The Challenges in/with China

The general objective of the course is to develop a better understanding of the changing socio-economic and political situation in China (with its challenges both for China and for the rest of the world) in order to make less difficult to define and implement sustainable strategies for managing effectively in China and for handling the complex and sensitive interdependence between China and the US, between China and the rest of the world. From assessing, critically, the performance of China today, its achievements and challenges, students will get an insight in the current complex dynamics of China renaissance/transformation and we will discuss alternative scenarios, with their business and socio-political consequences on the medium term. From this analysis and with a prospective perspective in mind, we will discuss responsible management practices required to build, overtime, a mutually rewarding, growing interdependence. More specifically, the course will initially identify the multi-causality behind China's achievements and discuss some of the dysfunctions associated, today, with such performance. The conditions of management effectiveness required to enter and succeed overtime in the Chinese market will be identified while the challenges faced by competition - particularly in terms of management of innovation - and by the global expansion of Chinese firms overseas will be illustrated. The course will rely upon different pedagogical methods; it will create conditions to share and leverage participants' experience and it will make use of cases and research results. Auditors will be admitted, but they will have to be present (and prepared) in all the sessions.