.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003003410
- Authors: Jiang, Xiaoli
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Enterprising Culture Vol. 9 , no. 3 (2006), p. 313-330
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study utilises interviews to investigate issues within a joint venture (JV) in China. The findings demonstrate that the organisational culture of this JV was dominated by its former state-owned enterprise (SOE) culture. The culture was influenced by Chinese culture, particularly by Maoist ideology. This organisational culture appeared not to be compatible with the liberalist ideology of the capitalist market economy. This incompatibility had contributed to management difficulties and financial losses for the JV. Discontent existed between the Chinese staff/workers and Western expatriates. Changing the organisational culture by changing staff may assist the JV to survive in the market economy.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003003410