China Business: The Rules of the Game

By Carolyn Blackman

A thoughtful look at the problems that foreign executives commonly face when running a business in China, plus practical strategies for success.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1865082309
• ISBN13: 9781865082301
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great for practicals

I'm a China-focused MBA student at the University of Hawaii. We study for a year and do an internship in China for three months. Though none of our courses used this book as a text, our school's librarian featured it, and let me tell you, it could be one of the best books ever. It really conveys the realities of doing business in China. One manager went in thinking "I'll be democratic." Nobody did anything; he had to make even the most inane decisions like where to put the copy machine. He wanted to get accurate sales data, but his employees falsified the data to make it look good. The next time, he said he wanted the real results, and they still falsified it. Eventually he said, "Get it right. If it's wrong -- and I'll check -- I'll fire you." That worked. My preconceptions about what will work -- and what won't -- are being shaped by this book. I'm so happy I came across it so that my entire year of studying won't be a complete waste. Chinese management class was interesting, but understanding Chinese business history is one thing; understanding how to lead is another.

Simply the best book on China business ever...

Amazing book. The first and only book to EVER capture what business is really like in China. No punches pulled whatsoever. You want to learn about China? Buy this book and also see if you can find a very old book by Lucian Pye about negotiating in China. By the way, I have 15 years of experience living and working in multinational corporations in China.Also by the way, Blackman's previous book about negotiating was good but nowhere near the level of this new book.

Carolyn Blackman, congratulations you did it once again !

As similar to her earlier book, "Negotiating China -Case Studies & Strategies", this book is peppered with real-life cases studies and comments, in almost every chapter.Although I come from an Asian country; this book, nonetheless has provided me an intimate intricacy for the conduct of doing business in China.In particular, I quite like the 8-pages quick Reference Chart that provides a quick intro on the aspect of Chinese business scene, detailing the Chinese historical background and the recommended strategies to deal with them. The relevant chapter is also provided for quick reference. This is definitely one of the better book from the Down Under. I managed this just within just 1 day !