In 2010, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega sent ripples through the financial world by voicing something that had been on many people’s minds but remained unspoken: an “international currency war” was on the horizon. In China, those fears go back even farther to 2007, when economist and former advisor to Fannie Mae and Freddie […]
Starbucks: Grinding away at China’s tea culture?
For thousands of years, the teahouse has served as the quintessential hangout for the people of China, starting from the Tang Dynasty and continuing through to the late 20th century. However, the younger generation has embraced coffee as the new tea and Starbucks is now the destination of choice. With China’s rapid rise and newfound […]
The Chinese art market, a new investment hotspot
While clear signs show the cooling down of real estate transactions and the widely swinging Chinese domestic stock market, passion for investing in Chinese art shows no sign of fading. Both Chinese artworks and Chinese buyers are creating an upsurge in the domestic and international art auction market. ARTRON, China’s largest online art publishing house, […]
Global strategies shift amid trends toward local autonomy
A New Game Begins A decade after joining the World Trade Organization, China’s foreign direct investment enjoys 40% annual growth. In 2010, China’s FDI was USD 68.8 billion, fifth in the world. According to government figures, over the past ten years, 900 different types of “made-in-China” products have the largest international market share. There were […]
Pearl River Piano: Building a Chinese brand for the global market
Pearl River Piano has been China’s largest piano manufacturer since 1992. Based in Guangzhou, the company has undergone a major transformation from a national brand to a competitive global producer and seller of high quality pianos. Becoming competitive on a global scale meant the necessity of producing the highest quality pianos in order to meet […]
Organizational localization: The holy grail for Chinese firms
Executives from top multinational corporations give students a glimpse into strategies for localizing operations and decision-making in China during a private roundtable discussion sponsored by Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB). Participants discuss growing local autonomy, increasing competitiveness and reaching long-term objectives. Bring Over the Brains More than three decades after the first multinational […]
New challenges and opportunities for MNCs in China
MNCs in China are facing more difficulties amidst increasing competition, and they feel they are losing advantage. How can they find their way out of this? In December, French dairy giant Danone SA announced its suspension of its Shanghai yogurt production factory, although it will continue operations of its Beijing factory. A spokesperson for the […]
Innovation in China: still awaiting transformative leaders
Innovation accounts for a sizable portion of economy-wide growth in productivity, especially in high-income countries. According to the 2011 World Intellectual Property Report ‘the Changing Face of Innovation’ recently released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), innovation-driven growth is no longer the prerogative of high-income countries alone. Low and middle-income economies including China have […]
New highs for Peak and Chinese Sportswear ahead?
This December, Peak Sport Products Co, a leading sportswear-maker and distributor in China, signed endorsement contacts with basketball players CJ Watson of the Chicago Bulls and Sam Young of the Memphis Grizzlies for a total of 12 National Basketball Association spokespersons. The company traces its roots to a start-up led by the 55-year-old Xu Jingnan […]
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