Thirty Years of Turbulence - Chinese Enterprises

作者：admin  点击次数：24  发布时间：2026-01-26

1984 was a year full of hints and suspense. As early as 1949, the famous British political satirist George Orwell created a fictional prophecy novel titled '1984'. The protagonist Winston Smith in the novel lives in a totalitarian state called Oshnia in the illusory year of 1984.

When 1984 really arrived, the world was not as terrifying as Orwell described. On the contrary, market forces seem to have the upper hand, with Reagan Thatcherism prevailing. In the global business world, just like China undergoing drastic changes, it is entering a year of reshuffling. Some traditional large companies have either been spun off or fallen into difficulties, while new industries are emerging and new corporate heroes are about to emerge.

The most sensational corporate news of the year was the spin off of AT&T. This company, founded by telephone inventor Alexander Bell, was once a symbol of America and the world's largest enterprise. In the early 1980s, the company's total assets reached $150 billion, with annual sales revenue of $70 billion, accounting for about 2% of the US gross domestic product. By 1984, the company had a total of 1 million employees and over 3 million shareholders.