Title: Cognitive mapping of chief executive officers' minds: confronting Chinese global competitiveness

Authors: Check Teck Foo, Peter McKiernan, James Wong

Addresses: System Engineering Division, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; School of Management, University of St Andrews, Saint Andrews, Fife, KY 169AR, Scotland, UK; Baruch College, City University of New York, New York, NY 10010, USA; Solbridge International Business School, Woo Sung University, Daejeon (Silicon Valley), Daejeon 300718, South Korea. ' School of Management, University of St Andrews, Saint Andrews, Fife, KY 169AR, Scotland, UK. ' Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia

Abstract: In Western philosophy on epistemology, there has long been the traditional divide between what is a priori vs. a posteriori. This is taken as the starting point for a conceptual framing of an empirically grounded inquiry into the minds of Indian chief executive officer (CEOs) about Chinese strategic thinking. The objective of this a posteriori experimentation is to cross culturally map Indian CEOs| knowledge – broadly defined as understandings, doubts, responses, surprises, concerns, beliefs and values, when they are put face-to-face with rapidly rising Chinese competitive pressures. To provide the focus of inquiry, the author uses the precepts of the 2,500 years old Art of War by Sun Tzu as experimental parameterisation of knowledge concerning Chinese competitive, strategic thinking. From the results of experimentation, the first and main author then produces a cognitive map that yields intriguing insights to the mental state of CEOs| knowing and concerning about Chinese strategy.

Keywords: Art of War; CEO; chief executive officers; Chinese global competitiveness; cognitive mapping; Indian management; spider web methodology; strategy; China; India; strategic thinking; cross-cultural mapping; culture; mental state.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2009.025281

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2009 Vol.2 No.5, pp.571 - 584

Published online: 18 May 2009 *

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