Localization Studies, Modern Foreign Enterprises In China

Foreign enterprises in modern china are the important component of businesses in modern china. The process of foreign enterprises tried to be an enterprise with native characters is the microcosm of the relation of foreign enterprises and the society of modern china. British & American Tobacco Co. (B.A.T) is a famous tobacco company, it showed clear native management idea in some fields, and it is a typical example of foreign enterprises with native idea. So, focusing on the B.A.T is profit to clear the process and characters of foreign enterprises' native idea, and profit to research the native idea deeply by use of the merit of case research.Because of the long term "close-door" policy, it is very difficulty for foreign enterprises to understand the market situation, and they found that the large market had some native characters: different dialects, different life styles and different culture custom, strange business habits, complicated relationship and various professional organizations. These characters brought many difficulties to foreign businessmen to manage their enterprises in modern China society.After the Opium War, most all west developmented countries try to invest into modern China, constructed factories and monopolized market. At the same time, it is necessary that the organizational construction and managerial ideas of these foreign enterprises meet some traditional characters, for example, the idea of family, professional organization and business habit in modern China. Confirmly, these traditional market construction with culture tradition with thousands years is the principal barrier for foreign enterprises to developed in modern China. As organizations with the purpose of seeking profit, when foreign enterprises facing the large market and profit in modern China, native characteristic is their necessary way. In the affect of the native management idea, foreign enterprises' organization, management, raw material and production, sale network, enterprises culture turned to be native. These characters could be find from many fields: foreign enterprises had to purchase raw material and production sales by the control of Chinese compradors in the business network with the private relationship; had to give up their bureaucratic managerial system, and turned to depended on the family management; had to pay attention to the advertisements' culture implication because of various customs; had to establish relations with every governor. These social element—relationship of district and blood, the influence of regional gentries, private relationship in modern business society, and complicated culture customs—which affected on the building of foreign enterprises' native management, they all have long term history, are all important part of Chinese traditional culture. The process of B.A.T tried to adapt these element is the process of foreign enterprises tried to adapt Chinese traditional culture, the process of foreign enterprises turned to manage natively business. So, the key idea of the native management is culture adaptation. On the other hand, because of traditional culture have stability and conservatism, adapting culture become necessary for foreign enterprises to expand market and profit. So it is confirm that the native management is necessary and general for foreign enterprises to live in modern China, even though their level, channel, form of native characteristic are all not similar in different profession and enterprise.