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Transnationalizing Intrapreneurs and Entrepreneurial Values: Case Studies of Chinese Companies in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2021

Aranya Siriphon Open the ORCID record for Aranya Siriphon [Opens in a new window]  and
Jiangyu Li
Aranya Siriphon*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
Jiangyu Li
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, School of Law and Sociology, Yunnan Normal University, PRC
*
*Corresponding author. Email: aranyas@yahoo.com
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Abstract

This article explores recent waves of Chinese mobility demonstrated by new Chinese emigrants working for private Chinese companies conducting transnational business in Thailand in general and Chiang Mai Province in particular. We use two case studies of international education centres and real estate for senior care businesses in Chiang Mai to discuss the flexibility of Chinese capitalism and argue that deploying intrapreneurs and cultivating entrepreneurial value for employees, professionals and co-partners in pursuit of transnational business are some of the more flexible strategies that China's private companies have employed in response to their new business lines and emerging market demand from both China and other parts of the globe. However, while the Chinese and Thai states have played an important role in facilitating and regulating business conducted in Thailand, transnational business is in an early stage, as demonstrated by the two case studies explored, and may not always proceed as expected.

Keywords

Chinese CompanyEntrepreneurial ValueIntrapreneursNew Chinese Mobility
Type
Original Article
Information
TRaNS: Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , May 2022 , pp. 103 - 114
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Institute of East Asian Studies, Sogang University

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