Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"What makes James McGregor's book such absorbing reading is that he asks the really big questions about China's current economic boom: Who are China's new entrepreneurs and how did they get so rich? How independent are they from their own government and bureaucracy? And how and to what extent can Western companies partake of China's new found wealth? He gives his answers in a series of lively and admirably detailed case studies of the Chinese business world which make one smile and sigh at the same time."
-- Jonathan Spence, Sterling Professor of History at Yale University and author of The Search for Modern China
Review
"This is a defining book on how to, and how not to, do business in China. Jim McGregor brings to life the stories of the pioneering American entrepreneurs who, through their efforts, expertise and errors, blazed the trails for the broader business community in one of the world's most important markets. I strongly recommend it as must-reading for anyone with a stake, an interest or a dream in China."
-- Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Review
"James McGregor's knowledge of how business is done in China is extraordinary. As a journalist and businessman, he witnessed firsthand China's remarkable transformation in the space of two decades from a backward country to a rising economic power. With his extensive hands-on experience in China and his formidable storytelling skills, his book,
One Billion Customers, is filled with valuable insights and advice for both knowledgeable business persons and ordinary readers interested in gaining a better understanding of China's rapidly developing market economy."
-- Dr. Henry Kissinger
About the Author
James McGregor is well known and respected in Chinese business, political, and media circles. A Mandarin speaker, he has served as a key adviser to both the U.S. and Chinese governments. As The Wall Street Journal's China bureau chief following the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, the chief executive of Dow Jones' China business operations during much of the roaring 1990s, and a venture-capital investor during China's dotcom boom, McGregor has negotiated every avenue of the labyrinth that is business in China. He is also a former chairman and a decade-long governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. McGregor is currently a China business investor, adviser, and entrepreneur. He also serves as Senior China Advisor to Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
Table of Contents
Contents
Cast of Characters
Preface
Introduction A Startup and a Turnaround
With one foot firmly in the past, and the other stepping into the future, China is simultaneously the world's largest startup and turnaround.
1 The Grand Bargain
Two hundred years of foreign domination and duplicity have left a residue of suspicion and distrust. Understanding that history is essential to doing business with the Chinese.
2 Same Bed, Different Dreams Avoid joint ventures with Chinese government partners. The clash of civilizations in Morgan Stanley's joint-venture investment bank shows why and offers hard-learned lessons on how to cope.
3 Eating the Emperor's Grain
China's relationship-driven system is often incompatible with honesty. This peasant tycoon's journey into the dark heart of China's endemic corruption shows how it works and outlines your options.
4 Dancing with the Dinosaurs
Powerful bureaucratic opponents can be beat if you have China's interests at heart. Dow Jones and Reuters demonstrate how using China's own tactics can be useful.
5 Caught in the Crossfire
Government lobbying must be a key part of your China business plan, especially for technology companies that might be squeezed between hot competition and the Cold War.
6 The Truth Is Not Absolute
The Communist Party believes it must control information to stay in power, but China needs an informed citizenry to compete in a global economy. This leaves the media, from Rupert Murdoch to a crusading Chinese journalist, searching for the size of their cages.
7 The Best-Laid Plans
Government planning and manipulation of foreign companies fueled China's construction of the world's largest telecom system. But this saga shows how entrepreneurship and the market can beat the planners.
8 Managing the Future
China is a nation always cramming for final exams, but it will take innovation, not prescribed solutions, to pass the global business test.
Acknowledgments
Index