Facing crisis at the wartime period (1937-1952): relocation, network, and business innovation

Presenter: Chenchen Wang (Confirmation milestone seminar)

My research examines the business strategies of Chinese enterprises for overcoming the crisis triggered by the wars during the wartime period (1937-1952). In 1937, the Sino-Japanese war erupted. Joint government-enterprise cooperation was launched by the Chinese Communist Party in 1952, indicating the new period for enterprises. During the war, China experienced severe crises, especially the economic crisis. The study argues that the crisis triggered by war stimulated enterprises to develop a business strategy. There were three key business strategies for enterprises to develop during the wars: relocation, network and business innovation. The cases include the China Merchants’ company, Hongsheng Liu’s enterprises and “Ningbo Group”, and Jiageng Chen’s investment and public donation. The research uses social science theories and methods of business strategy theory, risk management theory, case study, quantitative analysis, and regional analysis to explore how the enterprise performance was affected by the crisis, what were the strategies to deal with it, what was the strategies’ cultivating effects for wartime economy, and how it shared the continuity with the business strategies in postwar China.