July 12th, 2007 by China Business Success Stories
It is true: China has a large market area, where you can make a very decent living, but don’t expect miracles. Rob Groeneweg believes thát is the essence of doing business with China. His friendship with the Chinese Anne Xu is what started his hands-on experience; selling Chinese art on the Dutch market, through his newly founded business, Xuro. The sale of Chinese art still needs time to flourish, the demand on Xuro’s services as a business developer on the other hand grows rapidly. “Lots of entrepreneurs only think of China’s potential, having 1.3 billion consumers, and therefore are too eager. However, a bad deal remains a bad deal. Don’t be too greedy. The real market potential often is much smaller then you think.”
Working for Cross Ocean Cosco Container Lines, Rob comes into contact with China in 1990, because this company has been working with Chinese employees and trainees for decades. “In the Netherlands, there are approximately 8.000 Chinese students and they Read the rest of “China and the Art of Xuro” or post a comment
June 15th, 2007 by China Business Success Stories
Interested in the latest news and China business stories? You should listen to the weekly radio show called The China Business Show. Each Tuesday at 3pm (pacific standard time) you will learn more about the secrets of doing business in China. The radio show pays attention to all sorts of aspects involved in doing business in China.
The main focus of the China Business Show is rather similar to ours: insiders sharing their secrets and tips about Read the rest of “The China Business Show” or post a comment
June 13th, 2007 by China Business Success Stories
By Romain Guerel
Personally, I think the operation management department is the most important department for the success of your company in China. It may not look the sexiest as Finance and Sales & Marketing but it is essential.
You can have a very good product but if you cannot deliver it on time, it is useless. Nobody will buy it. So here are my tips for an efficient operation management department: Read the rest of “How to manage your Operation management department in China” or post a comment
May 24th, 2007 by China Business Success Stories
Running athletic hurdles without a clear finish line
By Martijn Hovinga, CEO BilltoBill – Payment Solutions in China
Could anything be easier than achieving success in the world’s fastest growing and potentially biggest market? Isn’t it just about riding the economic tide and sharing in the continuous growth of about 10% in Gross Domestic Product per year?
Foreign companies in China tend to fail more often than that they succeed. In my experience the main obstacles to success are arrogance and ignorance. Virtually every foreigner, including the author of this article and extremely successful companies such as eBay and Google, are guilty of both when starting a venture in China.
As CEO of BilltoBill, a payment services company helping airlines and other merchants selling online in China, I wish to relate some of my personal experiences in building a business in China from scratch. Read the rest of “Building a business in China” or post a comment
May 15th, 2007 by China Business Success Stories
By Hubert Hopkins
1. The traditional Chinese “handshake” consists of interlocking the fingers, waving them up and down several times. This greeting is rarely used today (except during festivals, weddings and birthdays of the elderly), instead using the Western-style handshake. A slight bow should often accompanies the handshake, but do not bow from the waist in the style of the Japanese. The Chinese prefer a gentler handshake than the firm grip expected in Western cultures. Physical contact other than a handshake is highly discouraged unless you know someone quite well.
2. Chinese names are “reversed” from Western names. The surname is said first and then the given name. For example, Bruce Lee’s name in Cantonese is Lee Siu Lung. Lee is his surname and spoken first, and the given name (Little Dragon) is spoken second.
Professional, social, and family titles always follow the name as well. Dr. Wong would be Huang Yi Sheng (Huang Doctor). Likewise, Xiansheng (Mr.) and Taitai (Mrs.) are said after the surname. Never call someone by only his last name, and unless specifically asked, do not call someone by his first name; always address your Chinese associates by their surname followed by their title. Also, never address anyone as “Comrade.” Read the rest of “Top 10 Chinese Business Culture "Dos" and "Don'ts"” or post a comment
