I read and use articles published in HSBC’s Week in China quite frequently. It’s very insightful, and surprisingly non-biased. They report issues with more journalistic integrity than you’ll find in most major newspapers, and offer quality reports on everything from the state of the Economy to Politics. Essentially, it’s a great hub of information for those of you lost in the milieu of Chinese info out there. The only thing is, you need an invitation to access this great material. So if you like the reports that I’ve uploaded, such as the Chinese Tycoons, send me a request at chinesecraze1@gmail.com and I’ll send you an invite.
Anyone ever found themselves in the awkward position of wanting to express appreciation, but not knowing how? This can be a tricky thing in any arena, especially when it comes to doing it in Chinese. I encountered this situation when I was interning at a bank in Taiwan. I learned that it is very important to acknowledge your superiors and elders during every holiday and important event, and that letter writing was the norm in some circles. So I set out to find some templates or examples online. But given my limited Chinese skills, I didn’t get very far. I then resorted to asking friends, but that was burdensome. So to save you the hassle, I’m going to post a link here for you to check out. It’s completely in written in Chinese, as any authentic piece should be, so you don’t have to worry about Chinglish or typo’s. I suggest you take a few template sentences and study them, this way you can use them as solid go-to’s whenever you need to write a letter of appreciation out of formality…. and don’t be ashamed of memorizing some intro patterns, because if you think about it, we use template openings all the time in formal letters. Take for example the infamous “I hope this letter finds you well” (which I despise) or “Hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week” etc. Anyhow, check it out and message me if you have trouble getting through it.
Link: Gan3xie xin4 感谢信 Letter of Appreciation
Link: China’s Tycoons
I’m currently reading through a report published by HSBC titled “China’s Tycoons”. This report outlines the major players within various industries throughout China. What’s interesting is not only the breakdown by sector, but also the background information that is offered. Four sections are offered for each profile: Getting Started, Big Break, Need to Know and Growth. For a few profiles, we also get a list of political profiles, which is really helpful if you’re interested in the Guanxi game that is Chinese business. Take a look, and read for yourself if you’d like.
Every week, I’ll be publishing my opinions, findings and maybe even a “Guanxi Infographic” similar to the political profiles I posted. If your looking for a quick rundown or even wanna start some discussion, check back in the weekly “Profile” section starting tomorrow.
Vertically structured companies offer painstakingly slow advancement. Yet, the slow pace of advancement offered by most highly structured companies is often times offset by the certainty of advancement. But what if this were not so? Would you still opt for the Big 4 or the Samsungs of this world? Read this article recently posted in HBR to get a list of specific company characteristics to look for before submitting your application and dreaming about that big career.
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