The Dynamics of Corporate Co-Evolution: A Case Study of Port Development in China (Organisation and Strategy: Case Studies in their Context)

'This book gives full due to two areas which were totally under-researched in earlier work, namely how corporate evolution takes place and how it can proceed within a highly politicized as well as institutionalized environment. The Dynamics of Corporate Co-Evolution is a remarkable statement of facts, a solid perspective on co-evolution - the way the relationships between YICT and its environments evolved together. It is an invaluable source of data on how a new container terminal became, after an initially difficult period, one of the world top-class ports largely through the initiatives of its management.'
- Gustaaf De Monie University of Antwerp, Belgium

Offering insights of unusual richness, this book examines one of the world's most important business environments to determine the way that organizations can develop through interaction with their environments. It fills a gap in our understanding of the evolution of the Chinese business environment and throws light on the theory of co-evolution in order to inspire management practice.

Written on the basis of a collaboration between a leading business manager and renowned university scholars, this groundbreaking book makes a significant contribution both to theory and practice of competitive strategy.

Contents: Part I: Introduction, Perspective and Method 1. Introduction 2. The Co-evolutionary Perspective 3. Research Design and Methodology Part II: Environment, Evolution and Managerial Initiative 4. Yantian Port and its Changing Environment 5. The Evolution of a World-Class Port 6. Innovations in Management Practice 7. Relationship Management - Creating a Relational Framework Part III: Co-evolution: Theory and Practice 8. Forms of Co-evolution 9. The Political Dynamics of Corporate Co-evolution 10. Lessons for Managers Operating in a Complex Environment Index