The USF platform – Internationalization passage for creating strategic business partnerships in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

In this thesis I research the USF platform which is an internationalization passage for companies who want to form strategic business partnerships in China. It was created and is being developed by Prizztech Oy, The City of Ulvila, The Regional Council of Satakunta, in close cooperation with HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences and with support of NBCCD Oy. It is essentially an internationalization platform for business owners to Chinese market. Through the platform they can bring their expertise to the projects under the modernization programs set by the Chinese Central Government. Specifically, for the Made in China pilot city of Ningbo. The purpose of this thesis is to study the USF platform and understand how it can be applied to the Pitkäjärvi recreation area in Satakunta, Finland.

The USF platform is a new concept and created specifically to fill the demand for this type of cooperation platform. The difference to a more known and established models like the ones operated by Business Finland and the traditional Sister city model is that the USF platform requires less starting capital and is therefore very much less risky opportunity for the business owners. The way this works is that the business owners will provide the illustration of their field of expertise initially for free for a Chinese company under the modernization programs set by the government. This will be achieved with the help of Nordic-Baltic China Co-operation Development Oy who coordinates with the different levels of the Chinese governmental system from Central to local Government within both administrational and state-owned enterprises. This expertise exchange can in many cases lead to a long term beneficial financial and strategic partnership between the stakeholders. In this thesis a detailed internationalization partnership plan is created for Pitkäjärvi recreation area based on the research and findings of the USF platform.

The research was conducted by exploring and studying articles written about the platform and by conducting in-depth interviews with the professionals who are behind the creation and development of the platform. In conclusion the results show that Pitkäjärvi recreation area CEO Mika Lavonius has a great chance to bring his expertise in the field of tourism and sport event management over to Ningbo, China. It comes down to finding the right company, creating trustworthiness and having the right people and networks by one´s side. All of this can be achieved within the USF platform and its partners. Results are based on the already achieved partnerships within the USF platform like Robocoast, the future projects and the information gathered from the industry professionals during in-depth interviews and meetings. In conclusion the USF platform is a new and innovative way to create partnerships with the Chinese companies and based on the research there’s an interest and demand for it. The results show that in practice Mika Lavonius can contact USF platform and they can help set up a meeting with the right officials under the suitable modernization program where Mika can provide his expertise to start the process of creating a strategic business partnership