The conference was the 5th edition of the annual conference series titled China Goes Global, a joint venture between the Harvard University, Jacobs University, Georgia Tech and Rollins College / Crummer Graduate School of Business. This Conference aims at taking a closer look at the expansion and activities of Chinese firms abroad and it is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
The focus of this year's China Goes Global conference, hosted by the John F. Kennedy School of Government, was on China's future role with regards to Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) and the purpose of and reasons behind such investments (e.g. in African or South American countries) as well as on the growing influence of Chinese companies through joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions on the processes, practices and ethics in business. The session moderated by Claus Dierksmeier was focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility in Chinese transnational corporations. The presenters agreed that the topic of CSR is being ever more firmly embedded in the agenda of Chinese executives, notwithstanding different understandings and culturally diverging conceptions of CSR, which deviate at times from western notions of responsible corporate citizenship.
For more information on the conference please visit the China Goes Global website or download the conference program.