42 rules to follow about sourcing from China

Rosemary brings several decades of experience in providing supply chain and sourcing solutions to western businesses. In her book Rosemary reviews historical and cultural roots of China, realities of today’s business environment and offers specific advice on negotiations, communication style, behavior and potential pitfalls that await westerners in China.

Each of the 42 rules is presented as a chapter. Readers can take a very concrete output from each. I will offer several specific points to get you interested.

In chapter 10 ‘China is High-Context Country’ Rosemary reviews communication style of westerners as compared to Chinese:

 

“Western style:

Words are taken at face value

The focus is on roles (what responsibility do you have?) rather than status such as Manager or Director

Westerners ask clarifying questions

 

Chinese style:

Body language is extremely important

Status is extremely important

Saving face is necessary

Building guanxi is more important than results

Famous quotes and proverbs are often injected into conversation and you are expected to interpret what is being intended

Chinese will never say no to a suggestion or a question, but will say that further study is required and will introduce ambiguity”

 

Even if you are not going to China in person it is very much worth your while to read this book to understand what kind of steps you will need to make to ensure you can get results you expect from potential Chinese suppliers. It will also save you a lot of time and frustration if you intend to engage in business activity in China, even if it is from your office desk in Wisconsin. 

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