By Donny Huang

In 2005 numerous public relationship crisises have haunted multinationals operating in China. Big brands such as P&G, Nestle, KFC, Johnson & Johnson, and Sony have suffered severe damage to their brands’ reputation. An analysis of the underlying reason for the problems encountered shows that they are due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the intricacies of Chinese culture on business. This reaches far deeper than most people think. Read the rest of “Mentality, Mindset, Mianzi - How to Avoid a Crisis” or post a comment

By Jeremy Gordon

Starbucks seems to be everywhere in China’s big cities (it has around 200 branches) and locals and expats alike can be found reading, meeting and drinking the high-priced hot stuff. The success of Starbucks in China has been hailed as a victory for a foreign consumer brand, and proof that urban Chinese consumers will spend money for the right product / service / experience.
Read the rest of “A (Consumer) Storm in a (Foreign) Coffee Cup” or post a comment

By BeijingMan

GOLD RUSH TO CHINA. Some 200 companies from small Finland have already established business in China. Similarly, over 300 companies from Sweden and more than 500 from Germany.

Nobody knows how many French companies are there, but restaurants and cafees in Beijing are filled with French speaking students, officers and businessmen.

To boost their businesses, Spain took Cervantes Institute to Beijing and Italy reserved the whole year 2006 as their culture year in China. Year 2006 is also Year of Friendship with India and The Year of Russia. Read the rest of “How could SMEs get business in China? Winning big brands by product fit” or post a comment