To Change China Redux: a tale of two cities

In the early 1980s, two ambitious projects were launched, with Western assistance, to bring the concepts of modern management, as it was known in the West, to Chinese managers. One of these initiatives was funded by the US Government, and was located in Dalian; the other was funded by the European Commission, and has evolved into China’s leading business school in Shanghai. This paper describes the rationale behind these projects and compares and contrasts their experiences. In the early 1980s, two ambitious projects were launched, with Western assistance, to bring the concepts of modern management, as it was known in the West, to Chinese managers. One of these initiatives was funded by the US Government, and was located in Dalian; the other was funded by the European Commission, and has evolved into China’s leading business school in Shanghai. This paper describes the rationale behind these projects and compares and contrasts their experiences.