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The Tesla Model

November 11, 2020 By Mark Andrews

Elon Musk’s Tesla is bucking many trends in its new venture in the massive China market. Tesla is known for going against the grain, but will this tactic prove successful in China? At an event held at Tesla’s brand-new Shanghai factory on January 7, CEO Elon Musk was recorded busting out some awkward dance moves […]

Filed Under: All Articles, Automobile Industry, China, Globalization, Manufacturing, Multinationals in China Tagged With: Automobiles, Tesla

Misaligned Expectations

October 20, 2020 By Mable-Ann Chang

Jörg Wuttke, President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, discusses how European companies are faring.

Filed Under: All Articles, China, Conversations, Economy, Globalization, Joint Ventures, Multinationals in China, Q&A Tagged With: China-EU relations

Stephan Kothrade on the Value of Integration

September 23, 2019 By Mable-Ann Chang

Stephan Kothrade, BASF Greater China president and chairman, discusses plans for the company’s first wholly owned plant in China and the benefits of an integrated value chain.

Filed Under: All Articles, China, Conversations, Manufacturing, Multinationals in China Tagged With: BASF

Multinational Companies in China: Stuck in the Middle

March 4, 2019 By Matthew Fulco

The Sino-US trade tussle has had the greatest impact on multinational corporations in China—precisely the group that the US started out trying to support. Many have begun considering radical courses of action to stay in business.

Filed Under: All Articles, China, International Trade, Multinationals in China

Why Chinese Consumers are Leaving Multinational Brands on the Shelf

June 20, 2018 By Richard Whiddington

More domestic brands appearing on store shelves may indicate that the golden days for foreign brands are slipping away. “Made in China” was once considered a sign of cheapness and low-quality, but the belief now has changed. Chinese consumers now think that Chinese brands are equal to, or even exceed, foreign brands. As buyer confidence grows and domestic quality improves, what can multinational brands do to regain ascendancy?

Filed Under: All Articles, Chinese Economy, Globalization, Multinationals in China, Retail, Winning in China Tagged With: Branding, Multinational Company, Retail

Ioana Kraft on European Dreams and Chinese Realities

April 4, 2018 By Alex Wilson

Ioana Kraft began her career in international law, and moved to China 14 years ago. Since 2009, she has been the General Manager of the European Union Chamber of Commerce’s Shanghai chapter, working tirelessly to promote the interests of European businesses operating in eastern China. In this interview, she discusses the challenges and opportunities European businesses face in China.

Filed Under: All Articles, China, Globalization, International Trade, Multinationals in China Tagged With: eu chamber of commerce

Big Blue Dances in the Digital Era: An interview with IBM China’s CMO

November 13, 2017 By Liu Sha

Companies are dying fast these days. In the 1950s, the average age of a company on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index was 60 years, now it is less than 20. But International Business Machines (IBM), known as “Big Blue”, seems to be an exception. Over the past few decades, it has managed to keep up as others were dying and has successfully transformed itself. Now it has become a provider of cognitive solutions and cloud services. How has such a giant company managed to transform? Gill Zhou, chief marketing officer of IBM China, offers an answer in this interview with CKGSB Knowledge.

Filed Under: All Articles, C-Suite Interview, Consumers, Conversations, Management, Marketing, Multinationals in China, Technology Tagged With: Branding, IBM, Marketing

Torben Pheiffer on Chinese Consumer Behavior in a Rapidly Changing Market

August 17, 2016 By Tom Nunlist

Torben Pheiffer on Chinese consumer behavior

Chinese consumers have changed faster than consumers in probably any other market. Increasing exposure to international media and social media is changing the expectations of Chinese consumers. On top of that, the broad economic slowdown and brand saturation in China has ratcheted up competition to new levels as the days of easy money disappear. For both multinationals and Chinese companies, the changing market dynamics present challenges they have never seen before. In this interview, Torben Pheiffer, Managing Director of SapientNitro, China, explains how companies need to adapt their branding strategies.

Filed Under: All Articles, Consumers, Conversations, Globalization, Multinationals in China Tagged With: Chinese Consumers, Huawei, Made in China, Multinational Company, Nike

Will Fosun Group Become Another Berkshire Hathaway?

August 3, 2016 By Liu Sha

Fosun Group, the largest private conglomerate in China, has been on what looks like a no holds-barred acquisition spree for a few years now. It controls the largest number of listed companies in China. It has invested in sectors as diverse as fashion, films and tourism outside China, whereas within China, the company relies heavily on its industrial operations. It is known for having a good relationship with the government, yet last year, Fosun’s founder suddenly disappeared to supposedly assist a graft investigation. How has Fosun scaled up? How do the acquisitions tie in with its business model? And will it realize its ambitions of becoming China’s Berkshire Hathaway?

Filed Under: All Articles, Mergers and Acquisitions, Multinationals in China Tagged With: Chinese Outbound Investment, Fosun

Uber China Faces a Massive Challenge in the China Market

July 12, 2016 By Claire van den Heever

Uber China, a massive expansion challenge

Doing business in China has never been easy for foreign-owned companies, but Uber has largely managed to avoid conflict by operating as a separate Chinese subsidiary, Uber China, on the mainland. However, Uber China still faces many challenges: competing with Didi, not being profitable, and even worse, its business has always been riding on a government regulation fence. In a market that is as challenging, and competitive as China’s, the answer to winning over China’s smartphone users lies deeper than just competitive pricing or partnerships.

Filed Under: All Articles, Automobile Industry, Consumers, Multinationals in China, O2O, Policy and Law Tagged With: Competition, Didi Dache, O2O, Uber

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Information, analysis, and interviews about the Chinese economy and doing business in China, from the people who know it best. Presented by the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, China's leading business school.


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