Trouble in the Middle - Softcover

Feldman, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415884489 ISBN 13: 9780415884488

Publisher: Routledge, 2013

Synopsis

Trouble in the Middle is a qualitative study of ethical and cultural issues in American-Chinese business relations. Based on interviews with American and Chinese executives in the United States and China and visits to American and Chinese operations in China, the research focuses on challenges to doing business in China. Specifically the book:

- identifies, describes, and explains the extent and depth of corruption in China
- examines and explains differences in American and Chinese business cultures and the miscommunications, misunderstandings, and conflicts that arise
- describes and analyzes the role of the Chinese middleman in business relations, especially his role in bribe payments
- develops a concept of the "cultural middle" to assist business executives in negotiating cultural differences

The book includes examinations of Chinese cultural history and the history of American-Chinese relations in China, the type of economic and social system emerging in China, the role of the Chinese government in business, challenges to intellectual property rights, the Shanghai business environment, and much more.

About this title

About the Author:

Steven P. Feldman is professor of business ethics at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He was Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in business ethics at Shanghai International Studies University in Shanghai, China. His Ph.D is from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He has held visiting positions at Oxford University, University of Innsbruck, and the University of Minnesota. He has lectured broadly in China on business ethics issues. His previously published books are Memory as a Moral Decision and The Culture of Monopoly Management. He has published extensively in management journals on ethical and cultural issues. Steve specializes in American-Chinese business relations, business ethics, and nonprofit management.

Review:

"Feldman has written this well-researched, informative work "to investigate the ethical and cultural aspects of Chinese-American business relations." ...He examines assumptions Americans bring to Chinese negotiations by scrutiny of relevant literature and empirical analyses. He also points out that the Chinese are just as victimized by their corrupt systems as are foreign business partners. Finally, Feldman compares the experiences of American and Chinese businesses in China. Because the primary research in this area is still rather scant, his data collection method was interviews. This firsthand, insider information is vital to understanding the way business is practiced in China. Summing Up: Highly recommended." - L. K Miller, Western Kentucky University in CHOICE

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0415884489
• ISBN 13: 9780415884488
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 512