While Facebook and Twitter might rule in the US and Europe it’s a whole different game in Asia. If you follow Thomas Crampton (Asia-Pacific director of 360 Digital Influence for Ogilvy) then you’ll know he’s often posting insightful presentations about Social Media in Asia. I’ve been bookmarking them for a while and thought I’d share a few of the better ones here with the key takeaways (and other miscellanea).
Whilst browsing a pile of stray Chinese books at work the other day I came across this gem of a title: “Etiquette: Your Etiquette is Worthy of Million Dollars” (their chinglish, not mine!). With such an enticing front cover I couldn’t help but peek inside (sorry about the poor scans) – How to present and accept a business card: notice the arrows indicate where you should be looking! In general people in Asia take the giving and receiving of business cards very seriously. The actually book contained 9 steps in total. How these people ever get any actual work done I don’t know. Fake smiles optional. How not to hug a member of the opposite sex: priceless expressions (and severely ugly dress). As an Englishman my advice…
If you were to start your own company how would it look? Would you create it along the traditional lines of a corporate enterprise or try something a little different? Anyone who has worked in an office can tell you how depressing an environment some can be but in an age of digital connectivity does it really have to be this way? Photo by net_efekt I was considering these questions the other day while imagining how my own company might look if I was to start one. Google is often used as a popular example of the perfect work environment but it’s not really something which can be copied unless you have buckets of cash to throw around (unlikely these days). So how to…
This post is the last of a series exploring Chinese culture. To get up to speed see the links at the bottom of this page for more. When working with Chinese teams/partners here are some practical tips which will hopefully make things a little smoother: Spend as much time as you can in China to learn and form relationships. Remember that western logic does not apply and a long-term patient approach will be required. Never openly criticise, ignore or make fun of a person in front of others (even jokingly). When discussing individual performance emphasize good points before bad ones. Be very specific when assigning tasks, defining schedules and setting expectations. Any ambiguity could be used as an excuse for inaction or misinterpretation. Incentives…
This post is part of a series exploring Chinese culture. See the links at the bottom of this page for more. Having explored some of the main concepts in Chinese thinking the table below summarises the key differences between eastern and western cultural values: Cultural Values West (US / Europe) East (China / East Asia) Logic Linear (direct associations) Spiral (roundabout and subtle) Communication Explicit or direct, verbal, likely to “speak their mind” Implied or inferred, non-verbal, subtle Identity Individualistic, independent, values freedom Group orientated, values harmony and stability Agreement / Disagreement Argumentative, verbal Difficult to say no, non-verbal Thinking Rule or law orientated, detailed, analytical, logical Context or situation specific, holistic, intuitive, big picture Punctuality Start and end on time Appointment times flexible…
A study conducted by Professor Leonard Waverman (London Business School), commissioned by Nokia Siemens Networks, has recently released their results which ranks the current connectivity levels of 50 countries by analysing the impact of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) on economic growth. While I’m not personally particularly interested in economics the report has produced some interesting findings by looking at usage, skills, and infrastructure across consumer, business, and government sectors. These were then weighted according to their respective contribution to utility and productivity. Although this is essentially a collection of different metrics it differs from previous studies which only looked at infrastructure. Probably the biggest surprise was that the USA came out at the top of the list as, even though its consumer broadband penetration is average,…
In China a lot of business is done below the radar in the informal sector but while these businesses may be faceless their advertising is not. Littering the pavements and walls of almost anywhere you go you’ll find gazillions of stickers and stencilled signs bearing mobile phone numbers with a short description of the services offered. Most are borderline if not downright illegal. The government employ people full time just to try and clean them off but its an impossible and endless task. A quick perusal of some in my local vicinity with someone to help translate turned up the following services: Locksmith Fake certificates Resident permit Plumber Fake ID card Loans Exam papers Backstreet clinics …and other unmentionable things Many of these activities…
Many western web companies have struggled to gain traction into the Chinese market (or ignored it completely) as most Chinese internet users tend to stick to home-grown services which are better localised for their needs and faster as they can be hosted within the country. Added to this the complexity of complying with local laws (i.e. censorship) makes China an unattractive proposition for many foreign startups. Having said this if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then China is certainly flattering a lot of people and you would be forgiven for thinking that a lot of local start-ups were simply Chinese versions of their western counterparts such is the extent of their similarity. Here I’ve taken a quick look at six of the…
Last year when I was living/traveling in China and South Korea I noticed that The North Face outdoor clothing & equipment brand appeared to be particularly popular and that there seemed to be many shiny-looking new stores all over the place (usually in the more expensive shopping malls). The same now seems to be happening in the UK this winter with North Face apparel definitely in fashion (not something I would know anything about mind you!). A quick google confirms that rapid expansion is afoot and it appears to be crossing the boundary from being a niche brand you might find in outdoor/camping shops to one you find in department stores and individual retail outlets. No doubt you’ll soon be seeing North Face watches,…