While hard work and plain living have been revered virtues of the Chinese people for generations, there has been a growth in demand for foreign-branded or imported goods. But running counter to the growing habit of consumption in China is the traditional propensity to save. Though luxury consumption is growing, for most the dominant social idea is still prudent consumption and undertaking no more than you can perform.

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Foreign companies share a growing interest in tapping into China’s luxury market. Statistics show not only that the number of wealthy people is growing fast in China, but that their willingness to spend on big-ticket items is also on the rise, driven by an appetite for status as well as the comforts and trappings of luxury products.

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By Andrew Hupert 

Just before Chinese New Year, I was in a Shanghai sales meeting where the owner of a European company was discussing post-holiday sales projections. The talk was all “new, innovative, out of the box”, but the walk was all about doing the same old thing only bigger and/or cheaper. I’ve been to this rodeo before. Some of the expensive new marketing initiatives put into place 6 months ago were about to whither and die.

If you are a straight-arrow manager trying some “out of the box” thinking in China you are going to need a strategy for gauging and recognizing success in the early stages. Most of all you need to avoid squandering your investment by pulling the plug too early.

Here are some ideas that might help: Read the rest of “Warning to China Managers: Out of the box thinking can get messy” or post a comment

To Jim van Drunen Littel the Netherlands were always going to be too small. Bilingually raised and working for one of the best known consumer goods companies in the world, he goes international in 1986. Successfully managing a territory stretching from India to Japan for a large tobacco company, it is then time to realise other personal ambitions. Starting his own enterprise and learning Chinese, those are his goals. Van Drunen Littel goes back to university and lives with a Chinese family for several months to get a good understanding of the Chinese culture. In the meantime he’s working on getting One2Call started: Interpretation, City Directions, Yellow Pages, Lonely Planet and lots more. All in one phone based service. In between calls he gives us a few golden tips.

“First of all it’s useful for every foreign businessman in China to have insight into Read the rest of “Advanced Golden China tips” or post a comment