China CEO: Voices of Experience from 20 International Business Leaders

by Laurie Underwood and Juan Antonio Fernández

CHINA CEO: Voices of Experience From 20 International Business Leaders is based on interviews with 20 top executives and eight experienced consultants based in China. The book is packed with first-hand, front-line advice from veterans of the China market. Hear directly from the top executives heading up the China operations of Bayer, British Petroleum, Coca-Cola, General Electric, General Motors, Philips, Microsoft, Siemens, Sony and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470821922
• ISBN13: 9780470821923
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 301 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

China CEO Is On Target

This is a MUST READ for anyone desiring to conduct business in China. We are the first American university to partner with the Chinese government to deliver university education in Tianjin. I wish this had been available 3 years ago when we began our project in Tianjin. Every page is right on! I just ordered 6 copies for my management team. Joe West Dean School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Florida International University Miami, FL, USA

Excellent read

I have just finished reading this book, after hearing the author giving a presentation at the book launch in Beijing. As a business person and member of the Australian business community here in Beijing, I can thoroughly recommend this book. I found it to be very interesting, but not surprising - the common issues identified in the book are indeed real, current and important to the success of foreign businesses here in China. I recommend it to anyone in the corporate world, whether you are the person sent here to China to set things up, or working back in th ehome office.

How to do business in the Middle Kingdom; invaluable for ex-pats

Having been an ex-pat myself (ex-pat, meaning, someone working in a foreign land), I can tell you that a book like "China CEO" is invaluable. I lived in Europe and worked in Asia as well, including a brief bit in China. It's abundantly clear that a country with a culture completely foreign to one's own requires you to get a guide, to learn, to study and to adopt new ways in order to do business. Fernandz and Underwood put together an overview of everything from negotiating to settling in an ex-pat community and its impact on your family. While this is not, and could not be a complete how-to on setting up shop in China, it is a good glance through the issues that you are going to confront. As a guidebook, this will lead you to study various single aspects of your own business in China, getting you to be aware of issues and to find help for achieving your goals. The book is a compilation of essays by 20 business leaders including some from Airbus, Alcatel, L'Oreal, Unilever among others. There is a section on intellectual property, a hot issue as the Chinese laws differ from European and American, though they are in flux at the moment. This is a MUST-READ for anyone contemplating doing business in China or already doing business there. Easy to read, well-written and wide in scope, this is a very useful volume for any business library. RECOMMENDED READING

Great Book

China CEO is a smart, simple-to-read, how-to manual on navigating the intricacies of doing business in the Middle Kingdom. Ms. Underwood and Mr. Fernandez have done a great job interviewing some of China's "old hands", capturing their views from working in the field, and exploring everything Chinese from Guanxi to Government Influence in the Market to IP Rights. Highly recommended for those currently working in or aspiring to work in China.

Many perspectives well-organized in one book

This book is a must-read beause it offers experiences and insights from a variety of players involved in different industries and functions in China. The book's special strength is its well-organized framework offering experience based explicit conclusions, lessons, and recommendations on the various challenges and opportunities encountered in China. While there are many excellent and highly readable books on China, frequently the emphasis is on what can go wrong and on how to avoid problems. One does not hear so much about successes. Yet, companies keep coming to China and keep expandng their investments here. Something must be going right. Maybe we hear less about success because, certainly in ultra competitive China, it is generally a good idea to keep very silent when things go very well. In this book however we also see much attention paid to the success side of the coin, hearing from people who created success in China. If you can read only one book about business in China, this is definitely that book.