Doing Business in China: How to Profit in the World's Fastest Growing Market

by Ted Plafker

Book Overview

For executives, managers, entrepreneurs and investors, here is an A-to-Z guide to all aspects of breaking into - and expanding - one's business opportunities in the People's Republic of China.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446578967
• ISBN13: 9780446578967
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Business Plus
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Answer the "why?"

Ted Plafker's "Doing Business in China" is an excellent guide for anyone who needs information regarding Chinese business behavior and the factors influencing it. The book is well written and informative - not too analytical but facts are provided through "easy to approach" narration which makes the book a fun read. The reader can get the feeling that the author knows what he is writing about and he manages to convey his experiences and knowledge in an interesting way. The reader is given a good perspective of all the concepts dealt with. This guide offers answers to the question: why? For example, why is it so difficult for a Chinese person to say: "No"? I recommend this book to business orientated people dealing with China or Chinese culture. It really provides any reader with inside information and good advice.

Great read for China Business book

This is a great book for those doing business in China. Not only does this book cover social norms and behaviors, but gives background information on why these social norms exist. This leads to a broader understanding of the Chinese and makes for an interesting read.

Examinng China's Economy

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

Best quick business China primer out here

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.

Ted really knows China

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.