Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investments in Germany. Post-Merger Integration and Its Effects on Labor Relations

Összefoglaló

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Business economics - Operations Research, grade: 1,3, Berlin School of Economics and Law, language: English, abstract: The following thesis deals with Chinese outward foreign direct investments (OFDI) in Germany and the effects of post-merger integration on labor relations. As a result of the economic reforms that have been taking place in China for the past four decades, the People¿s Republic has become an economic giant, rapidly making cross-border investments across the globe. Backed by large amounts of currency reserves, Chinäs OFDI reached a record-breaking US$ 114 billion in 2014, making it one of the top three global investors. The impending acquisition of Swiss Syngenta by Chinäs state-owned enterprise China National Chemical (ChemChina), worth over US$ 43 billion dollars, illustrates the aggressive expansion into new markets. Germany has also received its share of FDI inflows from China. While investments have remained rather modest in comparison to other countries, the acquisition of KraussMaffei Gruppe or EEF Energy From Waste GmbH¿worth billions of euros¿have headlined Chinese M&A in Germany. Chinese have topped the M&A discussions in Germany due to the speed at which so-called "hidden champions" are being acquired. The process of M&A is particularly of interest to us, specifically the post-merger integration (PMI) and the effects it has on labor relations. This thesis will begin with a literature review on the current and past state of knowledge regarding PMI. Definitions of mergers, acquisitions and integration are given at the start of chapter two, followed in the second half by the various streams of literature pertaining to the topic. Chapter three will introduce the concept of Chinese FDI and the developments of the past 40 years; in the second half of the chapter, we will present the methodology of research we have chosen for the study and the various methods used. Chapter four consists of two case studies of German companies in the automotive sector that have recently been acquired by Chinese multi-national corporations (MNCs). From these case studies, we will make our analysis in chapter five and provide our conclusions in chapter six.