China Entrepreneur: Voices of Experience from 40 International Business Pioneers

China Entrepreneur: Voices of Experience from 40 International Business Pioneers

by Juan Antonio Fernandez, Laurie Underwood
Released February 2009
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470823217

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Book description

Launching a business in China? Give yourself a "second mover advantage." China-bound entrepreneurs and small business owners: learn from experienced China hands before you bring your business to the world's largest and most dynamic consumer market.

Preparing to manage a small business in China, the world's largest, most dynamic consumer market? Hundreds of thousands of other international businesspeople are too, but only a small percentage of them will succeed in bringing their start-up dreams to life in the Middle Kingdom.

Give yourself a huge head-start by learning directly from experienced China pioneers. CHINA ENTREPRENEURS delivers street-tested advice on launching, growing, and operating your own business in China. Authors Juan Antonio Fernandez, professor of Management at the China Europe International Business School, and Laurie Underwood, accomplished journalist and Director of External Communications at CEIBS, use their combined 26 years of China experience to interview 40 successful international entrepreneurs who have launched and built businesses in China.

These entrepreneurs share their first-hand advice, anecdotes and best practices in tackling the key challenges of winning in the China market, from negotiating with government and winning necessary start-up approvals, to hiring and keeping the right staff, to collecting payments and to safeguarding intellectual property. In addition, the experiences of the entrepreneurs will be juxtaposed against insights from experienced China consultants who assist start-ups in operating in China. Thus the book will balance extensive, on-the-ground business advice against the insights of consultants who have risen to prominence in the China business environment by advising SME business operators on succeeding in China.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright page
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Foreword
  8. Introduction
    1. Why Read China Entrepreneur?
    2. Who is in This Book?
    3. What We Cover
  9. Chapter 1: Getting Started
    1. Introduction
    2. The Past: China Opens its Doors
    3. The Transition: China in the 1990s
    4. The Present: “Better for Entrepreneurs than Silicon Valley”
    5. Dealing with the Chinese Government
    6. Bureaucratic Challenges for Entrepreneurs
    7. Strategies for Successful Government Relations
    8. Conclusion
  10. Chapter 2: Setting Up Shop (I)
    1. Introduction
    2. Getting Help with Licensing
    3. Choosing the Right Legal Form
    4. Conclusion
  11. Chapter 3: Setting Up Shop (II)
    1. Introduction
    2. Finding the Money
    3. Choosing the Right Chinese Business Partner(s)
    4. Conclusion
  12. Chapter 4: Targeting the Right Customers . . . and Getting Paid
    1. Introduction
    2. Targeting the Right Customers
    3. Getting Your Customers to Pay You
    4. Conclusion
  13. Chapter 5: Human Resource Challenges
    1. Introduction
    2. Strengths and Weaknesses of Chinese Employees
    3. Bridging the Skills Gap: Training, Training, Training
    4. Training Strategies for Mid-level Managers and Senior Staff
    5. Recruitment and Retention Challenges
    6. HR Strategies: Selling “Small is Beautiful”
    7. Solving the Salary Question
    8. Conclusion
  14. Chapter 6: Ethics and Corruption
    1. Introduction
    2. Putting Corruption into Context
    3. Government Guanxi
    4. B2B Corruption
    5. Unethical Employees
    6. Avoiding Government Corruption
    7. Blocking B2B Corruption
    8. Fighting Internal Corruption
    9. Conclusion
  15. Chapter 7: Business Negotiations
    1. Introduction
    2. Pre-negotiation Preparation
    3. Beijing and Northern China
    4. Shanghai and Eastern China
    5. Guangzhou and Southern China
    6. Interior (Undeveloped) China
    7. At the Negotiation Table: Tactics and Strategies
    8. Conclusion
  16. Chapter 8: Living in China: A Survival Kit
    1. Introduction
    2. Clearing the Language Hurdle
    3. Hardships of Life in China
    4. The Struggle for Work–Life Balance
    5. Foreign Businesswomen in China
    6. The Good Life, China-style
    7. Conclusion
  17. Chapter 9: Are You Ready for China?
    1. Introduction
    2. Must-have Traits for China Entrepreneurs
    3. Prerequisite Expertise
    4. Tools for Surviving the Tough Times
    5. Endgames
    6. China’s Future
    7. Confidence in the Top Leadership
    8. Changing Opportunities
    9. Bullish on China
    10. Conclusion
  18. Epilogue
  19. Appendix: China and Its Trade Partners
    1. China Trade Partner: Australia
    2. China Trade Partner: Brazil
    3. China Trade Partner: European Union
    4. China Trade Partner: India
    5. China Trade Partner: Japan
    6. China Trade Partner: Mexico & Latin America
    7. China Trading Partner: Nigeria
    8. China Trade Partner: South Africa
    9. China Trade Partner: United States
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: China Entrepreneur: Voices of Experience from 40 International Business Pioneers
  • Author(s): Juan Antonio Fernandez, Laurie Underwood
  • Release date: February 2009
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470823217