[Truncated abstract] This thesis investigates the phenomenon of organisational guanxi in business in the SOE hotel environment in south-west China. A general aim is to give the reader a sense of how organisational guanxi operates in this environment. It identifies the characteristics and roots of organizational guanxi and discusses the significance of its operation in this environment. This thesis also analyses the implications of the continued practice of organizational guanxi and the prospects of its future as the Chinese economy continues to evolve toward a more market orientation. In Chapter One, the phenomena of guanxi, mainzi and renqing are defined and the importance of their role in conducting business in mainland China proposed. … The findings of this new research in south-west China provide conclusive evidence that in this region the guanxi network remains the lifeblood of the business community (Kao, 1993). In addition, this research throws up some conclusions that are not aligned with that of Guthrie?s (2002) Shanghai-based findings. In Chapter Nine, The Conclusion, the major findings of this thesis are revisited and include the acknowledgement and definition of organisational guanxi, the exploration of the roots of organisational guanxi inside the danwei, the differentiation of intra-organisational guanxi from inter-organisational guanxi, the definition of the concept of guanxi neglect, and a comparison of the decay in the strength and usage of guanxi in south-west China with that in the Shanghai region.