Business with China takes many forms, ranging from the most straightforward selling/buying to the most sophisticated joint venture investment.

We serve client companies of all sizes in diverse industries and in all parts of the world, in relation to their every need in the whole process of their business with China. At the heart of our consulting services is 2W China Core, a discreete team of our most experienced consultants, who advise top management, such as chairmen, chief executive officers, managing directors and other senior executives, to make high-stake decisions concerning their China business, covering the three inter-related areas shown in the diagram.

Our approach rests on our integrated view of business, i.e., integration of analysis and intuition. As such, we act as both a thinker and a doer in providing advisory services to our clients by being an integral yet objective part of their team. And our engagements give top management the confidence to meet the China business challenge and assist them to make the best possible decisions and set the best course of actions in the China business context.

China Business Philosophy

Can you see a vase in this picture? “Yes,” you will probably say that after looking at the picture for two seconds. But what if I say, “You are wrong” because in the picture are two faces of silhouettes. You may say, “What?” but as you recondition your frame of reference from “a vase” to “two faces” and try to find two faces in the picture you will eventually see them. That’s the difference between Western and Chinese philosophies, which have been governing the respective way Westerners and the Chinese see things for 2,500 years – and the way we see things is the source of the way we think and the way we act. For example, while Westerners see objects and their abstracted attributes and the world as fundamentally static, the Chinese see humans and their concrete feelings and the world as constantly changing; while Westerners trust logic and use it when reasoning about everyday events, the Chinese trust senses and use them to embrace apparently contradictory propositions; while Westerners see business as a series of discrete transactions and insist on neatly-defined rules, the Chinese see business as a web of continuous relationships and seek to master human nature. As such, there is demand for our advice on recognising and developing a business philosophy that is both effective and efficient in the China business environment.

China Business Model

What then is the most effective venture format for you to do business in China? Contrary to the conventional Western wisdom that much is dependent upon what the quantitatively-based financial model shows (e.g., the rate of return on investment), qualitative factors, such as location, quality of accessible human resources, the motive, credibility and capability of local partner, efficiency of local government, and central and local regulations, can play a key role in determining business success or failure in China. And yet, given their strength in quantification and analysis - which literarily means breaking down or compartmentalising, it is not always easy for Westerners to feel and master the complex, organic and sensitive relationship side of a business proposition and indeed its subtle, muddy, and vague whole full of uncertainties. As such, there is demand for our advice on conceiving and negotiating a business model that provides both a superior strategic advantage and a sound operational foundation.

China Business Operation

Do you expect your China operation to be run according to a thoroughly-budgeted, authority-approved business plan - like the rock-solid, black side of the Chinese yin yang symbol? If you do, then you are asking for surprises and disappointments because post-contract negotiation, culture shock involving challenges to both Western and local staff, different expectations from a wide variety of stakeholders and changing business climate are characteristic of a China operation that demands inspirational, ”pull”-oriented leadership as well as professional, ”push”-driven management. And yet, having been trained with a typically specialist or technical background, Western executives tend to continue their preoccupation with managerial thinking, including concentrating on facts, figures and short-term results, and being not too concerned about the wider, longer-term implications, such as the value in establishing lasting relationships. They become like the manager who is good with a hammer who sees every problem as a nail, but the more hammering they do the more problems and the harder they “push” the stronger the resistance. As such, there is demand for our advice on governing and running the business operation with the end to achieve both successful business results and harmonious partner relationships.