The Rise of Chinese Entrepreneurship: Study of the Changing Attributes, Motivations and Perceptions of Present-Day Entrepreneurs Open Access
Weiner, Stephen (2017)
Abstract
Entrepreneurs are an essential part of modern Chinese society. Over the past four decades, as reform policies transformed China and its economy, entrepreneurs have played a key role in the country's massive economic development. This paper examines the attributes, motivations and perceptions of present-day Chinese entrepreneurs to understand why they are starting companies. In the first two chapters, it discusses how entrepreneurs, who were repressed during the Maoist era (1949-1978), became a focus of economic reforms that began in 1978. It details the government policies which created a more supportive environment for entrepreneurship. Additional emphasis is placed on the shifting attitudes towards entrepreneurship and who pursued it through the end of the 1990s. This paper suggests that the gradual individualization of China's traditionally collectivist society provided additional support for many entrepreneurs. However, it also shows that, until the start of the 21st century, well-educated people leaned away from entrepreneurship, largely because entrepreneurs were not a desirable group.
In the latter two chapters, it examines how certain prominent Chinese companies and their founders created a prototype on which other entrepreneurs base their identities. These successful entrepreneurs made entrepreneurship more desirable and became models which other people sought to emulate. Furthermore, several first-hand interviews reveal that present-day Chinese entrepreneurs share five common traits that help explain their motivations and ambitions for starting companies. Overall, this paper concludes that, as the environment for entrepreneurship improved, the individualism and self-identity of entrepreneurs strengthened, and innovative entrepreneurs found success, the modern entrepreneur has become a desirable model for success and a crucial piece of China's future development.
Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................1
Chapter 1: Historical Changes in the Environment for Chinese Entrepreneurs..............................................12
Chapter 2: How the Individualization of Chinese Society Boosted Entrepreneurship......................................33 Chapter 3: The BAT Leaders as China's Prototypical Entrepreneurs............................................................53Chapter 4: Who are China's Modern Entrepreneurs?................................................................................69
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................93Works Cited.......................................................................................................................................98
References.......................................................................................................................................102About this Honors Thesis
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