Newsletter Week 42 |
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Dear Reader, Here is this week’s edition, covering:- China lesson Five: Guanxi, trust me - Understanding Chinese Employees - China's five surprises - Ops management within the insurance industry - Concierge Services in China anyone? We hope you will enjoy reading this edition. Have a nice weekend! All of us at China Success Stories China Expert Guest Blog China Lesson Five: Guanxi, Trust Me  Nothing happens in China without guanxi (guan she), the foundation upon which everything is accomplished. Guanxi is a relationship of trust that includes patience, humility and reciprocity.A typical business deal in the West involves a meeting with the two parties and their lawyers and hammering out a contract quickly. You sign it, and leave. Any problems? See you in court! I have a plane to catch. Quick, efficient, to the point, let’s get on with the show. Next! The Chinese look at a business deal as a win-win, mutual benefit, and a long-term relationship. This is possible only with trust, which takes time to build and establish. Trust is a feeling you have about someone. You don’t put a time date on trust. “I will trust you in four days, four weeks, four months.” Trust is the operative word. They know there will be problems, but if we trust each other and we are looking at the long term, we will work it out. No need for... Read the rest or post a comment >> China Expert Guest Blog Ops Management within the insurance industry  In a world where everybody is convinced markets can only grow, the fight is on for market share. There is enough money available but the difficulty is how to spend it in a way that it can lead to maintain or growth of market share. The Insurance industry worldwide has had to deal with a lot of new international regulation to protect customers and investors. In these so-called emerging markets it sometimes seems as if there is not always need to comply with these regulations. Luckily I have already seen things changing in the year that I have been in China. Within the insurance industry I come across more and more “operations managers”, for many of them it is still a struggle to find a place in the organization since usually this is a new role that hasn’t been fulfilled before. They are working hard to get more grip on back- and mid office processes. They are working on transforming the back office from... Read the rest or post a comment >> Facts & Figures Gold! You never know when these statistics might prove to be of value to you. So without further ado, here's our weekly top 10. Top 10 medal winning countries in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004
Source: Maps of World China Expert Guest Blog China’s Five Surprises  “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function,” F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote. He might as well have been describing the future of China. There are at least two prevailing views about this country’s emerging global identity. Believers assert that by 2030, if not sooner, China will be the world’s largest economy. It is already the fastest growing, averaging a 9 percent GDP increase annually over the past 20 years. Skeptics respond that its growth is bound to falter, soon, amid the environmental, social, and political problems brought on by rapid expansion. These two perspectives are persuasive and compelling — but simplistic. Like Japan in the 1980s, China has become difficult for outsiders to see clearly in the 2000s. In part, that’s because China is not a static business environment. It is rapidly transforming from a planned economy to a market economy. Capable and competitive Chinese companies are emerging, the consumer marketplace is growing, sales and distribution channels are being developed, and the regulatory context is changing, all at accelerating rates. Thus, the lessons of the last 10 years will not necessarily be relevant for the next 10 years. As foreign companies attempt to do business in China, their success depends on their ability to get inside the minds of their Chinese competitors (or partners). Read the rest or post a comment >> China Expert Guest Blog Understanding Chinese Employees  Finding a common language Working in China requires new HR techniques and practices, which take into account Chinese values and culture. HR professionals should collect and review employee data regularly in a culturally sensitive way to inform decision making (a theme which will be explored later in this document), which will help them develop successful employee attraction and retention strategies. The importance of understanding candidates’ views are confirmed by the results of a recent Employee Engagement and Retention Survey, commissioned by Manpower China and conducted by Right Management. The survey sought the views of candidates that had left organizations and/or were actively seeking employment, and HR professionals’ views on the same questions. Read the rest or post a comment >> LinkedIn China Business Group Concierge Services in China anyone?  Our China Business LinkedIn Group keeps growing (over a hundred members now), and already it is proving to be of added value. For instance we received a question from Tebogo Lefifi, one of our China Business Group Members writing: "I am moving to Beijing in a few weeks and interested in exploring the Personal Life style management companies (personal concierge). Are there any in China, does the culture exist?" Now we are pretty sure there are plenty, but which one would you recommend, what are the things you will want to make sure they offer, and how about pricing? What is your experience with Personal concierge Services in China? We asked our China Business members through one of our crew, and here are some answers. Keep in mind you can still contribute: if you have a LinkedIn account you a most welcome in their Q&A section or simply comment on this post. Answers to Concierge Services in China so far… Read the rest or post a comment >> Comment Daisy Isa in reply to: Strategic Management in China Dear Dr Ivr Beiman, i enjoyed the article. I would equally like to know more about ... Irv Beiman in reply to: Strategic Management in China Daisy: Thanks for your reply. There is a considerable amount of information … For Singapore Entrepreneurs Only in reply to: China’s Five Surprises […] This piece is one of the most persuasive and well written arguments on ... Reena in reply to: Ask Colin Friedman for China Expert advice Hello Colin, Apparently, I am in China, to be more specific Guangzhou, and after reading ... |
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