Global management consultancy in China

Abstract

Management consultancy has received increasing academic interest due to its growing importance in the global economy. However, current research has been predominantly focused on consulting companies in Anglo-American and European countries. This thesis aims to provide a focused study of the practice of global management consultancies operating outside of the western context. China is commonly regarded as having distinctive market and industrial conditions that distinguish it from western developed countries. Based on empirical evidence from interviews and participant observation, this thesis examines the activities of global consulting companies at market, firm and client project levels in China, with a focus on the deployment of their global knowledge resources. The central question explored in the thesis is whether and to what extent the Chinese context has limited the diffusion of global management consultancies and the applicability of their western management knowledge. This thesis finds that in China global management consultancies have emphasized their international image and extensively replicated global models of management. While importing global knowledge assets has had mostly positive effects at market and firm level of practice, it has caused a mix of benefits and challenges during the actual consultation process due to insufficient and inappropriate adaptation.