by Lai Ying Kit Andy, Tong Kwok Kei. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-80). / Questionnaire also in Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / Chapter / Chapter 1.0 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 2.0 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- Theoretical Framework ´ؤ A Strategic Planning Model --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Summary of Previous Research --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Research from Hong Kong --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Research from Taiwan --- p.7 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Research from Singapore --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Research from Australia --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Research from Asia-Pacific --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3 --- Limitation of Previous Studies --- p.13 / Chapter 3.0 --- OBJECTIVES --- p.14 / Chapter 4.0 --- METHODOLOGY --- p.16 / Chapter 4.1 --- Definitions --- p.16 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Electronic Commerce (EC) --- p.16 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) --- p.17 / Chapter 4.2 --- Data Collection --- p.17 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Bilingual Survey --- p.17 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Manager Interviews --- p.18 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Desk Research --- p.19 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Formal Presentation --- p.19 / Chapter 5.0 --- PROFILE OF SURVEY AND INTERVIEW RESULTS --- p.20 / Chapter 6.0 --- RESULTS AND FINDINGS --- p.23 / Chapter 6.1 --- Current usage of Computer and Electronic Commerce Capability --- p.23 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Computer Terminals --- p.23 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- MIS/IT Department --- p.24 / Chapter 6.1.3 --- Outsourced IT Functions --- p.26 / Chapter 6.1.4 --- Internet and E-mail --- p.27 / Chapter 6.1.5 --- Electronic Business Functions --- p.28 / Chapter 6.2 --- Perceived Benefits of Electronic Commerce --- p.35 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- Improve Information Exchange with Customers --- p.36 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- Reduce Cost of Maintaining Company Information --- p.37 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- International Market Exposure --- p.37 / Chapter 6.2.4 --- Improve Customer Service and Enhance Customer Loyalty & Retention --- p.38 / Chapter 6.2.5 --- Improve Information Exchange with Suppliers --- p.38 / Chapter 6.2.6 --- Reduce Costs through Web Based Purchasing and Procurement --- p.39 / Chapter 6.3 --- Obstacles in Applying Electronic Commerce --- p.39 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Electronic Payment & Data Confidentiality --- p.41 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Quality Assurance and Proprietary Requirement --- p.42 / Chapter 6.3.3 --- Human and Capital Resources --- p.43 / Chapter 6.3.4 --- Reluctance for Change and Lack of Drivers and Initiatives --- p.44 / Chapter 7.0 --- E-STRATEGY FRAMEWORK --- p.46 / Chapter 7.1 --- Step 1: Setting the Goal --- p.47 / Chapter 7.2 --- Step 2: External Analysis --- p.47 / Chapter 7.3 --- Step 3: Internal Analysis --- p.53 / Chapter 7.4 --- Step 4: Selecting e-Strategies --- p.54 / Chapter 7.5 --- Step 5: Identifying e-Competitive Advantages --- p.56 / Chapter 7.6 --- Step 6: Selecting e-Functional Areas --- p.56 / Chapter 8.0 --- CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION --- p.58 / APPENDICES / Chapter I. --- Original Questionnaire in English & Chinese Versions --- p.61 / Chapter II. --- Letter of Gratitude --- p.77 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.79

by Yau Mun-Yee. / Includes questionnaire. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-53). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Research Objective --- p.2 / Organization --- p.3 / Chapter II. --- ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI) --- p.5 / Definition --- p.5 / History --- p.5 / Classification --- p.7 / Chapter III. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.9 / Chapter IV. --- RESEARCH METHOLOGY --- p.13 / Research Hypotheses --- p.13 / Measurement of EDI Usage --- p.15 / Choice of Trading Partner --- p.17 / Methodology --- p.19 / Chapter V. --- DATA ANALYSIS --- p.21 / Testing of First Hypothesis HI --- p.23 / Testing of Second Hypothesis H2 --- p.27 / Testing of Third Hypothesis H3 --- p.30 / Chapter VI. --- INTERVIEW STUDY --- p.37 / EDI Implementation Strategy of the Company --- p.37 / EDI Connection Strategy of the Company --- p.41 / Chapter VII. --- CONCLUSION --- p.45 / Summary --- p.45 / Limitation of this Research --- p.46 / Suggestion for Future Research --- p.47 / Managerial Implication --- p.47 / APPENDIX A Covering Letter --- p.50 / APPENDIX B Research Questionnaire --- p.51 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.52

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

During the 1860s, Chinese merchants reestablished their commercial organizations which are recorded as Guilds (hanghui) in the sources compiled under the guidance of the Qing local government officials. From the decade until the end of the 1880s, English sources emphasized the solidarity of the commercial organizations of Chinese merchants and their superiority to the British mercantile community in the commercial conflicts in which they were engaged. However, from the 1890s, English sources ceased to complain the strength of the commercial organizations of Chinese merchants, and, at the same time, Chinese sources emphasized the existence of a crisis in which Chinese merchants were losing their solidarity. Moreover, the Qing local government officials endeavoured to maintain their control over the commercial organizations of Chinese merchants, an attempt which led to the birth of Chinese chambers of commerce in the early twentieth century. Former studies, which dealt with the superiority of the Chinese merchants' organizations to the British mercantile firms in the 1860s and the 1870s, or the birth of the Chinese bourgeoisie and the activities of their commercial organizations in the early twentieth century, have not been able to reveal what happened in the commercial organizations of the Chinese merchants during the late nineteenth century. The solidarity of the Chinese merchant organizations was maintained by the rule that no one could claim the privilege of doing business without paying the Lijin tax imposed upon it, and the collapse of their solidarity began with when some Chinese compradors and merchants found it possible to do their business without keeping this rule by means of cooperating British mercantile firms, who enjoyed key privi- leges under the Treaties as regards non-payment of the Lijin tax and investment on the basis of limited liability. By intensively analyzing three commercial conflicts between prominent Chinese merchant organizations and British mercantile firms that took place in Shanghai between the end of the 1870s and the end of the 1880s, this study reveals how, and under what conditions some Chinese compradors and merchants could do their business without observing the afore-mentioned rule governing the Chinese merchants' organizations, what happened when British mercantile people became aware what their compradors or cooperative Chinese merchants had doing behind their back, and how these developments contributed to the end of the old-style merchant class, and the beginning of a bourgeoisie. By bringing these facts to the surface for analysis, this study shows a little known aspect of the Chinese society and tries on the basis to re-evaluate an aspect of concept of "China's response to the Western impact."

This study sheds light on the role of social networks in entrepreneurship in the e- commerce sector in contemporary China. It examines the usefulness of network ties for entrepreneurship, specifically the capacity of network ties to provide information, advice, resources and emotional support during the creation and growth stages of small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses. Using data from semi-structured interviews with 30 private entrepreneurs in Anhui province in China, I first identified the roles played by family, friendship, business and political ties in e-commerce entrepreneurship, as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages. I then examined the changes in the roles of different network ties in e-commerce entrepreneurship as businesses move from the firm creation stage to the firm growth stage. Following this, I compared online and offline social networks to understand the similarities and differences in their respective effects on e-commerce entrepreneurship. My study presents three main research findings. The first research finding is about the role of strong ties in entrepreneurship. Specifically, I found that strong ties, such as family and friendship ties, are especially important for Chinese entrepreneurs to acquire scarce resources, especially financial and human resources, and for providing emotional support to cope with the highs and lows of running a business. However, there are also disadvantages brought by these strong network ties, including 'over- embeddedness' and conflict with family members and between friends. In addition, although strong ties are important for entrepreneurs to acquire scarce resources during the firm creation stage, its role might diminish as the firm grows. The second research finding is about the role of weak ties in entrepreneurship. In contrast with strong ties, weak ties, such as online business ties, are quite important for e-businesses to connect with a diverse range of people to get a diverse range of resources, advice and information, and emotional support. With the help of the Internet, entrepreneurs can easily develop these weak ties. Last but not least, the third research finding is about the role of political ties. To be specific, under the marketization trend in the e- commerce sector, the role of political ties in entrepreneurship is decreasing. Political ties are not necessary during the firm creation stage, but they might become useful in solving problems that arise in the growth stage, such as tax issues. There are three contributions of the study on the relationship between social networks and entrepreneurship. Firstly, the role of strong ties is found to have advantages and limitations in providing resources, advice and information and emotional support in entrepreneurship in the e-commerce sector, like in other sectors studied by previous research. Secondly, weak ties play an important role in connecting with a diverse number of acquaintances in providing them, especially as firms grow. In e-commerce sector, the Internet helps entrepreneurs to develop these weak ties. Last but not least, the macro-social conditions in an economy and in a specific sector should be considered when studying the role of network ties in entrepreneurship.

This thesis investigates how changing Vietnamese state control over the Vietnam-China border has impacted cross-border trade networks and livelihoods of border residents in Lao Cai province, North Vietnam. The investigation uses information from qualitative research with 91 marketplace traders and border officials at four crossing points in the province. I find that state control over the border and cross-border trade has increased as this trade has been progressively brought within legal parameters from 1954 to 2005. / By taking a commodity chain approach to investigate the trade networks of three locally produced goods that move across the border I discuss the complex interactions of state policy, social relations and location factors in shaping contemporary cross-border trade. This investigation suggests that state policy to encourage small scale cross-border trade and new tradable commodities are increasing the livelihood options available to border residents in the province.

No description available.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The South African clothing and textile industry has historically benefited from import substitution industrialisation which protected the industry through tariff and non-tariff barriers from foreign competition. Factors such as the impact of globalisation, our accession to the World Trade Organisation and the associated effects on trade liberalisation changed South Africa‟s trade policy to move towards export lead growth at the threshold of South Africa‟s democracy, which paved the way for increased imports from foreign countries. The opening up of the South African economy to foreign competition negatively impacted on the competitiveness of these industries. The clothing and textile industry has been plagued by various challenges, amongst others, cheap imports especially from China (often illegal), South Africa‟s accelerated tariff reduction programme and currency fluctuations (especially the appreciation of the Rand), which culminated in factory closures and huge job losses. South Africa has since 1994 developed unstructured and uncoordinated sectoral responses to these challenges in the absence of a comprehensive industrial policy. The government‟s response to deal with the challenges facing the clothing and textile industry was to re-impose protectionist measures via import quotas on certain categories of products from China. These measures were intended to protect the industry and provide it with breathing space to reposition itself and regain its competitiveness, retain existing jobs and create additional jobs. The quest to regain global competitiveness should be founded on a combination of measures (e.g. the legislative and institutional environment, infrastructure, skilled workforce, innovation and networking) designed to satisfy consumer tastes and preferences that aims to improve the potential for growth in the medium to long-term. The objective of this research report was to assess whether the introduction of import quotas on Chinese goods positively contributed to the South African clothing and textile industry in regaining a measure of competitiveness and growth. The basis of the study is informed by a series of personal interviews with the key industry stakeholders which focused on examining the state of the industry, especially the impact of import quotas of certain categories of Chinese goods. The results revealed that the impact of import quotas on Chinese goods failed to provide any significant benefits to the clothing and textile industry since: (i) although there was a reduction in imports from China into South Africa in the quota categories, importers merely sourced their products from other low cost countries (e.g. Pakistan, Vietnam, Mauritius); (ii) there was no significant increase in local output and purchases; and (iii) there was no significant reduction in the number of jobs lost and none created during this period. These results although supported by business and other academic literature are contested by both labour and government. One conclusion was that a comprehensive approach should be pursued to arrest the challenges faced by the clothing and textile industry to reposition itself within the global environment to regain its competitiveness. This requires the active participation of all industry stakeholders and the implementation of appropriate strategies and tactics which is sequenced and coordinated to enhance their collective outcomes.