Share China business experiences! That is what our China Expert Guest Blog is all about. Looking for business, commerce, trading and other Guanxi type of news on how to be successful investing or dealing, in or with, China? You have come to the right place. And if you would like to share your China business experiences daily/weekly/monthly or just once, don't hesitate! Send us an email: info@chinasuccessstories.com If you know the answer to one of the questions below, simply use the comment functionality.
By Greg Bissky
Yesterday Greg Bissky posted a new video on YouTube. According to Greg, Westerners must learn that there is more than one “right” way to communicate. The Western rule is, “get straight to the point,” but Chinese use a different rule, “build the relationship first.”
Read the rest of “Western and Chinese business-More Than 1 Way To Communicate” or post a comment
By Rebecca A. Morgan
Sourcing to China can be cost effective, but if something goes wrong, it could have a dramatic effect on your bottom line — and negatively impact customer opinion of your business. Can we trust domestic producers and distributors to control quality with fervor equal to their pursuit of low wages? Cheap labor is the easy part; the quality thing is a much tougher nut to crack.A product recall is a very visible and expensive sign of a serious quality problem. The life threatening potential of some problems long ago led American government and producers to develop recall and reverse distribution systems.
For the most part we’ve become good at figuring out which product is at risk, where it went, and executing the recall process with limited harm to life. But lately faith in American product-based businesses has been shaken by the apparent lack of due diligence in assuring low-wage Chinese suppliers meet the same standards as our own. Read the rest of “Is Sourcing in China Safe?” or post a comment
By Shawn He Yuxun
In the Western world, having the right relationships or connections, while very important, is usually not a sufficient (nor in many cases a necessary) condition to get business done. You’d need to have sound business fundamentals first. In China, for a long time having Guanxi this “ultra-relationship” or “super-connection“ ALONE could already ensure a “done-deal”, regardless of the fundamentals…
You might have heard the Chinese word “Guanxi“ (pronounced guan-shee, literally meaning “relationship” or “connection“) frequently touted by many a China consultants or “old China hands” who have been there and done that. Read the rest of ““Guanxi” Demystified: How it differs from our usual “Connections”?” or post a comment
How to be prepared for the experience called China? Pamela Lau did an interesting scientific research about pre-departure training for expats planning to go to China.Though there is some literature questioning the effect of pre-departure training (Kealy and Protheroe, 1996; Selmer et al, 1998), it is clear that according to expatriates, pre-departure training is relevant. With the data obtained, statistical tests were conducted to create a deeper understanding of the needs of expatriates that are sent to China by their companies. Read the rest of “Pre-departure training for expatriates who are sent to China” or post a comment
By Ernie Tadla
So the gweilo got on an Air China flight. It seems I was the only non-Chinese person on the plane. The culture shock began there. Flying Air China is not like flying Air Canada. We take our western comforts for granted and don’t really appreciate what we have until it’s taken away. This was a good, gradual first phase introduction for me. Take all we are used to here and knock it down three notches. Space, service, quality whether washrooms, seating, or food. I did not suffer, but realized that I was like a city guy going to visit country cousins on the farm. I was going from a developed society to a developing society. They were trying to catch up with us, and doing a great job, but were not there yet.
Alone with my thoughts, I wondered and worried. What was I getting myself into? The pangs of being alone were deep. It would be four months before Lovy would join me. Without her at my side, I was at the mercy of others and my own mental meanderings. Would Dan and his partners, Wu Bing and Peter, accept me? Would the Chinese staff accept me? How would I order things since I didn’t know the language? Would I succeed? How would I begin? What would I do?
Then the “what ifs” started. What if they don’t accept me? What if I don’t succeed? What if? What if?
Read the rest of “China Chapter Three: First impressions” or post a comment
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