Eastern Promise?

April 23rd, 2008  by China Business Success Stories

Eastern Promise?In this issue I am venturing beyond European borders to China, a fast growing marketplace. But starting operations in a new market is not easy.Will you move your own people to the new location or will you start hiring locally? And if you hire locally, how do you attract the best candidates and what do these new recruits expect?

Read the rest of “Eastern Promise?” or post a comment >>

Warning to China Managers: Out of the box thinking can get messy

February 19th, 2008  by China Business Success Stories

Warning to China Managers: Out of the box thinking can get messyWarning to China Managers: Out of the box thinking can get messyWarning to China Managers: Out of the box thinking can get messyJust 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.

Read the rest of “Warning to China Managers: Out of the box thinking can get messy” or post a comment >>

China Business Q & A

January 16th, 2008  by China Business Success Stories

China Business Q and AAs you might have noticed already, we have added some new options and chapters to our redesigned Web site. One of these is the Question and Answer chapter.

When you have a China-related question which you would like to be answered by the visitors of our Web site, simply send an email and we will post it. Or, the other way around, when you know the answer to…

Read the rest of “China Business Q & A” or post a comment >>

Made in America is Hot in China… So Where is Everybody?

January 8th, 2008  by China Business Success Stories

Many U.S. small businesses are missing the boat when it comes to China

By Geoff Light

American Products in ChinaIn recent years, China’s strong middle class has attracted attention from businesses worldwide. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates that there are 25 to 30 million middle-class households in China. BCG also notes that these households don’t seem to be losing momentum. Since 1999, middle-class households have accounted for a steady 36.6 percent of China’s wealth*. If American companies are poised to reach these consumers, both businesses and the U.S. economy will have a lot to gain.

Large, American corporations – such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks – paved the way for other U.S. companies to sell products in China. Most recently, high-end fashion retailers have set up shops in the country.  American Fashion Designer Marc Jacobs, for example, has almost the same amount of Marc by Marc Jacobs stores in China as he does in the United States.
Read the rest of “Made in America is Hot in China… So Where is Everybody?” or post a comment

Develop your social capital

December 3rd, 2007  by China Business Success Stories

Chinese Market ResearchThe idea of commissioning market research in China is daunting to most Western companies. It’s a country of over 1.3 billion people with 200 dialects and 57 ethnic groups. To compound the problem, China is not homogeneous. The larger cities contain educated, Internet-savvy people who earn incomes comparable to U.S. citizens. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people living in villages who survive on $400 a year. If you ask a survey question to both groups, you are likely to get vastly different answers.

Read the rest of “Develop your social capital” or post a comment >>

  • China related news focusing on industry, market, economic, investment, tax, accounting, marketing, it, business, human resources, banking and financing.