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Deputy General Manager Peng & His Depressing Book Club : A comparative study of popular business literature in the PRC and the USA

Author

  • Joakim Eriksson

Summary, in English

The purpose of this thesis is to compare best-selling business literature in China and the US. Snapshots of Amazon.com and Amazon.cn bestseller lists were captured in early 2014, and the 25 highest ranked titles in the designated “business” category on each website form the foundation for comparison. The books mainly touch on Economics & Politics, Management Studies, Productivity & Life Management, Logic & Decision Theory, and Investment Theory. The 50 titles are analyzed quantitatively, proving that the Chinese titles are (1) cheaper to buy, (2) more recently published, and written by (3) a more international and (4) a more male-dominated group of authors. The books are then analyzed qualitatively, resulting in six observations: American economists tend to be more hopeful, Chinese authors tend to be less boastful in their opening chapters, Chinese management books lack a clear relationship to the history of management studies, Chinese management books never refer to Chinese political history, the Chinese economics books are written for a more educated readership, and political opinions in Chinese economics books are expressed with a voice that sometimes speaks to ordinary citizens and sometimes speaks to leaders in government.

Department/s

Publishing year

2015

Language

English

Document type

Student publication for Bachelor's degree

Topic

  • Business and Economics
  • Languages and Literatures
  • Social Sciences

Keywords

  • Management History
  • Economic History
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Management Studies
  • Chinese Literature
  • Comparative Literature

Supervisor

  • Michael Schoenhals