CIRUS: Chinese Investment Rules

SERVICES

PROJECT RESULTS

CIRUS Database (forthcoming)

This database evaluates the practices of all major Chinese investors worldwide (particularly with regards to social and environmental criteria). Employing machine-learning text analysis of newspaper articles it assesses to which extent investors fulfil social and environmental criteria using the OECD's Guidelines for MNEs as a benchmark. The database also provides detailed information about the almost 600 large Chinese investors present worldwide

Publications (forthcoming)

Here you will find publications from our team

EVENTS

We will be presenting the first results of our project and the CIRUS database at the 2025 SASE Conference in Montreal (9-12 July 2025) & at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management

25-29 July 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

ABOUT

ABOUT

This project funded by the German National Science Foundation (DFG) evaluates the practices of Chinese investors in order to develop a novel theoretical perspective on the role of multinational corporations from Emerging Economies re-shaping global norms. The study will develop an innovative and timely approach to Chinese investments. A first part will employ machine-learning text analysis of newspaper articles to create a new and highly original database (CIRUS, for Chinese investment rules). This publicly available database will support societal interests, facilitate research on Chinese firms and their impact on global economic governance by industry associations, academics, think-tanks, journalists, etc. A second part will test and deepen the proposed theory of how the BICs (specifically China) may be altering global rules through their investors’ behaviour in terms of their alignment or lack thereof with best practice. The project also seeks to understand the degree and means by which the Chinese leadership is able to shape the behaviour of these investors.

2021

Project Started

778

Chinese Investors Evaluated

Team Members

PROJECTS

HIGHLITED INVESTMENTS

TEAM

Prof. Dr Omar Ramon Serrano Oswald

Omar is a Professor of Global Management and Head of the International Office at the Business School of the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland. With a background in International Political Economy, he lead as principal investigator the DFG project: "The Rules of the Road? An Evaluation and Analysis of Chinese Investors’ Overseas Direct Investment Practices and their Global Impact" (2021-2024) and the SNF project: "Transforming Market Governance in the 21st Century: The Clash of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Credit Systems" (2025-2029). He was previously a Research Associate in the bidt project: “Learning from the “Frontrunner”? A Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Chinese Social Credit System and its Impact on Germany”; a Research Associate at TUM (Munich), and Visiting Scholar in Fudan (Shanghai), FGV (Rio de Janeiro), ITAM (Mexico City), JNU (New Delhi) and UIBE (Beijing); Research Associate at the Sino-Swiss Competence Centre of the University of St. Gallen (FIM-HSG); Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Geneva and at the University of Lucerne; Guest Professor at Hunan University (湖南大学), and regular lecturer at the World Trade Institute in Bern.

His current research, which combines both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, looks at regulatory politics and international management practices; particularly, at the transformation of global economic governance by China through global investments (both by state-owned and private firms) & its evolving Social Credit System.

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Marianne von Blomberg

Marianne is exploring how the evolving Social Credit Systems in China strengthen, transform, and challenge the law. In her dissertation, she observes the case of China’s Social Credit System to unearth how trust assessment systems in both governance and the market affect the functioning and role of traditional legalities. Marianne holds an LL.M degree from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, and a BA in Communication and Cultural Studies from Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. Before she took up academic research, she has worked and interned with several news outlets, the Volkswagen Group, and the German Embassy in Ottawa. As a research assistant, Marianne is currently supporting the team developing an index of regulatory density and implementation (at the provincial level in China) for the DFG project: "The Rules of the Road? An Evaluation and Analysis of Chinese Investors’ Overseas Direct Investment Practices and their Global Impact."

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Dr. Matthias Ruediger

Matthias is a postdoc at the Institute for Applied Data Science & Finance at Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. He holds a degree in computer science as well as in business administration and economics and a PhD from the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. He is particularly interested in research at the intersection of machine learning / natural language processing, and innovation research. In the DFG-funded project: "The Rules of the Road? An Evaluation and Analysis of Chinese Investors’ Overseas Direct Investment Practices and their Global Impact", he is responsible for data acquisition and preparation, as well as technical data analysis. Aside from his job in academia, he is head of AI at a consulting firm for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

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Maria Ljung

Maria (Mia) is a PhD student at Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), Switzerland, within the DFG-funded project: "The Rules of the Road? An Evaluation and Analysis of Chinese Investors’ Overseas Direct Investment Practices and their Global Impact". Her research primarily focuses on differences and similarities between US and Chinese MNEs' international investment practices, particularly social and environmental practices. Before joining the team at BFH, Maria worked for the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and in the Swiss impact startup sector. She also worked as a trainee at the European Commission in Brussels and the Swedish Embassy in Vienna. Maria holds a MSc in World Society and Global Governance from the University of Lucerne, Switzerland, a MA in Investigative Journalism from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and a BA in Economics from the School of Business, Economics and Law, Gothenburg, Sweden.