My Comments

• Selling to the Consumer in China - 10/11/2006
  On first sight, Motorola will tend to have the better-looking phones. However in terms of usability, it is not as easily used as the Nokia phones, which is why Nokia has a higher penetration rate in China. I guess the Chinese, like most people will prefer a fuss-free functionable design as compared to a fashionable but clumsy one.
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• Understanding Guanxi to Maximize Your Business Potential in China - 10/11/2006
  Truth is you will never know for sure when you have got the appropraite Guanxi. This is especially so for foreigners as the Chinese tend to want to get more incentive at every go they've got, thus I think it is difficult to get "Guan Xi" directly as a foreigner. I would think getting a person who already has the appropriate connections and knows the people who you wish to develop Guanxi with will be a better idea. As in other places in the world, people usually trust people who are their friends in the first place; who have developed a relationship outside the immediate work space with them. Perhaps go drinking with the Chinese, the drinking culture here is deep-rooted and strong.
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• Beijing 2008 for Foreign Enterprises - 10/05/2006
  Hi Wandy, Thank you for your comments. Most times, i think a clever pun on certain precedents will yield more credibility and mileage in marketing, do you have similar examples you would like to share about marketing in the states?
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• Understanding Guanxi to Maximize Your Business Potential in China - 09/23/2006
  In the current Chinese business environment, the planned economy is giving way to a market economy while the regulatory infrastructure has yet to be fully developed. As noted by Xin Bao Ping, a government official who left to start his own business “The old order is in disuse while the new order is being created, guanxi is there to keep order and allow things to get done.” Many entrepreneurs turn a blind eye to the gray area that exists between guanxi and corruption.
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• Understanding Guanxi to Maximize Your Business Potential in China - 09/23/2006
  Hi Shara, Thanks for your query Please note there is a fine line between guanxi and what some might consider corruption In China. This needs to be stressed because often, it is the small details that have a big impact on the success of building relationships. As mentioned by Michael Conolly, an expat in Shanghai, Learning to understand cultural expectations is not something that can be done overnight or by simply reading a book. Specific actions that allow one to develop guanxi in Chinese culture might seem to the Western mind improper but the basic premise is the same : Working with people who can be trusted is crucial to success.
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