Post-WTO economic effects on state-owned enterprises in China

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Trade and Distribution, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (International Business and Management), language: English, abstract: Inhaltsangabe:Abstract:§The importance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for international free trade today has enticed China to join the WTO in December 2001. The significance of WTO membership for China cannot be underestimated, inevitably speeding up much-needed economic reform in the country. The gradual transition from a planned- to a market-economy is expected to continue in the future. The severity of the impacts for the economy will depend on how successful China is in providing policies that will assist the nation in the major adjustment problems that it faces in the future.§The expected, actual, and needed implications for China s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) resulting from WTO membership will be investigated in detail; in the process, the significance of SOEs to the Chinese economy will be highlighted. SOEs are mostly ill- prepared for a post-WTO China, and the dismal state of these companies has already led to the decline of market share in the past decade. For the future, the retreat of the state is likely to continue. The main implications for SOEs from China s WTO membership are seen in the areas of competitiveness, corporate governance, privatisation, mergers and acquisitions, property rights, unemployment, and attracting and retaining qualified personnel. This dissertation offers one of the first detailed insights into the challenges facing China s SOEs today and the implications of China s WTO membership for these companies, while also highlighting the areas that require future attention. The understanding of the role and meaning of SOEs for the Chinese economy is of immense importance for foreign investors wanting to invest in the country, already cooperating with China s SOEs, or looking into the possibility of such.§Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents:§I.Table of Contents§II.LIST OF TABLESIV§III.LIST OF FIGURESV§IV.GLOSSARYVI§1.INTRODUCTION1§1.1AIM &OBJECTIVES2§1.2OVERALL RESEARCH APPROACH3§1.3STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION3§2.THE WTO & FREE TRADE4§2.1CHAPTER INTRODUCTION4§2.2THE WTO4§2.2.1UNDERSTANDING THE WTO4§2.2.2THE STRUCTURE &WORKING OF THE WTO7§2.2.3SIGNIFICANCE OF JOINING THE WTO13§2.3CHAPTER CONCLUSION16§3.CHINA & THE WTO18§3.1CHAPTER INTRODUCTION18§3.2CHINA S LONG MARCH TO WTO MEMBERSHIP18§3.2.1PROLONGED DIFFICULTIES19§3.2.2FINAL ACCESSION21§3.3CHAPTER CONCLUSION22§4.METHODOLOGY23§4.1CHAPTER INTRODUCTION23§4.2OVERALL RESEARCH APPROACH23§4.2.1OBJECTIVITY, VALIDITY & TRIANGULATION25§4.2.2CHINESE STATISTICAL DATA26§4.3SECONDARY RESEARCH27§4.3.1LIBRARIES27§4.3.2ELECTRONIC DATABASES28§4.3.3NEWSPAPERS & PERIODICALS29§4.3.4INTERNET29§4.3.5SEARCH TERMS30§4.4PRIMARY RESEARCH30§4.4.1CASE STUDIES31§4.4.2QUESTIONNAIRES32§4.4.3INTERVIEWS32§4.5CHAPTER CONCLUSION34§5.MACRO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS & CHINA S WTO MEMBERSHIP35§5.1CHAPTER INTRODUCTION35§5.2MACRO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS35§5.2.1POSITIVE IMPACTS36§5.2.2NEGATIVE IMPACTS37§5.3MACRO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS38§5.3.1TARIFF & QUOTA REDUCTIONS39§5.3.2INCREASING COMPETITION40§5.3.3ECONOMIC REFORM, OWNERSHIP &MARKET SHARE42§5.4CHAPTER CONCLUSION43§6.CHINA S SOE & WTO MEMBERSHIP44§6.1CHAPTER INTRODUCTION44§6.2CHINA S SOES44§6.2.1SOES INTRODUCED45§6.2.2MAIN PROBLEMS FACED BY CHINA S SOES50§6.2.3PRE-WTO STATUS QUO & DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA'S SOES54§6.2.4MAIN PRE-WTO ECONOMIC REFORMS56§6.3IMPLICATIONS FOR CHINA S SOES56§6.3.1COMPETIT...