MIT China Forum: "Competitiveness of Chinese Enterprises in the Global Era"
Speaker: Weiying Zhang , Dean and Professor of Economics, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
Date: October 14 2008
Time: 4:00PM to 5:00PM
Location: 32-G449/Patil Conference Room
Host: Victor Zue, CSAIL
Contact: Victoria Palay, 617.253.8924, palay@csail.mit.edu
Relevant URL: Abstract:
In this presentation, I argue that the success of Chinese enterprises in the past two decades has been mainly based on their cost advantage, particularly labor cost advantage. This cost advantage, combined with brand advantage of foreign-invested enterprises, has transformed China into a world factory. For short of its brand advantage, China produced big volume but small value. China’s cost advantage is diminishing, for following reasons: (1) labor market is more globalized and regulated; (2) regulations on environments are tightening: (3) and consumers are more demanding. To meet these challenges, Chinese enterprises need to build their brand advantages and be more innovative in technology and management. Nevertheless, some institutional foundations need yet to be established.
Bio: Weiying Zhang is Dean of the Guanghua School of Management of Peking University, and Director of Peking University’s e-Business Center, and a leading economist in China. He received a bachelor degree in 1982 from Northwestern University at Xi’an and D. Phil. in economics in 1994 from Oxford University. Between 1984 and 1990, he was a research fellow of the Economic System Reform Institute of China, and heavily involved in economic reform policy making in China. He was the first Chinese economist who proposed the “dual-track price reform” (in 1984). After he graduated from Oxford, he co-founded China Center for Economic Research (CCER), Peking University in 1994, and worked with the Center until August, 1997. From 1999 to August 2006, He was the executive associate dean of Guanghua School of Management. His visionary reform has changed business education in China. He was also the chief architect of the 2003 Peking University faculty system reform. As a scholar of economics he has published dozens of academic articles and 10 books. His works have had significant impacts on the ongoing enterprise reform policy formulation and the development of economics in China. He has been frequently invited to deliver keynote speeches at high-level international and domestic symposiums and forums. His insightful opinions of the Chinese economy have been frequently reported in media. He was awarded "The Man of the Year in Chinese Economy" by CCTV in 2002. He has served as the chief economist for China Entrepreneurs Forum since 2001.
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