One billion customers : lessons from the front lines of doing business in China / James McGregor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McGregor, James, 1953-

Series:

Wall Street journal book

A Wall Street journal book

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Business enterprises, Foreign--Government policy.

Business enterprises, Foreign.

China--Economic conditions--2000-.

China.

Economic conditions.

China--Commercial policy.

Commercial policy.

China--Foreign economic relations.

International economic relations.

Business enterprises, Foreign--Government policy--China.

Investments, Foreign--China.

Investments, Foreign.

Physical Description:

xix, 312 pages : maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Free Press, [2006]

Summary:

It is well known that with a population of 1.3 billion people, China's market is moving quickly toward surpassing those of North America and Europe combined. Companies from the United States and around the globe are flocking there to buy, sell, manufacture, and create new products. But as former Wall Street Journal China bureau chief turned successful corporate executive James McGregor explains, business in China is conducted with a lot of subterfuge-nothing is as it seems and nothing about doing business in China is easy.

Destined to become the bible for business people in China, One Billion Customers shows how to navigate the often treacherous waters of Chinese deal-making. Brilliantly written by an author who has lived in China for nearly two decades, the book reveals indispensable, street-smart strategies, tactics, and lessons for succeeding in the world's fastest growing consumer market.

Foreign companies rightly fear that Chinese partners, customers, or suppliers will steal their technology or trade secrets or simply pick their pockets. Testy relations between China's Communist leaders and the United States and other democracies can trap foreign companies in a political crossfire. McGregor has seen or experienced it all, and now he shares his insights into how China really works.

One Billion Customers maximizes the expansive knowledge of a respected journalist, well-known businessman, and ultimate China insider, offering compelling narratives of personalities, business deals, and lessons learned-from Morgan Stanley's creation of a joint-venture Chinese investment bank to the pleasure dome of a smuggler whose $6 billion operation demonstrates how corruption greases the wheels of Chinese commerce. With nearly 100 strategies for conducting business in China, this unprecedented account combines practical lessons with the story of China's remarkable rise to power.

Contents:

Introduction: A Startup and a Turnaround 1

1 The Grand Bargain 21

2 Same Bed, Different Dreams 58

3 Eating the Emperor's Grain 94

4 Dancing with the Dinosaurs 126

5 Caught in the Crossfire 155

6 The Truth Is Not Absolute 190

7 The Best-Laid Plans 225

8 Managing the Future 258.

Notes:

Maps on lining papers.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0743258398

OCLC:

61130848