Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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5 Responses to “China CEO: Voices of Experience from 20 International Business Leaders”

  1. Part One – of my review

    I obtained this new book at the book store in Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. So far I am reading Chapter 2 on HR and flipped thru the other pages. I have 23 years of experience in China with stationing in China since 1997.

    Thus far of what I have read, the book confirmed many of the issues I have already known. It does not however, offer much “solid” solution – there are’nt any! These Multinationals CEO’s all are loaded “with money” to enter China so perhaps they can wait things out for a generation or two, what about us (the common folks)??? Grant it that China has large poll of factory workers, but very very few white collar workers and the communist (actually it is just communist front, but corrupt in reality) government do not really want more (questions to their authority). Then there is the neutrotic 40+ “cultural revolution” generation, the “poor English and shaky” 30+ generation, and the “selfish and only child” 20+ generation, so… how can you make any good hire. What about the white collor workers presenting company with phony receipts and ringing up huge cell phone bills? What about the enormous complex “social welfare” ” housing welfare” and other constantly increasaing welfare a company has to pay in to the in the ?socialist? pool run by the government? Foerign companies are there to be milked and milk it is. Perhaps the solution is just to skip China and go back home quick (before the job is outsourced to India). I will have more to say after I am through reading this book. I am now in Shanghai.

    Rating: 3 / 5

  2. Having been an ex-pat myself (ex-pat, meaning, someone working in a foreign land), I can tell you that a book like “China CEO” is invaluable. I lived in Europe and worked in Asia as well, including a brief bit in China. It’s abundantly clear that a country with a culture completely foreign to one’s own requires you to get a guide, to learn, to study and to adopt new ways in order to do business.

    Fernandz and Underwood put together an overview of everything from negotiating to settling in an ex-pat community and its impact on your family. While this is not, and could not be a complete how-to on setting up shop in China, it is a good glance through the issues that you are going to confront. As a guidebook, this will lead you to study various single aspects of your own business in China, getting you to be aware of issues and to find help for achieving your goals.

    The book is a compilation of essays by 20 business leaders including some from Airbus, Alcatel, L’Oreal, Unilever among others. There is a section on intellectual property, a hot issue as the Chinese laws differ from European and American, though they are in flux at the moment.

    This is a MUST-READ for anyone contemplating doing business in China or already doing business there. Easy to read, well-written and wide in scope, this is a very useful volume for any business library. RECOMMENDED READING
    Rating: 5 / 5

  3. This is a MUST READ for anyone desiring to conduct business in China. We are the first American university to partner with the Chinese government to deliver university education in Tianjin. I wish this had been available 3 years ago when we began our project in Tianjin. Every page is right on! I just ordered 6 copies for my management team.

    Joe West

    Dean

    School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

    Florida International University

    Miami, FL, USA
    Rating: 5 / 5

  4. Paul Adkins says:

    I have just finished reading this book, after hearing the author giving a presentation at the book launch in Beijing. As a business person and member of the Australian business community here in Beijing, I can thoroughly recommend this book. I found it to be very interesting, but not surprising – the common issues identified in the book are indeed real, current and important to the success of foreign businesses here in China. I recommend it to anyone in the corporate world, whether you are the person sent here to China to set things up, or working back in th ehome office.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  5. book reader says:

    This book is a must-read beause it offers experiences and insights from a variety of players involved in different industries and functions in China. The book’s special strength is its well-organized framework offering experience based explicit conclusions, lessons, and recommendations on the various challenges and opportunities encountered in China. While there are many excellent and highly readable books on China, frequently the emphasis is on what can go wrong and on how to avoid problems. One does not hear so much about successes. Yet, companies keep coming to China and keep expandng their investments here. Something must be going right. Maybe we hear less about success because, certainly in ultra competitive China, it is generally a good idea to keep very silent when things go very well. In this book however we also see much attention paid to the success side of the coin, hearing from people who created success in China. If you can read only one book about business in China, this is definitely that book.
    Rating: 5 / 5

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