Strategies of German SMEs and Cultural Constraints in Entering the Chinese Market. A Qualitative Study in the Automotive Sector.

Abstract

The aim of this work is the identification of cultural constraints in entering the Chinese market, and the systematic development of strategies to deal with these. The object of study is the concept of German SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). To solve this problem, this work presents first a theoretical basis and refers to the state of research on the basis of scientific literature on this topic. Following a comparison with the practice takes place, which is based on interviews with managers who belong to German SMEs. Due to the economic relevance for Germany and China, the automotive industry is focused.