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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Starbucks Read" Only., February 12, 2007
This review is from: An American's Guide To Doing Business In China: Negotiating Contracts And Agreements; Understanding Culture and Customs; Marketing Products and Services (Paperback)
How can you guys rate this book "5 stars"???!!!
This is a good book for reading on your coffee breaks. I don't believe when the author wrote the book, he consulted with any of his Chinese business partners or friends. There are lots of things that are not true or out dated in the book. Don't get me wrong, this is still a good read for people who want to do business in China and don't know where to start.
However, instead of a "Business Guide", it should be renamed as "Introduction to Chinese Culture." From page 1 - 80 (out of a total 223 pages) it talks about Chinese Culture & Customs which we all can find it over the Internet or tons of other tour/daytrip books or from business partners or even the "Travel Channel!" From page 81 - 223, it DOES talk about things that you should watch out when you do business in China. Much to my disappointment, those things are only briefly explained with NO detail information, NO depth. For example: Chapter 8 (out of 15) of the book - Import/Export and Shipping Issues. This is something that all American company concerns/worries/pays attention about. A total of less than 8 pages with 1 table of Chinese Customs' contact information and that's it. You get the idea.
Since the author claimed that he has been doing business in China for "more than 20 years," a Stanford & Cornell graduate, then maybe he can tell us things that he encountered, problems that he had, solutions that he came up with, cases that he helped his clients. You think?! NOPE, none of that.
Buy this book from Amazon, pay $11 max. Used would even be better. I am being nice to give 3 stars.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too much Hearsay, June 12, 2007
This review is from: An American's Guide To Doing Business In China: Negotiating Contracts And Agreements; Understanding Culture and Customs; Marketing Products and Services (Paperback)
Chance favors the prepared mind, that holds true also for a visit to China, whether it be for business or pleasure.
Reading Mr. Saxon's book beats trying to ride the dragon without a safety net. However, the book seems to be more for entertainment purposes than any real "how-to" business guidance.
Apart from the excessive value judgments, some of the numbers seem to be rather out of proportion. Budgeting USD 500.000 as annual expense for a Representative Office is simply ridiculous. I personally am spending less than USD 40.000 for a very successful Rep Office in Beijing - great office location, commission based sales staff. Like Saxon, I am an M.B.A., but with a background in Sinology and 10 years of China experience.
Most of the advice on manufacturing is simply based on due diligence - which should be applied everywhere, not only in China.
Again, it's a good "Starbucks Read", but don't make it your "Business in China Bible".
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
An American's Guide to Doing Business in China, January 19, 2009
This review is from: An American's Guide To Doing Business In China: Negotiating Contracts And Agreements; Understanding Culture and Customs; Marketing Products and Services (Paperback)
Some of Mr. Saxon's insights are very interesting. He talks about negotiation methods, selecting a supplier, the need to have well-versed translators, and the ways to setup a local operation. However, he nevers goes into the details of these subjects. It's just a cursory explanation of the topic without examples, case studies or testimonials from other professionals. As other reviewers say, it just becomes a "Starbucks' Reading," without the details. The book is good for those traveling to China and want to learn how to use chopsticks, or want to know where to shop. He actually includes these topics in his book.
Also, he gives facts and figures without footnoting where the information came from. Are these facts that Mr. Saxon calculated himself? Where did he get it? I understand that much of Mr. Saxon's comments are his opinion and I respect that, but he should backup what he says with examples or from professionals in that specific field.
For example, he comments that "Chinese is less precise." He uses the word "surprise" as his proof. In English, there are many words to express surprise, but "Chinese often combines common words for more precise meaning." I don't think Mr. Saxon is in position to comment about this? Does he speak Chinese? Did he consult a linguist? He should back his comments with other testimonials. This is the main problem with the book.
I work for a consulting company that assists foreign businesses in their China and Japan strategies so I'm looking for good books that help us. Mr. Saxon's comments just doesn't do that for us. Infact, many of his comments trivializes the difficulties of doing business in China. He writes about how it's important to use chopsticks when dining with Chinese businesspeople. The Chinese don't care whether Americans use chopsticks or not.
In conclusion, I don't want to be totally negative about Mr. Saxon's book. He makes some good points, but makes many trivial points as well. The good points should be supported with case studies and quotes from other professionals.
Hiroko Furuyama
Business Manager
All In Consulting (www.allinconsult.com)
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