A Comparative Study Of Employee Motivation Practices In American Multinationals In China

With the acceleration of globalization and the integration of the Chinese economy into the global economy, more and more multinational companies are flooding in, among which, American multinationals undoubtedly take the lead. Since an increasing number of foreign enterprises operating in China has adopted the localization strategy, there is a need to focus on the motivation of Chinese employees in such multinationals, and the way that human resource-management practices address Chinese work values and motivational factors. Due to the vast differences between Chinese and American cultures, foreign companies which rely on practices drawn from concepts which work in the West to attempt to motivate Chinese employees, may find these efforts in vain. In order to guarantee a successful communication between employees and managers, and reduce the possible failure of employee motivation, identifying and understanding employees' values and attitudes become indispensable for these multinationals.The thesis attempts to identify the difference effects of employee motivation practices in American multinationals in China. Since those employees are influenced by the contact between Chinese and American cultures, in order to get a more precise picture of these characteristics through comparison, the author also surveys some Chinese employees working for Chinese state-owned-enterprises and American employees staying in the USA. After reviewing relevant studies and theories on Chinese and American cultures as well as on cross-cultural communication and employee motivation, the author puts forward a hypothesis. According to the data collected from questionnaires handed out to employees, the author tests the hypothesis and analyzes the cultural impact on employee motivation practices. The thesis finally points out the limitations of the study and proposes some recommendations for future relevant studies.