C H I N A B U S I N E S S
(MGNT4510A)
Fall 2016
Thursday, 2:30 PM – 5:15 PM
CHEN KOU BUN BLDG UG03
PROFESSOR:
OFFICE HOURS:
OFFICE:
EMAIL:
DR. WENDONG LI
TEACHING ASSISTANT:
OFFICE HOURS:
BY APPT (SCHEDULE VIA EMAIL)
820 CHUNG YU TUNG BUILDING
[email protected]
OFFICE:
EMAIL:
MR. HUANCHEN LIU
BY APPT (SCHEDULE VIA EMAIL)
847 CHUNG YU TUNG BUILDING
[email protected]
COURSE OVERVIEW

Course Description: In today's business world, more and more organizations and managers start to realize that a
(if not the) key to business success is through knowing about people. This course is accordingly designed as a
selective survey of micro organizational behavior/human resource management and particularly the applications
in the Chinese context. Topics include: individual differences, job design, well-being, work motivation,
teamwork, leadership, and cross-cultural issues.

Learning Objectives: Students in this course are expected to: (1) garner a solid understanding of the basic
concepts and theories in course related topics and their applications in the Chinese context and (2) obtain
practical implications of the above topics in the Chinese context in order to improve the performance and wellbeing for both individuals (e.g., employees) and organizations.

Course Format: We meet once a week. At the heart of my teaching philosophy is that more knowledge can be
acquired and retained in interactive classes and when applied in real life. During my lectures, you are
encouraged to ask questions. We will be engaging in discussions, debates, and/or other active learning tasks. You
will be asked to do some of these active learning tasks outside the classroom in teams (see the ZOE project).

CUSIS and E-learning: We will use CUSIS and E-learning for our course. Here, you can obtain copies of the
syllabus, class notes, and messages from me. Therefore you are encouraged to check them regularly.
RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK
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No specific textbook will be used for this course. Instead, we will use two Harvard cases and additional
materials. You can purchase the two Harvard cases online from Harvard Business Publishing
(http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/53340326). Additional materials can be downloaded from E-learning.
Eccles, R.G, Serafeim, G. & Cheng, B. (2013). Foxconn Technology Group (A). Harvard Business Publishing,
Product #: 112002-PDF-ENG.
McFarlan, F.W., Zheng, X. & Zhao, Z. (2011) The Haidilao Company, Harvard Business Publishing, Product #:
TU0021-PDF-ENG.
GRADING
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Points System: The point system used in this course is the following:
Assignments
Team project
Tests
Class participation
Peer evaluation
Self reflection
Total
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60 pts (2 worth 30 points each)
60 pts (each team member gets the same score in most circumstances)
50 pts (2 worth 25 points each)
10 pts
10 pts
10 pts
200 pts
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GRADE COMPONENTS
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Assignments: You will have 2 assignments worth 30 points each. Descriptions and due dates for each
assignment will be announced in class. Each assignment should be printed out with no more than two singlespace typed pages with 1 inch margins and 12 pt Times New Roman font. All assignments must be submitted in
class. Do NOT submit assignments by email unless you have received permission beforehand. ANY LATE
ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED unless you have a valid excused absence (e.g., physician's letter
or police report).
o Assignments:
 # 1: Job/Life Crafting (assigned when covering job design)
 # 2: Three Good Things Journal (assigned when covering well-being and motivation)

Zoe project: You will form groups/teams with 4-5 team members in the first week. The mission for your group is
simple (and complex at the same time!): using your strengths and the knowledge you learn in this course to
improve the life of someone else in the Chinese context. Strength is broadly defined. It could be your abilities,
skills, knowledge, expertise, psychological or physical characteristics, or some form of "social capital" (e.g.,
some people or organization you know) you have access to. This someone else can be a friend or an enemy, a
child or an elder, an acquaintance or a stranger, an individual or a group, or an organization. There are no
restrictions other than that this someone else must be outside your group. Your mission is to use your strengths to
improve their life. But do not just improve their bios or their psyche. Improve their ZOE.
o You will hand in your team charter (on Oct. 13 and a revised version on Oct. 20 if needed) and present
your idea and action plan for the project in class on Oct. 13 (10 pts).
o You will create a 10-minute film that consists of two segments (50 pts). The first segment will document
the life you improved, how you used your strengths to improve it, and the amount of impact you had
(like story telling!). The second segment will share the lesson(s) your group has leaned throughout your
teamwork. The lesson should be related to concepts, theories, or principles (broadly defined) covered in
the class. Each group will hand in a disc and upload the video Youtube. The deadline is the class on Nov.
24. Each group member will receive the same grade except in extenuating circumstances of severely
imbalanced contributions (although I do NOT expect this to happen, come talk to me at least 2 weeks [
by Nov. 10] before the deadline if this is the case).
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Tests: You will have two tests with multiple choice questions and one short-answer question each on Sep. 29 and
Oct. 27.
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Peer evaluation: Donald O. Clifton (1924-2003), The Father of Strengths Psychology, argued that people have
much more potential for growth when they invest in their strengths than when they spend all of their time trying
to correct their weaknesses or deficiencies. In the meantime, psychological and management research suggests
that feedback facilitates human development. Thus, at the end of this semester, you will provide feedback to each
of your teammates on their greatest strength, how to further build the strength, and possible blind spots related to
the strength. Your grade is dependent on the feedback you provide to your team members, NOT the feedback
you received. The deadline is the class on Nov. 17.
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Self reflection: Last but not least, you will reflect on your experiences in this class (e.g., lectures and team
project) and hand in your reflection (no more than two single-spaced typed pages with 1 inch margins and 12 pt
Times New Roman font). The deadline is the class on Nov. 17.
MISCELLANEOUS POLICY INFORMATION
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Policy on Academic Honesty and Plagiarism: The Chinese University of Hong Kong places very high importance
on honesty in academic work submitted by students, and adopts a policy of zero tolerance on cheating and plagiarism.
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Any related offence will lead to disciplinary action including termination of studies at the University. Attention is
drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and
procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.
With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies,
regulations, guidelines and procedures. In the case of group projects, all students of the same group should be asked to
sign the declaration, each of whom is responsible should there be any plagiarized contents in the group project,
irrespective of whether he/she has signed the declaration and whether he/she has contributed directly or indirectly to
the plagiarized contents.
For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based and submitted via
VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students' uploading of the soft
copy of the assignment. Assignments without the properly signed declaration will not be graded by teachers. Only the
final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.
The submission of a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose (e.g. to satisfy the
requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect shall be regarded as having committed
undeclared multiple submission. It is common and acceptable to reuse a turn of phrase or a sentence or two from
one’s own work; but wholesale reuse is problematic. In any case, agreement from the course teacher(s) concerned
should be obtained prior to the submission of the piece of work.
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Classroom Behavior: Please remember that there are many students with different experiences and needs in one
room. This class does not tolerate remarks that are sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise ridicule people.
Further, it is important that we all respect what others are saying in class; therefore, please do not talk while
others are speaking. All cell phones should be turned off during class. Students who do not follow these
guidelines may be asked to leave class. Any contact with communication devices during an exam will result in a
failing grade of the exam.
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Attendance: Attendance is strongly encouraged. You are adults and responsible for your own behaviors. I would
like to see you in class because you are willing to, not because you have to. Most of the material (e.g., for exams)
will only be presented in the lecture.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Week 1: Introduction
Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, B. (September, 3, 2011), Trust the Evidence, Not Your Instincts, New York Times
Elliott, M. (May 3, 2015). 5 Skills College Grads Need to Get a Job. USA Today
Weeks 2 & 3: Individual Differences
Casciaro, T., & Sousa-Lobo, M. (2005). Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools, and the Formation of Social
Networks. Harvard Business Review, 83(6), 92-99.
Amabile, T. & Kramer S. (September 3, 2011). Do Happier People Work Harder? New York Times
Bear, D. (May 21, 2015). The Moment When I Understood the Untranslatable Chinese Word “Guanxi”.
Business Insider
Gelfand, M. J., Raver, J. L., Nishii, L., Leslie, L. M., Lun, J., Lim, B. C., Duan, L., Almaliach, A., Ang, S.,
& Arnadottir, J. 2011. Differences between tight and loose cultures: A 33-nation study. Science, 332: 1100-1104.
Week 4: The First Test (Sep. 29) and Job Design (Traditional Views)
Case Analysis: Foxconn Technology Group (A)
Week 5: Job Design (Emerging Perspectives)
Wrzesniewski, A., Berg, J.M., & Dutton, J.E. (2010). Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Want.
Harvard Business Review, 88(6), 114-117.
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Buell, Ryan W., Tami Kim, and Chia-Jung Tsay. (November 2014) "Cooks Make Tastier Food When They
Can See Their Customers." Harvard Business Review 92(11): 34–35.
Week 6: Project Idea and Action Plan Presentation (15 mins for each team)
Week 7: Well-Being
Kahneman, D., Krueger, A. B., Schkade, D., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2006). Would you be
happier if you were richer? A focusing illusion. Science, 312(5782), 1908-1910.
Panda, A. (December 21, 2013). India and China Lead Global Rankings on Materialism, Economic
Optimism. The Diplomat
Weeks 8 and 9: The Second Test (Oct. 27) and Work Motivation
Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. (2005). What do School Teachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common? In
Freakonomics: A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything (pp. 19-51). New York: William Morrow
Case Analysis: The Haidilao Company
Week 10: Teams and Groups
Surowiecki, J. (2004). The wisdom of crowds. In The wisdom of crowds: Why the many are smarter than
the few and how collective wisdom shapes business, economies, societies, and nations (pp. 3-22). New York:
Doubleday.
Weeks 11 & 12: Leadership and Leader Development
The Look of a Leader: Getting to The Top is as Much to do With How You Look as What You Achieve,
The Economist, Sep. 27, 2014
Chen, X. P. (2013) Company Culture and Values are the Lifelines of Alibaba—An interview with Jack Ma,
Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, Chinese Management Insights, 2, 1-21
Week 13: Final presentation
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