abstract: In this study I investigate the organizational mechanisms (pathways) through which strategic investors can help a firm improve performance. Many commercial banks in China have recently invited foreign banks as strategic investors since China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), hoping to gain managerial and technological knowhow from the foreign banks. Using Shanghai Pudong Development Bank as a representative example, I conduct an in-depth qualitative analysis about how the joining of Citi Bank as a strategic investor has helped the local Chinese bank improve its financial performance. On the basis of a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, I first develop a theoretical model that describes the organizational mechanisms (pathways) through which foreign strategic investors can influence the local bank’s performance. Specifically, by participation in corporate governance, the foreign strategic investor can have a positive influence over the local bank’s strategy development, operational targets, incentive systems, and organizational culture, which consequently lead to improvements in the local banks operations and financial performance. I then use a case study method to substantiate the logic and the pathways of the model with the detailed information collected from the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and Citi Bank strategic alliance. The results are consistent with the model’s descriptive validity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2015

L'ouverture du secteur bancaire chinois apporte des opportunités de coopération aux institutions financières étrangères en Chine. Dans ce contexte, les banques à capitaux étrangers participent par actions dans des banques chinoises pour renforcer leur développement local.Nous avons remarqué des influences sur la banque chinoise après l'introduction de leurs investisseurs stratégiques occidentaux. Notre recherche dans son ensemble vise à analyser et à évaluer les éléments clés de l'évolution dans des banques chinoises. Les questions sont formulées autour des principaux problèmes des créances douteuses, de la faible rentabilité, de l'insuffisance du capital et du manque de la culture de crédit. Ces quatre pistes de réflexion nous permettent d'offrir un cadre opératoire à la disposition des dirigeants des banques à capitaux étrangers qui désirent jouer un rôle important dans l'amélioration des exploitation de leur partenaire chinois. / The opening of the Chinese bank sector brings co-operation opportunities to the foreign financial institutions in China. In this context, the foreign banks take part by holding stock in Chinese banks to strengthen their local development.We have noticed the influences on the Chinese banks after the introduction of their western strategic investors. Our research as a whole aims at analyzing and at evaluating the key elements of the evolution in Chinese banks. The assumptions are formulated around the principal problems of the Non Performing Loans, the low profitability, the insufficiency of the capital and the lack of the culture of credit. These four tracks of reflexion enable us to offer an operational framework for the leaders of the foreign banks which wish to play an important part in the improvement of their Chinese partner.

The diploma thesis deals with all the steps necessary for preparing a company for the entry of a strategic partner. The output of the analytic part is the SWOT analysis of the company and its field of business. Based on theoretical outputs regarding the investors´deciding over capital input, two major weaknesses are highlighted, the solution to which is the contents of my practical part of the thesis. More specifically, it deals with the changes concerning property evaluation and HR management of the company.