Inflation in China is soaring and price increases are being exported to the developed world. Customers are finding that factories are increasing prices almost weekly or biweekly depending on the product. Customers requiring their price quotes in US Dollars are finding their quotes only good for one or two weeks.

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Building an effective system for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) has become essential for China. Consequently, the Chinese government has worked hard to establish a world-class patent-protection system during the past 20 years, and during the past 27 years, China joined the major international IP Organizations and Treaties:

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Every year in December the government announces the dates of national holidays, which vary each year. This year, the festivities in honour of the Dragon Boat Festival were an official day off in China.

During these national holidays, the Chinese people tend to join for a family gathering. In this case, ‘the family’ refers to the parents from father’s side, sons & their wives, unmarried daughters and the grand children. During these gatherings food and banquet-like meals are savoured, people go out to parks or enjoy themselves watching television. Because most families live in different cities, gatherings last usually several days under one roof; quite exhausting in European eyes.

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The question of how to market and sell to companies based in China is one that is debated endlessly by foreign companies seeking to profit from the huge potential of the country. Views expressed by businesspeople claiming to know the secret of success in China vary wildly, from those (generally newcomers) who say that marketing and selling in China is ‘just like home’ through to those …

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Management consultants and academics who look at negotiation sometimes place counterparties on a matrix of 2 dimensions – concern for others’ goals and concern for one’s own goal.

Competitive negotiators care only about their own needs and nothing for the counterparties. They are Win-Lose negotiators.

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