Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ted really knows China, December 1, 2007
This review is from: Doing Business In China: How to Profit in the World's Fastest Growing Market (Hardcover)
This is a must-read for any Western business people venturing into China.
As a Chinese living in US for 10 years, I am amazed by Ted's understanding and appreciation of some of the subtleties of the Chinese culture, e.g. reluctance to say no, huge concern for one's face or mianzi. His treatment of the expat life in China is objective and comprehensive. He also paints an excellent picture of what aspects of China are morphing to be more western-like. His opinions and advices are specific, and backed by facts and his 18-year first-hand experience on the ground. For the thorniest issue, corruption, Ted gave a sound advice of never getting your foot wet in it.
Ted's writing is easy to read. The summaries at the end of each chapter are very useful references.
One thing Ted did not give enough coverage, in my opinion, is the implication of the strong nationalism sentiment reinforced by the Chinese Community Party through the schooling system as well as the media. A lot of Chinese people view the Western powers as greedy and unfriendly because of the humiliation and exploitation suffered by the Chinese in late 1800's and early 1900's. That sentiment is at the root of a lot of the sensitivities.
Another thing I did not quite like is that the catchy subtitle is somewhat misleading. A more accurate subtitle would be "What you have to know before and during doing business in China". But that is a petty flaw in a no-nonsense book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Examinng China's Economy, September 10, 2008
Ted Plafker, author of Doing Business in China: How to Profit in the World's Fastest Growing Market, should know what he's talking about as he personally invested 18 years of his life living in Beijing as a business journalist for The Economist. And he does! Plafker's wonderful book is an excellent guidebook that is filled with insightful anecdotes and very useful summaries at the end of each chapter.
Three sections that readers will find especially helpful are: 1. Pinpointing the Top Emerging Markets; 2. Laws, Rules & Regulations; and, 3. Understanding Cultural Differences.
As a consultant on doing business in Asia, I stress the importance of understanding a country's law and culture before making investment decisions. The author rightfully cautions his readers that it is not especially profitable to label China as a communist country and proceed from there as the Chinese market economy is more socialist than it is communist. (On my visits to China, I `ve found it more capitalist than many Americans might imagine.)
He advises that for a company to thrive in China it must re-tool its product to fit the needs of the Chinese consumers. I have found this to be especially true for India also.
Ted was in Los Angeles in the Spring 2008 and I had the privilege of meeting him in person.
By Gunjan Bagla
Author of Doing Business in 21st Century India
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best quick business China primer out here, April 1, 2008
This review is from: Doing Business In China: How to Profit in the World's Fastest Growing Market (Hardcover)
I am a business strategy consultant with a reasonable amount of China experience. I have to say that this book provides the best balance of concise presentation, expert insight, and enjoyable narrative of any China business book I've read.
Too many books on the subject of doing business in China are written by quasi-experts who comment on broad trends that are either obvious or false conventional wisdom. Mr. Plafker's book shows a level of China business acumen that can only be garnered from years of experience. The anecdotes are at once entertaining and insightful. I have successfully used a number of the stories when consulting for clients. I had a recent client engaged a one-man consultancy offering "expertise" in China market entry. The client was shocked when I was able to guess (based on Mr Plafker's anecdotes) that the expert had (1) boasted about the number of visits he had made to China and (2) gone on at length on the need to hand over business cards with two hands. The consultant turned out to have little true expertise, and I established my credibility.
This book is a must-read. For those that are new to business in China, it is a more nuanced and insightful primer than any other you will find. For old China hands, the book is a useful tool to help you synthesize the body wisdom that you have accumulated.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
