A less culturally sensitive approach to modelling Chinese business networking

The literature that informs the modelling of the networking behaviour of Chinese privately owned businesses (POBs) faces cultural and theoretical problems. A Western cultural perspective that dominates the literature, the need for specific investigation into a Chinese phenomenon; and the insufficiency of specific Chinese literature are identified and the implications for research into Chinese POBs explained. That a cultural contrast necessarily results in a contrast in theory is questioned. This paper presents a diagram linking culturally-based network theories, arguing that adoption of Douglas and Craig's (2006) linked emic approach can be adapted to observe not only China-Western cultural differences, but also differences within the Western literature.