Abstract
Human resources management (HRM) in China requires a different approach from the ones commonly implemented in Europe or the United States. For the casual observer, what stands out are the difficulties that Chinese workers are accustomed to facing, such as overtime work, extreme working conditions due to hazardous materials, a lack of safety regulations, and an increasing unemployment rate in low technology energy-intensive industrial sectors that is casting a shadow over the near future. The Western media tends to focus on the negative consequences such as environmental and social degradation after three decades of China’s so-called ‘economic miracle’ accompanied by double-digit GDP growth. However, it is imperative to contextualize these and other related issued within the country as a whole. While China has been evolving at breakneck speed, this fast-changing process has led to China becoming the ‘world’s factory’, it was able to reinvent itself during past and current global economic and financial crisis. This chapter introduces some case studies of Italian businesses operating in China, analyzing different phases of HRM, starting from the past financial and production crises that have led to the bankruptcy of thousands of small and medium—sized companies to the most recent collapse of Chinese stock markets. The analysis will take account of the different categories of Chinese companies such as state-owned companies (SOEs), companies that operate with other companies through joint ventures and wholly foreign owned enterprises. China’s historical and cultural background and cultural information too are considered in order avoid a mere Western interpretations of phenomena and realities that need to be understood in a local context.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Arduino A (2009) Il fondo sovrano cinese CASCC, O Barra O Edizioni
Arduino A, Bombelli M C (2009) The year of the Ox, lived dangerously. European Asian Strategies, EAST Dossier n. 26
Arduino A et al (2007) Cina: sotto il cielo una famiglia. Gestire le persone e le organizzazioni nel paese più grande del mondo, Guerini e Associati
Black JS, Gregersen HB (1999) The right way to manage expat. Harvard Business Review, March–April
Bombelli MC, Arduino A (2005) Comunicare tra Italia e Cina. Sviluppo & Organizzazione, September–October
Bjorkman I, Xiucheng F (2002) Human resource management and the performance of Western firms in China. J Hum Resour Manage 13:853–864
Chan RYK et al (2002) The dynamics of Guanxi and ethics for Chinese executives. J Bus Ethics 41:327–336
Chee H, West C (2005) Myths about doing business in China. Palgrave, London
Clissold T (2005) Mister China. Constable & Robinson, London
Cragg C (1995) Business on the orient (Chinese business ethics). Accountancy Age, 11 May, pp 20–22
Fernandez JA, Underwood L (2006) China CEO. Voices of experiences. John Wiley & Sons, Asia
Geertz G (1987) The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books, New York
Hall ET (1966) The hidden dimension. Doubleday, New York
Hall ET (1976) Beyond culture. Garden City, New York
Hannerz U (1996) Transnational connections. Routledge, London, New York
Hofstede G (1980) Culture’s consequences: international differences in work-related values. Sage, Beverly Hills
Hofstede G (1991) Cultures and organizations: software of the mind. McGraw Hill, London
Letta CGM (2003) EA EU partnership. The future dynamics of East Asia-European union relationship. The Senjong Institute
Maciocchi MA (1971) Dalla Cina. Feltrinelli, Milano
Osland JS, Bird A (2000) Beyond the sophisticated stereotyping. Academy of Management Executive, February
Pierce JAII, Robinson RB (2000) Cultivating Guanxi as a foreign investor strategy. Business Horizon, January-February
Samovar LA, Porter RE (2000) Intercultural communication. A Reader, Wadsworth, Belmont CA
Schein EH (1996) Culture: a missing concept in organizational studies. Adm Sci Q, June
Sparrow P et al (2004) Globalizing human resource management. Routledge, London
Studwell J (2005) The China dream. The elusive quest for the greatest untapped market on earth. Profile Book, London
Turner T (1993) Anthropology and multiculturalism: what is anthropology that multiculturalists should be mindful of it? Cult Anthropol 8:411–429
Waldkirck K (2004) Job hopping and his reasons. Asia Bridge, March Postrel V, Silicon Valley: job hopping contributes to innovation, New York Times, 1 Dec 2005
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bombelli, M.C., Arduino, A. (2017). Human Resource Management in China: An Italian Perspective. In: Beretta, S., Berkofsky, A., Zhang, L. (eds) Understanding China Today. Understanding China. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29625-8_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29625-8_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29624-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29625-8
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)