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One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price:
$15.00
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Manufacturer: Free Press
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 337
EAN: 9780743258418
ISBN: 074325841X
Label: Free Press
Manufacturer: Free Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2007-09-04
Publisher: Free Press
Studio: Free Press
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Editorial Reviews:
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Companies from around the globe are flocking to China to buy, sell, manufacture, and create new products, but as former Wall Street Journal China bureau chief turned successful corporate executive James McGregor explains, business in China is never quite what it seems. One Billion Customers offers compelling narratives of personalities, business deals, and lessons learned, creating a coherent pictures of China's emergence as a global economic power with a dog-eat-dog business climate that has turned bureaucrats into billionaires and left many foreign business executives with their pockets turned inside out.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A fantastic introduction to the business culture off China
Comment: This book should have been called "One Bill Partners," as there is very little about market research in the book. Rather, "One Billion Customers" is a series of highly readable case studies discussing businesses and joint ventures that went right and wrong in China. Jim's been in China for many years, speaks Chinese, and is able to distill political, economic, and cultural factors into witty advance, such as
"If your CEO wants to do business with China in order to turn around his business, lose his visa."
A brilliant book. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read for Doing Business in China
Comment: One Billion Customers teaches by example. This book contains modern-day stories of foreigners doing business in China; some do it well, some poorly and some in between. But behind each story is a theme of what can, should, and should never be done when dealing with the Chinese, especially on their turf. There is no doubt that James McGregor is one of the foremost experts in the field given his time and experience in China and his journalism and research skills shine in the stories he relates to the reader. This book is also useful from a historical perspective given the historical details of modern-day China McGregor includes in One Billion Customers. Admittedly, I am not in a position to currently do business in China and as such, this book dragged on a bit for me. But if I ever were to be in China with a specific business task at hand, this book would never be more than an arm's length away.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting case studies on China's business environment
Comment: In the foreword to One Billion Customers James McGregor states that his goal was to "convey timeless insights and commonsense lessons about Chinese business practices, and the deeply ingrained thinking and behavior patterns of Chinese people." While McGregor does not argue a single, central thesis, he does return to the importance of understanding the wants and needs of China as a country throughout the book. The book is structured around a series of case studies, each designed to illustrate a number of points. The cases cover sectors from the aerospace industry, to financial services, to telecommunications, and involve actors as varied as Boeing, China Unicom, and Rupert Murdoch.
Each case study begins with an overview of the general situation, details the relevant organizations, actors, and rational behind various actions. The case studies conclude with a section titled: "What this means for you," in which McGregor discusses how lessons from the given case should impact how foreigners conduct business in China.
Overall, One Billion Customers achieves its stated goal. The book provides an engaging, informative, and nuanced view of the Chinese business environment. McGregor also gives dozens of succinct, commonsense recommendations for foreign business leaders who hope to succeed in China.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Comment: A must read for anybody interested in the last 25 years of economic development in China.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Comment: If anyone could illuminate the intricacies of doing business in China, it had to be James McGregor. The Minnesota native first became interested in Asia after a youthful tour of duty in Vietnam, but did not return to the region for many years. While enjoying a successful career as a journalist, during the late 1980s McGregor recognized that Asia's economy was beginning to take off. So, he risked everything and headed for Taiwan, where he became The Asian Wall Street Journal's bureau chief, at the age of 33. Realizing that Asia's future was happening largely on the mainland, he moved on to become The Wall Street Journal's China bureau chief in Beijing. During his tenure there, he traveled extensively throughout every region of the country. His ability to absorb and utilize the nation's nuances as an Old China Hand landed him his next role as the head of Dow Jones's business operations for China. In 2000, McGregor became a partner and the China managing director for GIV Venture Partners, a venture capital fund. In addition to these responsibilities, McGregor also served as a governor for the American Chamber of Commerce and in 1996 was elected Chairman of that organization. He currently serves on several other China-business-related and philanthropic boards. Between his experiences as a journalist and a business leader, McGregor has gained extensive knowledge of China's business climate. The results are the vital insights and excellent suggestions he shares in this must-read book.
Within the pages, McGregor presents his argument for how China's history influences the present business system and how to work with that result. In the first chapter, the story of Morgan Stanley illustrates the challenges of partnering with a Chinese company. While the two firms shared one objective, their culture clash nearly ruined the joint venture. Another chapter uses the story of a successful Chinese entrepreneur to show the power of personal relationships, government attempts at anti-corruption, and how to keep your employees honest. The Dow Jones story illustrates methods McGregor himself used to deal successfully with government bureaucrats. The following chapter deals with the airline industry and the steps Boeing took to eventually achieve its goals. One of the more interesting stories is Rupert Murdoch's struggle to develop and bring the country's media system into the millennium. The battle for world's largest telecom system is also an engaging chapter that offers key insights. The book's final chapter deals with suggestions for managing Chinese employees and structuring your business. Throughout the book, the author provides indispensable "tips" on doing business in the world's largest market.
McGregor's book of "best practices" is overall well written and enlightening. He uses excellent examples to illustrate his points, which are remarkable stories in themselves. Each chapter provides a "what this means for you" section and a handy "Little Red Book" at the end of each chapter. The Little Red Books' bullet point summaries make taking notes or underlining unnecessary and allow readers to easily find and review particular points later on. One Billion Customers is essential reading for any non-Chinese person employed in--or thinking of doing business in--China. General readers--especially those living in Shanghai--may also find it a worthwhile read.
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