Monday, June 8, 2009

China (Overall) Notes

These were point-in-time notes as we went through various areas of China. Some of them I still believe, while my opinion on other areas was changed as the trip went on. I'm including all of them to help me remember how my mindset changed throughout the trip and after I returned.

Asia - 3B people, 20% of global GDP

Surface tradition; govt or society defined rules; no enforcement penalties; no rules for business in the "get it done" levels

Not about thc great people or ideas, the average / above average people and the masses at the bottom, hungry to get out.

US rules don't apply to business models or practices. One man's profit is another man's business model.

Growth model is not sustainable (questionable) and doesn't create real value, sustainable value (need to dig into these stats). Need to rethink this thought. The pace is face and destructive, but it may be moving value from other parts of the world.

Go back and study the evolutional of American economy (from 1900s) to have a viewpoint on how China & India may evolve.

Remember GaFe's viewpoint, it's about a long-term partnership, not adversarial. Let govt fight about keeping score.

Stop trying to defend why the US is better. Start thinking about better partnerships or ways to succeed within the new rules.

China ambitions are something better every 2 years (promotions), and salary/costs are rising 100% y-over-y. Think about how you'd structure your business within those models.

With China growing this fast, they don't have the legacy technologies...leapfrog to latest stuff.

Little Emperor syndrome, similar to US helicopter parents and Milenials

Go with the flow on new stuff.

SMB is difficult to create because their sense of size & scale is so different. Technology is a possibility, otherwise consider JV.

Just as other countries have strived to speak English to study the US, it's time to begin learning Mandarin to communicate and understand.


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