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Assignment
(Caselet’s)
What is the most effective way to set targets for my staff in 2011?
What is the most effective way to set targets for my staff for 2011? Should I do this
the first week back in January and should I offer incentives?
Targets and incentives are a great way to focus attention on the right things and
encourage the right behavior. Even if you have a June year end, it is a great time to recap
the past year or half year and recalibrate for the start of a new period. Having your people
come back and set refreshed objectives is a great way to start a new calendar year. The
most effective way to set targets is to have well defined objectives in the first place.
Start-up must satisfy the test of the multi-letter acronym SAVVY:
Specific: the objective must be specific and measurable. Every objective can be
measured by quantity, quality time or cost.
Achievable: be reasonable and make the task reachable.
Value adding: not just the daily grind - something that is makes or breaks for this year.
Once you have SAVVY objectives you are in a position to talk incentives. Incentives
should be used where there is an opportunity to exceed expectations.
In this way they do not kick in until some agreed level of performance is achieved. Then
they are self-funding, as you have locked in a level of performance and then can fund the
incentive out of over-budget performance. Everyone is a winner.
At no stage use the term bonus, as it sets an expectation, whereas if you use “incentive” it
is always performance-linked and can be discretionary. Please do not set incentives at
such a level as they are seen as unreachable – it acts as a deterrent rather than an
incentive. You can reset the bar in future years where performance levels are consistently
met.
So the answer to your question is clear:
In short, start the year with a refocused and clear vision and engage your team to achieve
success.
This is a super opportunity and if you grasp it with both hands you can really set
yourself up for success. If in doubt call an advisor who can help.
ANSWERS
Cross-cultural perspective
Cross-cultural perspective is the scientific study of human behavior and mental
process, including both their variability and invariance, under diverse cultural
conditions. Through expanding research methodologies to recognize cultural variance in
behavior, language and meaning, it seeks to extend, develop and
transform psychology. Central themes, such as affect, cognition, conceptions of the self,
and issues such as psychopathology, anxiety, and depression, are all re-examined in
cross-cultural psychology in an attempt to examine the universality of these concepts.
Critics have pointed to methodological flaws in cross-cultural psychological research and
claim that serious shortcomings in the theoretical and methodological basis used impede
rather than help this scientific search for universality. Cross-cultural psychology is
differentiated from Cultural Psychology. The latter is the branch of psychology that holds
that human behavior is significantly influenced by cultural differences meaning that
psychological phenomena can only be compared with each other across cultures to a very
limited extent. In contrast, Cross-Cultural psychology includes a search for possible
universals in behavior and mental processes.
Various definitions of the field include: "the scientific study of human behavior and its
transmission, taking into account the ways in which behaviors are shaped and influenced
by social and cultural forces, the empirical study of members of various cultural groups
who have had different experiences that lead to predictable and significant differences in
behavior. Culture may also be defined as "the shared way of life of a group of people.
They also outline various aims and goals of cross-cultural psychology, including a
challenge to the limited cultural perspective that may result if one only studies cultural
variables within one's own society.
Cultural Model
In the mid 1970's, the Dutch academic, Geert Hofstede, based his five dimensions of
culture His methodology was both unique in size as well in structure. He defined
organizational culture is an idea system that is largely shared between organizational
members. Hofstede was able to statistically distinguish cultural differences between
countries.
• POWER DISTANCE
The extent to which power is distributed equally within a society and the degree that
society accepts this distribution. A high power distance culture prefers hierarchical
bureaucracies, strong leaders and a high regard for authority. A low power distance
culture tends to favour personal responsibility and autonomy.
• UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The degree to which individuals require set boundaries and clear structures: a high
uncertainty culture allows individuals to cope better with risk and innovation; a low
uncertainty culture emphasizes a higher level of standardisation and greater job security.
• INDIVIDUALISM versus COLLECTIVISM
The degree to which individuals base their actions on self-interest versus the interests of
the group. In an individual culture, free will is highly valued. In a collective culture,
personal needs are less important than the group's needs. This dimension influences the
role government is expected to play in markets.
• TIME ORIENTATION
The degree to which a society does or does not value long-term commitments and respect
for tradition. Long-term traditions and commitments hamper institutional change.
Ans- Culture is often seen as the soft side of management, as Joanna Higgins observes.
In my experience, it’s actually the hardest, because it deals with attitudes and behaviors
which all seem a bit vague but are critical to the company.
My definition of culture is “the way we do things around here”. A business often has less
of an established culture, more a set of habits developed over time. But, creating a
winning culture that can often be a real differentiator in the market place means
managing it, driving it and consistently reinforcing it.
Five questions to get you thinking and hopefully help you in creating a work culture
with competitive advantage:
Great leaders shape spell out a picture of the culture they’re striving for, sometimes just a
set of guiding principles or values. The best seem to go further, though, by establishing
preferred behaviors that support these values. Core values can help provide guidelines
for acceptable and unacceptable behavior — experience shows that this also helps
manage performance more effectively. Again, getting ownership of these behaviors is a
key. Apparently, one of Enron’s published values was integrity. It’s not what you say;
it’s what you do that counts.
Ever had someone in your team who achieves all their goals and hits all their targets, but
is basically a real pain because they wind others up, demotivate colleagues and upset
team members? If you measure individuals on results alone, regardless of their behavior,
then you’re asking for trouble. Successful companies reward the behavior they want as
well as results. Winning businesses celebrate their champions. They encourage,
acknowledge, support and reward those that promote and act in line with the core values.
• Do our systems and processes help or hinder? Bolt culture into the way you
measure and maintain the business.
A focus on culture should be at the core of your reward systems, feedback systems,
appraisal processes, promotion criteria, recruitment and selection processes. Do you look
for evidence of matches to your core values in prospective employees, for example?
“The problem is many companies say they are doing it, but really are only giving it lip
service and doing it incredibly badly” says Richard Reed of Innocent, the smoothie-
maker. Innocent has an array of incentives and reward mechanisms that support and
promote their core values.
This is a critical issue. Lots of business leaders say the right things, but don’t do them. In
organizations that drive this stuff, it’s the leaders who are great role models. They make
the core values visible and talk about them at every opportunity. They recognize that
their people judge them not by what they say, but by what they do, and crucially, what
they are seen to do. So, how can you get started in addressing the issue of culture in your
organization? Why not start with putting these questions on the agenda of your next
management or team meeting to get the ball rolling.
• Control. People with more power usually set the goals, establish the criteria, and
generally set about trying to change the behavior of those down below. If merit
pay feels manipulative and patronizing, that's probably because it is. Moreover,
the fact that these programs usually operate at the level of school personnel
means, as Maurice Holt has pointed out, that the whole enterprise "conveniently
moves accountability away from politicians and administrators, who invent and
control the system, to those who actually do the work."
Some argue that monetary rewards are less harmful if they're offered to, and made
contingent on the performance of, an entire school. But if a school misses out on a
bonus, what often ensues is an ugly search for individuals on whom to pin the
blame. Also, you can count on seeing less useful collaboration among schools,
especially if an incentive program is based on their relative standing. Why would
one faculty share ideas with another when the goal is to make sure that students in
other schools don't do as well as yours? Merit pay based on rankings is about
victory, not about excellence. In any case, bribing groups doesn't make any more
sense than bribing individuals.
• Reasons and motives. The premise of merit pay, and indeed of all rewards, is
that people could be doing a better job but for some reason have decided to wait
until it's bribed out of them. This is as insulting as it is inaccurate. Dangling a
reward in front of teachers or principals—"Here's what you'll get if things
somehow improve"— does nothing to address the complex, systemic factors that
are actually responsible for educational deficiencies. Pay-for-performance is an
outgrowth of behaviorism, which is focused on individual organisms, not systems
—and, true to its name, looks only at behaviors, not at reasons and motives and
the people who have them.
Even if they wouldn't mind larger paychecks, teachers are typically not all that
money-driven. They keep telling us in surveys that the magical moment when a
student suddenly understands is more important to them than another few bucks.
And, as noted above, they're becoming disenchanted these days less because of
salary issues than because they don't enjoy being controlled by accountability
systems. Equally controlling pay-for-performance plans are based more on
neoclassical economic dogma than on an understanding of how things look from
a teacher's perspective.
Most of all, merit pay fails to recognize that there are different kinds of
motivation. Doing something because you enjoy it for its own sake is utterly
unlike doing something to get money or recognition. In fact, researchers have
demonstrated repeatedly that the use of such extrinsic inducements often reduces
intrinsic motivation. The more that people are rewarded, the more they tend to
lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward. If bonuses and the like
can "motivate" some educators, it's only in an extrinsic sense, and often at the
cost of undermining their passion for teaching.
For example, a recent study of a merit-pay plan that covered all employees at a
northeastern college found that intrinsic motivation declined as a direct result of
the plan's adoption, particularly for some of the school's "most valued employees
—those who were highly motivated intrinsically before the program was
implemented." The more the plan did what it was intended to do—raise people's
extrinsic motivation by getting them to see how their performance would affect
their salaries—the less pleasure they came to take in their work. The plan was
abandoned after one year.
That study didn't even take account of how resentful and demoralized people may
become when they don't get the bonus they're expecting. For all these reasons, I
tell Fortune 500 executives (or at least those foolish enough to ask me) that the
best formula for compensation is this: Pay people well, pay them fairly, and then
do everything possible to help them forget about money. All pay-for-performance
plans, of course, violate that last precept.
It's possible to evaluate the quality of teaching, but it's not possible to reach
consensus on a valid and reliable way to pin down the meaning of success,
particularly when dollars hang in the balance. What's more, evaluation may
eclipse other goals. After merit-pay plans take effect, administrators often visit
classrooms more to judge teachers than to offer them feedback for the purpose of
improvement.
All these concerns apply even when technicians struggle to find good criteria for
allocating merit pay. But the problems are multiplied when the criteria are
dubious, such as raising student test scores. These tests, as I and others have
argued elsewhere, tend to measure what matters least. They reflect children's
backgrounds more than the quality of a given teacher or school. Moreover, merit
pay based on those scores is not only unfair but damaging, if it accelerates the
exodus of teachers from troubled schools where they're most needed.
Q4. What is the consultant’s role and what skills are required?
The Compensation Consultant role requires strong computer skills with advanced
knowledge of Microsoft Excel and he must possess strong analytical skills and
the ability to work as part of team and on multiple assignments simultaneously.
Ans- Organizations must align their compensation and reward systems with performance,
for when they do, they will increase productivity and achieve sustainable growth. It helps
organizations develop effective strategies that:
The Significance of compensation in the overall operation and success of a law firm can
be summarized as follows:
1) Compensation is one of the most significant factors and one over which you as
members of your firm have a great amount of control;
2) Other important factors include: being in the "right" field of law for the time,
geographic location, and having the flexibility to adjust firm size for general economic
conditions.
1) Promotes harmony among the partners because they feel they are fairly compensated
relative to each other;
3) Is attractive to capable senior associates so that they wish to become partners in your
firm;
4) Provides an incentive for productive partners to stay with your firm to normal
retirement age.
Partner compensation is affected by more than just a firm's specific compensation system
for its partners. These factors include:
CASELET – 3
I'm looking to source a product from China. Do you have any tips for me?
I'm looking to source a product from China. Do you have any tips of suggestions on
the best way to go about doing this?
This is a good question. Finding a good supplier who can provide exactly the sort of
product you're looking for is a critical step for an online retail business.
The best way to go about finding a good supplier depends on the type of product you're
looking for.
Products in this category can be a little harder to find, as they may not be available on
websites like alibaba.com or at large, general fairs like the Canton Fair. A good place to
start in this category is to do some searches online for product specific trade fairs. For
example, if you're looking to source high quality furniture, high quality leather shoes or
specific pieces of sporting equipment there are a number of trade fairs throughout Asia
each year where you should be able to find good suppliers. There may also be wholesale
markets in China for these products, where suppliers are permanently based. For
example, there are large leather and non-leather wholesale handbag markets in
Guangzhou where you can source pre-designed handbags or find suppliers to make
handbags you've designed.
For products in this category you'll need to spend more time on the ground working with
your suppliers.
If you're going to be developing your own product you'll need to work on your design
with potential suppliers, get samples made and really spend time with your suppliers to
ensure the quality is right.
It's very easy for a supplier to make a good quality sample, then take shortcuts when
making a full run of your products. The only way you'll pick this up is if you're on the
ground with them, and inspecting the final product before taking delivery.
Michael Fox managed Google’s online sales and operations agency team for Australia
and New Zealand before moving into entrepreneurship. He has co-founded travel guide
website Swift City, spoof online dating site Darwin Dating and Shoes of Prey, which
allows women to design their own shoes. He blogs in detail about the process of running
Shoes of Prey at his blog www.22michaels.com.
ANSWERS
• Using ICT to shorten the learning process and and make catching-up easier in
areas where clear trajectory of technical progress can be followed.
As living standards and the business environment improve, US companies may be able to
export more goods and services to China's second-tier markets.
China's expanding economy is rich with business opportunities for US firms, many of
which are small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2008 and 2009, the United States
exported more than $69 billion worth of goods annually to China. As China's wages rise
nationwide and interior regions receive greater investment and government support, US
exporters may find more opportunities to sell to China's second-tier markets.
Quick Glance
• Though China's Tier 2 cities may be less populated than their Tier 1 counterparts,
they receive more than half of total US exports to China.
• Each second-tier city is strong in certain industries, such as high-tech
manufacturing, food and agricultural processing, and clean technology.
• US exporters that research and understand China's diverse business environment
may find more markets for their products.
China's diverse urban and rural markets present challenges for foreign companies,
however. To understand domestic market trends and opportunities, companies should
study the strengths of various regions—and do their homework.
Recent social and economic reforms have transformed and reshaped the industrial,
commercial, and regulatory landscapes of China's developing Tier 2 cities. As living
standards and the business environment improve, these cities have enormous market
potential. For example, Suzhou's population was roughly 6.3 million and its gross
domestic product (GDP) was $774 billion in 2009. (In comparison, New York, the
largest US city, had a population of about 8.4 million and GDP of nearly $1.5 trillion in
2009.)
The PRC government is considering a $738 billion 10-year energy plan that could
provide opportunities for US companies that export components or key technologies to
manufacturers.
China's 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP, 2011-15), which lays out national policies in major
social and economic areas for the next five years, is currently being drafted and is
expected to continue funneling major investments into Tier 2 cities. The plan will likely
focus on seven strategic emerging industries: biotechnology, high-end equipment
manufacturing, new energy, new-energy vehicles, new materials, and next-generation
information technology. According to PRC state media reports, the government is
considering a $738 billion 10-year energy plan that will develop clean energy by
investing in nuclear, solar, wind, and other non-fossil fuel energy sources. These sectors
could provide opportunities for US companies that export components or key
technologies to manufacturers.
Based on data available for different sectors, this article primarily focuses on second-tier
market opportunities in China's high-tech, food processing, and clean-tech sectors.
High-tech manufacturing
China's high-tech manufacturing industry has seen unprecedented growth in the past
decade. From 1995 to 2007, the industry grew from $19 billion to $167 billion, ranking
third worldwide after the United States ($374 billion) and the European Union ($306
billion). The 12th FYP will continue to provide subsidies, deferred interest and lower tax
rates, and other support policies to advance the development of high-tech enterprises.
The industry's rapid growth has created opportunities for US companies that export
precision machinery used in high-tech manufacturing.
Other key cities with strengths in the consumer electronics industry are Lu'an, Anhui;
Luoyang, Henan; and Shenzhen.
Despite the global economic downturn, China's food processing industry output reached
a record high of $662 billion in 2009. The industry grew nearly 30 percent annually from
2003 to 2008, as more consumers replaced traditional fresh foods purchased at morning
and wet markets with packaged foods found in Western-style hypermarkets.
The food processing industry is one of the six pillar industries of Chengdu. Chengdu has
companies in 22 divisions in the industry and competitive advantages in beverages, dairy
products, feedstock, meat, and tobacco. The city's total food processing industry output is
expected to reach $11.5 billion by the end of 2010. This growth has created opportunities
for US exporters, especially those that export high-tech equipment used in food and
agricultural processing.
Other cities that have strengths in food and agricultural processing include Nanchang,
Jiangxi; Tianjin; and Zhangzhou, Fujian.
Clean tech
Wastewater treatment
Wuhan, Hubei, is a key emerging market for wastewater treatment facilities. The city is
particularly rich in fresh-water resources and the local government strongly supports the
development of wastewater and urban sewage treatment facilities. The city's industrial
zones, which will each have wastewater treatment facilities, may present additional
export opportunities for US suppliers.
Other key cities with strengths in the wastewater treatment industry include Tianjin;
Wuxi, Jiangsu; and Xiamen.
Solid-waste treatment
China is the world's largest producer of municipal solid waste (MSW). In 2008, the
country produced more than 223 million tons of MSW. With a forecasted annual growth
rate of 8-10 percent, production is expected to top 250 million tons in 2010. To reduce
the amount of MSW, the PRC government is making investments to improve its solid-
waste treatment capabilities.
For example, the primary methods of disposing of solid waste in Ningbo in the past 100
years included uncontrolled burning, terrestrial dumping, and dumping into waters—all
of which have polluted the environment and affected citizens' daily lives. To minimize
the negative effects of MSW, Ningbo has made significant improvements to its waste
treatment facilities in the past few years. The local government has invested roughly $88
million to develop a comprehensive infrastructure system for MSW.
More than 90 percent of China's landfills do not meet international standards because of
capacity constraints and unsanitary conditions. Alternative MSW treatment methods such
as incineration will likely become more widely accepted by local governments and
industry players in China. These methods require more advanced technologies and
instruments than Chinese companies currently have the capability to produce—including
sanitary landfill and incineration equipment, treatment equipment, waste-to-energy
technologies, and sampling instruments—and thus open greater export opportunities for
US firms.
Other cities with strengths in the solid waste treatment industry include Chongqing,
Hangzhou, and Harbin, Heilongjiang.
In addition to the main sectors discussed above, exports of other products to key Tier 2
cities are also growing rapidly. Xi'an's imports of electrical machinery rose 118 percent
in 2009, while Tianjin's imports of railway equipment jumped 634 percent during the
same period. Wuhan's chemical imports increased 100 percent, and Xiamen recorded 544
percent growth in imports of pharmaceuticals.
Tier 2 cities may present opportunities for US companies that take the time to research
and understand China's domestic market trends and complex business environment.
Companies must recognize that the China market is highly fragmented with significant
differences between cities and regions. They must also choose an appropriate location
with a market environment most suitable to their industry and objectives.
Companies may also face other challenges when entering the China market, such as
China's selective enforcement of World Trade Organization rules, vulnerable intellectual
property rights, government restrictions on foreign ownership, local content
requirements, and competition from established domestic enterprises. In some cases,
markets are either premature (especially in the case of expensive or advanced
technologies) or highly saturated with intense competition. US companies must therefore
understand the China market and assess all opportunities and challenges when
determining their entry strategy.
To help US companies better understand the China market, the US Commercial Service
offices in China, together with the China Council for the Promotion of International
Trade, provide business counseling and matchmaking services for US exporters in 14
markets. To learn more about the services of the US Commercial Service in China and
opportunities in emerging Tier 2 markets, visit www.buyusa.gov/china/en, contact a
trade specialist at a US Export Assistance Center in any state, or visit www.export.gov
or www.trade.gov to find the nearest office. These websites, and the US Comercial
Service, are under the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration
The Global Political Situation, The Global Competitive Environment and the
internal scene.
Economy of China
Since the initiation of economic reforms and trade liberalization 30 years ago,
China has been one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and has emerged as
a major economic and trade power.
China’s rapid economic growth has sharply improved Chinese living standards
and helped raise hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty. Trade
and foreign investment flows have been major factors in China’s booming
economy. In 2008 China, was the world’s second largest merchandise exporter
and third largest importer. Over half of China’s trade is conducted by foreign-
invested firms in China. In 2008, foreign direct investment (FDI) in China totaled
$92 billion, making it the destination for FDI among developing economies. The
combination of large trade surpluses, FDI flows, and large-scale purchases of
foreign currency (especially dollars) has helped make China the world’s largest
holder of foreign exchange reserves at $2.3 trillion.
The global economic crisis began to impact China’s economy in late 2008. After
growing by 13% in 2007, China’s real GDP slowed to 9.0% in 2008 and to 7.1%
in the first half of 2009 (year-onyear basis). China’s trade and inflows of FDI
diminished sharply, and millions of workers reportedly lost their jobs. The
Chinese government has sought to boost the economy by implementing a $586
billion economic stimulus package (largely aimed at infrastructure projects),
establishing easy money policies to boost banking lending, and providing
assistance to various industries. Such policies have helped stabilize China’s
economy; real GDP is expected to grow by over 8% in 2009—far higher than the
expected growth of any other major economy.
Despite the relatively positive outlook for its economy, China faces a number of
difficult challenges that, if not addressed, could undermine its future economic
growth and stability. These include pervasive government corruption, an
inefficient banking system, over-dependence on exports and fixed investment for
growth, the lack of rule of law, severe pollution, and widening income disparities.
The Chinese government has indicated that it intends to create a “harmonious
society” over the coming years that would promote more balanced economic
growth and address a number of economic and social ills.
China’s economy and economic policies are of major concern to many U.S.
policymakers. On the one hand, U.S. consumers, exporters, and investors have
generally benefitted from China’s rapid economic and trade growth. China’s large
holdings of U.S. securities have helped keep U.S. interest rates relatively low.
Some contend that China has a large stake in ensuring the continuance of a
liberalized global trading system. On the other hand, the surge in U.S. imports of
Chinese products has put competitive pressures on various U.S. industries. Many
U.S. policymakers have argued that China maintains a number of economic
policies that violate its commitments in the World Trade Organization (WTO)
and/or are harmful to U.S. economic interests, such as its currency policy.
Concerns have also been raised over China’s rising demand for energy and raw
materials in terms of the impact that demand may have on world prices,
Chinese efforts to purchase energy and raw materials assets around the world, and
the growing level of pollution and greenhouse gases that has resulted from
China’s growing energy needs. China has been pursuing free trade agreements
around the world, especially in Asia. This has raised concerns that China might
try to promote a greater Asian trading area that would exclude the United States,
and thus possibly diminish U.S. economic power and influence in the region.
Although Sullivan (2002) doesn’t provide scores for four of the five Hofstede’s
dimensions to culture for China, it can be estimated that they would fall in the following
ranges:
a. Degree of individualism – This score would historically be on the low end
(collectivism), similar to Hong Kong, given China’s focus on the group v. the
individual.
b. Power distance – With a large portion of the population employed in
agriculture this score isn’t relevant for all, but for the bureaucratic, state-
owned businesses this would be on the high end due to their hierarchical
nature.
c. Intolerance for uncertainty -- This score would be on the higher end,
again stemming from the state-owned bureaucracy exemplified by a lack of
risk or uncertainty. This however is probably moving lower (toward accepting
risk and change) as outside / westernized influences creep into the culture,
businesses become privatized and China opens itself to globalization.
d. Degree of assertiveness – This score would probably be located on the
lower end of the scale (toward “nurturing” and “cooperative living”), similar
to South Korea.
e. Long-term orientation – This is the only score Sullivan provides and it is
off the scale on the high end, which tracks, since China has one of the highest
rates of savings in the world (40% GDP).
If you compare the estimated Chinese culture scores to those of the United States it
immediately becomes clear just how different the two are across the board.
This analysis and these scores apply to both the national culture of China and the US, but
also to the business culture. Where the US focuses on individualism, equality and
achievement, China is more collective, valuing cooperation within a hierarchical
structure. Americans tend to thrive or at least easily tolerate change while China dislikes
the unpredictable. The largest gap though is in long-term orientation where the US
culture lives for the present, wanting immediate gratification, making quick decisions,
and short term planning. Conversely, the Chinese, save for the future, make decisions
only after careful and detailed analysis and value persistence (Sullivan, 2002). “China
and the U.S. represent ideological opposites in the work environment, in spite of the
present move toward capitalism in China.”
Creating a positive first impression is not enough. One should also have an understanding
of the following aspects of Chinese business etiquette:
• Gift giving
• Greeting rituals
• Business relationship development
• When to display emotions
• Time perceptions
• Differences in decision making and problem solving
• Guest-Host relations
• Negotiation styles
• How to use intermediaries
• Meeting customs and conduct
• Use of the names, titles and business card presentation
• How to establish relationships with government officials
(COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE)
China remains the best destination for any serious businessman who thinks of investing
in whatever market and for many reasons. Despite the hullabaloo raised by Washington
and other large economies, businessmen are trooping to China in droves, hoping to
capitalize on this phenomenon. It’s not easy to name any western company that is yet to
set shop in China. From electronic manufacturers, car makers and even Google, all big
companies have gone for a piece of china and for a good reason.
Q5. What is the consultant’s role and what skills are required?
Keep in mind that management consultants are mainly involved in providing objective
expertise, advice, and specialist skills with the aim of improving business performance
and maximizing its growth.
As a consultant, you are expected to operate across a wide variety of services which
include marketing, financial and management controls, business strategy, e-business and
operations, information technology, and supply-chain management.