“A guide for anyone who wants to engage the Chinese in cooperative endeavor.”
-Foreign Affairs
Ming-Jer Chen takes readers Inside Chinese Business to reveal the social and cultural values that underpin Chinese business practices and influence day-to-day corporate decisions. Drawing from his intimate knowledge of Chinese culture and history and from his extensive managerial work and international experience, Chen provides an unrivaled insider’s perspective on how to work, compete, and cooperate successfully with Chinese companies around the globe.
Ming-Jer Chen is the Bigelow Research Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of the University of Virginia. He is also Senior Fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Visiting Professor of Management at the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, England. Dr. Chen was formerly Founder/Director of the Wharton School’s Global Chinese Business Initiative.
Customer Reviews
Suitable for readers who never know about Chinese business:
The philosophical paradigm of this book is that culture determines the way people value and behave in the business world.
This book is relevant to readers who are new to the Chinese business world. Professor Chen from Darden Business School defines `Chinese business world’ to encompass Chinese in the mainland and overseas. As the Chinese business world is very culturally-determined, he concludes that traditional cultural values govern how people undertake and organise their businesses in various aspects. Salient cultural values include family-oriented, guanxi and networking, the middle way, and patience.
Professor Chen concludes that Chinese culture and business practices are diametrically different from the West. If readers are quite familar with the Chinese world, they will find a bit frustrated because there are too many management studies that have fallen on this subject. Another limitation of this book is that Professor Chen assumes that cultural values and business practices of Mainland and Overseas Chinese are analogous. He fails to understand that the way to conduct business is different between mainland and overseas Chinese. For example, entrepreneurs from Mainland China tend to be more speculative or opportunistic and less ethical than other Chinese entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.
A Great Intro to China Business:
I see that several readers have panned this one… it may very well be some old info, as pointed out by some apparently “old China hands”… but don’t rush to judgement… there are many of us who are just getting started there.
I picked up the book in the Hong Kong airport on my way into China for the first time, on business.
It was a treasure on that trip. First of all, it is not too heavy. Much more importantly, readers can get a great overview of what they might be facing. Mir-Ching Jen grew up and studied in China, including classic Confucius and other studies. This may make him almost unique in the ranks of “about China” books. some of his insight is very helpful… the book reads well the 2nd and third time.
If you are looking for a first pass intro, get this book. Then, as we all have and will, continue to get and read more. There is no one (or two) books that will cover it all for any of us. This is a great start.
Rehashed:
Very little in this book is original. Even the title is borrowed from “Inside Chinese Organizations” written earlier by Kai-Alexander Schlevogt (a sound empirical study)! The style, emphasis and content is very similar to “New Asian Emperors” by George Haley and Chin Tiong Tan (a much better written book with a more complex grasp of the terrain of Chinese management).
The author does tackle some concepts such as “face” etc., but these provide very little insights for any but the most extreme novices.
Disappointing.
Not recommended:
I agree with some of the reviewers below — this book presents a complex topic in a very simplistic fashion. The concepts covered are very basic and almost naive.
Very naive and simplistic:
Given the build up for this book, I found it very disappointing. It completely ignores the fact that most American companies have failed in China — precisely following the strategies the author advocated! If you know very little about China, and have eaten at a Chinese restaurant a couple of times, this book should provide an easy introduction. Otherwise, pass on it! I would much rather recommend “New Asian Emperors: The Overseas Chinese, their Strategies and Competitive Advantages” by George T. Haley et al. for a more complex understanding of business culture in the region.
