Customer Reviews

Doing Business in China For Dummies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I highly recommend this "Dummies" book for its easy to follow format of navigating the business community in China. A great insight to how Chinese business people negotiate and basically, how things are done. It will save you from making costly mistakes whether you are starting your own business in China or dealing with Chinese business to get your product manufactured. I highly recommend the chapter on "Managing Risks in China." This chapter explains the importance of understanding the Chinese legal system (or lack there of); combating bribery and corruption; government relationships; and (my personal favorite) protecting intellectual property in China. This chapter is worth the price of the whole book (though the entire book has valuable advice).

Doing Business in China for Dummies is an excellent addition to anyone's "Dummies" collection wanting to gain insight on the inner workings of the Chinese marketplace. It doesn't matter who you are, this book is great for anyone from business people to travelers going to China; it'll help you along your way in an informational step-by-step approach. What are the most crucial things to remember when dealing with other customs? Body language, entertaining, politeness and negotiating are among the few topics dealt with in this book; a few things which are very important when dealing with Chinese business people.

Even though business is very important there are many more things which one should know when in China. Other than dealing with business, it gave good insight to a few of the large cities and how to get around from the airport upon arrival; tips on transportation; lodging; and what happens if you run into problems.

Comprehensive, intelligent, fast paced and easy to read, doesn't even begin to describe this book by the Collins/Block duo. Two highly qualified individuals in the field of Chinese business having either lived there or knowing the Mandarin language. This is a book which you won't want to skip if dealing with anything relating to deals or business in China.

I originally purchased this book in advance of a business trip to China and found it to be highly informative and clearly presented. Especially useful and entertaining were the sections on Guan Xi, Business Etiquette and Managing Risks.

Since thenm having loaned my copy on several occasions to friends visting China for the first time, many commented that it was more useful than their "tour" books. Concise whilst simultaneously engaging, this book serves as a very practical resource for professionals or anyone interested China.

China is a commercial enigma: it attracts the most adventurous entrepreneurs in the world, but it remains highly regulated and steeped in customs that pose huge challenges for newcomers. You can find great fortune in the Middle Kingdom -- but only if you are wise to its many pitfalls and peculiarities.

This new addition to the For Dummies series is in fact written for those who are smart enough to plan carefully. In a structured and readable format, it describes the political, legal, and regulatory environment, as well as the cultural norms to which the foreign businessperson must adapt. It provides practical advice on how to start up a business, build beneficial relationships, manage for success -- and repatriate your profits.

Though it is an introductory book, it is remarkably thorough in its pointers on dealing with suppliers, managing employees, and above all connecting with consumers and business partners. Even seasoned China readers will find this to be a useful reference, for instance on cutting through red tape and mitigating financial and legal risks.

Every chapter reflects the deep experience of the authors. Both are expats who had to learn China the hard way, and who want to make the adventure more manageable for the next generation of businesspeople. They have created a guide that is both comprehensive and easy to use. Their book is always objective and culturally sensitive, and is written with a touch of humor that makes it engaging and fun to read.

There are many practical guides on various aspects of doing business in China, and this book is certainly not the last word. It is, however, the very best place to start.

The Collins/Block team hits all the right notes in this engaging, comprehensive and often amusing primer on doing business in China. It is intended for a person who knows business, hopefully knows something about international business, but wants to plunge into the China market. That plunge should not be taken lightly or without some expert guidance. "Doing Business in China for Dummies" is a good start.

The opportunities and challenges of operating in China are succintly described without viewing the country through rose-colored glasses. The most promising industries are listed (e.g. health care, environmental products, and agribusiness). It covers how to work within the still pervasive Chinese bureaucracy, scout locations, and staff operations (hire some experts but put a long-term trusted company employee in charge.) Currency, remitting profits, and financing are explained as well as the many social aspects of doing business in China.

As a former expatriate banker in Beijing I have seen how much China's cities have changed. This book tells me that doing buiness there has changed much less. It's still difficult to get in touch with Chinese business men and government officials and the banquet scene still features too much mao-tai. (I developed a tolerance for it over way too many banquets but this is not recommended).

If you are thinking of doing business in China - read this book, think deeply, and then move forward with careful planning and lots of patience.

I liked Doing Business in China For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance) a lot. I'm trying to get up speed real quickly on doing business in China. I think of it as a 1000 Mile journey. The first book I read was The Gods of Business. It got me about 500 miles down the road real quick. It gave me the basics of the country's religion and their approach to business. After that I read Chinese Business Etiquette: A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in the People's Republic of China (A Revised and Updated Edition of "Dealing with the Chinese") and then this book each of which added another 250 miles of knowledge.

This is the most contemporary book I have read on conducting business in China. I highly recommend it to anyone contemplating or doing business
in China.

Among the "Dummies" books, this one seems both timely and among the best. Besides emphasizing the need to guard proprietary & intellectual info, including trademarks (1st-to-file rule of registration), I liked the caveats and values discussion on partnerships in Chap#7. I know a Kansas company with a global product that started easily in China using the J-V approach (and a savvy ex-pat), but then grew ahead of its own forecasts by shifting to proprietary operations once they'd gained their partner's confidence (China, of course, wanted the product).
I also appreciated recognition of the need to make uniform (or to integrate) corporate cultures and processes across national borders. While strength can come thru diversity, it's also possible for confusion to reign if systems on opposite sides of the globe don't match up. To me, one thing this suggests is that our (USA's) global output would rise if we joined Britain (and everyone else) in the move to METRIC weights & measures, however gradual we do it. More universal products for US (and perhaps fewer lost missions to Mars due to mixed-measurements)!
One area seeming to deserve more attention in the book was the brief section on Growth Industries. Rather than a short page on Environment & Energy, emphasis could have been added on the role of these two "E's" in ALL that goes on in a modern economy. What business can prosper without fuel; and can we make the power we need sustainable and "natural", before choking and burning things up?
Whatever environmental and energy solutions are engineered as we endeavor to save ourselves and our systems, they will be brought to market most universally (and at least cost) if China AND our great US of A work together. As mentioned on pg 28, "building energy supplies close to the site of the end-user" may be the way of the future (distributed generation). For the "dummies" and "nerds" who will be seeking solutions and making essential change happen, this book is a push in the right direction (global cooperation in business).
Dave Friedrichs
Ann Arbor, Michigan

I enjoyed the background information about Chinese culture and history and
how that interacted with specific business practices. The book is well organized and the writing clear. Well worth the reading.

I wanted broad strokes, just an idea of doing business in China. I needed this information for a project and thought I'd get greater detail at a later date. The book provided exactly what I was looking for. It detailed the specific types of foreign companies, corporate structures, business practices and etiquet.

If you need something more substantial this might not be for you but if you only want top line, it was excellent.

Good investment.