Friday, June 01, 2007

CHINESE COMPANY PROFILE SUMMARY

The following is a list of companies which our MBA program will visit in China.

Additionally, there are some questions which will be asked to their managers.


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Guangzhou









Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Technology
http://www.zhku.edu.cn/english/english.htm

Located on the south bank of the Zhujiang (Pearl) River in Guangzhou, China this university is best known for its sub-tropical gardening research program. It is named after the Chinese patriot Liao, Zhongkai. Established in 1984, it currently employs over 600 covering twenty-six majors. The school also is unique in that it serves as a regional center for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) home-based at Cambridge University in England. Student population at Zhongkai is expected to more than double next five years, to over 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The campus has won Provincial awards for its environment while maintaining its status as a cradle of advanced training in Agriculture, Information and Engineering Technology, and Management.

How does your ESL teaching program compare to that of other Chinese universities?


What is the most distinguished award or faculty member accomplishment at Zhongkai?

What innovations has the sub-tropical gardening research program discovered?


Winglok Textile Factory
http://www.gzpyyl.cn

This textile factory manufactures shirts, and other apparel for men and women. The company sells its products in China in addition to exporting them.

It appears as if your company was convicted or excluded from entry into the US in 2002. What was the problem, and what has your company done to resolve the problem?

How does your company prevent countries like the US from banning your products?


VTREK Audio and Video Products
http://www.elec-vtrek.com

This Audio/Video company was established in 1999 in Guangzhou, China They manufacture Audio & video products such as DVD players, DVD recorders, home theater systems and portable DVD players. The company products have been exported to European countries including Spain, Russia, Italy, Germany, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.  

What sets your company apart from the heavy competition in the AV industry?

What new technologies have you developed, and how you advertise your products?

How much of your budget is dedicated to R&D and what is the procedure for coming up with a new devise?


Pegasus Footwear Company
http://www.pegasusshoes.com/

This Hong Kong based investment holding company, sells sports sandals, casual shoes, and athletic shoes. Pegasus Footwear Company is involved in the manufacture and sale of footwear products and footwear materials. Additionally, the company has two associate companies, Secaicho Corporation and Hi-Tech Pacific Limited. Some of the brand names which the shoe company manufactures includes Nike,Vans, K-Swiss, L.L. Bean Bite, and Caterpillar.

How do you keep costs competitive with other Asian shoe companies?

How would an American Entrepreneur enter the market designing apparel and shoes in China?

Producing over a billion shoes a year, what types of environmental standards does your company have in place?


Macau











Macau Polytechnic Institute
http://www.ipm.edu.mo

This Public University is relatively new, established on September 16, 1991. Formerly it was a part of the University of East Asia, Macau. Since it started the Institute has grown and prospered into a modern and fully equipped teaching and research facility with a team of experienced and dedicated academic staff. Some of their programs include schools of: Languages and Translation, Business, Public Administration, Arts, Physical Education and Health Sciences. Presently the Institution has approximately 2700 full time students enrolled in degree programs. Additionally, over 20,000 participants attend their professional training courses annually.

As a relatively new University what does your institution need to do to become a distinguished center of education?

What is the future of Macau Polytechnic Institute? What are the long-term goals of the University?

Do you recruit many students outside of China? Have you considered someone who speaks English to proof-read your website?


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Sands Casino
http://www.sands.com.mo

The Sands Casino is the first western-operated gaming and entertainment destination in the People’s Republic of China. The casino is a gaming, dining and entertainment empire encompassing over almost a million square feet in southeastern China. The casino offers international and Chinese cuisines in addition to great service. Macau is set to earn $6.8bn in casino revenues in 2006 compared with Las Vegas $6.6bn. Foreign casino operators entered Macau in 2001, two years after Portugal handed the territory back to China.

How does a western-operated casino differ from one run by people from an eastern-operated casino?

How does Sands distinguish itself from other casinos in Macau?

Why is Macau the only part of China which offers gambling? What does Las Vegas do to compete against Macau as the largest casino revenue generating location in the world?


New Century Casino
http://www.newcenturyhotel-macau.com

The New Century Casino hotel is an exclusive international 5-star entertainment & leisure complex on the island of Taipa, Macau overlooking the magnificent view of Pearl River. Most of the favorite casino games include blackjack, baccarat, roulette, boule, Sic bo, Fan-Tan, keno and tiger machines(slot machines). The most popular game by far is baccarat with VIP high-roller baccarat generating more than 70% of total gaming revenue in 2004. Poker, however, is not yet offered in any of Macau's casinos.

Why isn’t Poker offered in your casino?

What type of players play your VIP high-roller baccarat?

What type of security measures do you have within your hotel/casino, and what happens to prosecuted thieves/cheats within your casino?


Wynn Casino
http://www.wynnmacau.com/

Opened in September 6, 2006, the Wynn Casino in Macau is a lavish resort offering gambling and gaming with a luxurious hotel, designer shops, several restaurants and a performance lake. There are approximately 375 slot machines, about 212 table games, and 600 hotel room’s space, a spa, salon, entertainment lounges and meeting facilities.

Future expansion will add 135,000 square feet of casino space and more dining and retail space. They also have plans to include a theater and a spectacular front feature attraction. After the expansion they will have roughly 1,280 slot machines and 420 table games.

How much of your casino revenue is taxed by the Chinese government?

How does your per-person profits compare with your casinos located in Las Vegas?

Has the government approved your expansion on the Cotai Strip? How does this process work?


Lisboa Casino
http://hotelisboa.com

Known as the "Monte Carlo of the Orient”, the Hotel Lisbosa/Casino is one of Asia’s finest casino hotels, boasting 15 acclaimed restaurants, 24 hour entertainment all under the roof of a glorious architectural designed building. The Casino is owned by Stanley Ho, who is the wealthiest person in Macau, and one of the wealthiest in Asia. This three-storey complex was built in late 1960s, and a 270-room extension was added in 1991 for a total of 927 rooms. There is a planned extension, the Grand Lisboa, is being built next to the current complex.

How has Ho designed his business to be successful and competitive against other casinos?

How does the casino market in Asia compare to the United State’s casinos?


How does the government effect operation of your hotel, and how does this affect your operations?


International game Technology
http://www.igt.com/au

The IGT is a slot machine manufacturer with headquarters in Reno, Nevada. They have branch offices in the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and in China. IGT is most notable for their slot machines associated with licensed television and motion picture brands. Some of the television and movie themed slot machines include Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right, Family Feud, The Joker's Wild, The Twilight Zone and Dream of Jeannie. Over the past 4 years they have acquired several companies such as Acres Gaming, WagerWorks and Venture Catalyst Incorporated.

Have you considered an alliance with your recently acquired companies before you completed the take-over?

Who gets to pick the television or movies for your slot machines, and how much do you payoff these companies for use of their name and brand?

How has the online gambling industry affected your business?


Shenzhen










Wal-Mart Global Procurement Center

Wal-Mart Global Procurement Services are used to manage the organizations direct import business deals and handle their direct purchasing. They identify new products, new suppliers and they build partnerships with their existing partners. Wal-Mart employee’s business development and supplier alignment teams to help guide world class suppliers to give the best value to their customers. Additionally, they have teams working with trade relations and global transport to keep ahead of changing international laws and simplify their global supply chain.

When do you decide whether to choose a company which is more environmentally sound, versus saving a few pennies per transaction?

Does Wal-Mart model their Ethical Standards to another company? Is there a regulatory agency making sure ethics are environmental issues are taken into consideration in China?

Why was your Procurement Center moved from Hong Kong to Shenzhen?


Yantian Port Logistics (YPL)
http://ytport.com

Shenzhen Yantian Port Logistics Co focuses on operating warehouses and container yard, in addition seeking further development in other logistics business areas. At present, YPL has three bonded warehouses with a total operation area of 36,000 m2, a customs supervisory warehouse and four general empty container yards. In the future YPL has a plan to expand by constructing a Modern Logistics. Their main business involves in logistics related business including warehousing, container yards, consolidation of export cargo, distribution of import cargo, customs clearance for newly-manufactured containers, simple processing, transportation, customs clearance and quarantine, and customs documents processing.

When will Yatnain Port become an international port?

How will YPL distinguish itself from other competing ports and port authority companies?

What is the company doing to promote the development of the Yantian port?


Shanghai












Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall

The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall has a total floor space of 19 thousand square meters. It fully displays the achievements of Shanghai in city planning and construction and embodies the theme of “city, man, environment, and development”. The Exhibition Hall adopts modern exhibition technology features exhibits which show the future of the city. The main model of urban planning, which is in the proportion of 1:2000, exhibits the urban geography and scenery in an extent of a hundred and more square meters within the inner elevated ring road. It is the world’s biggest model of urban planning. Also, there is apparently a pretty sweet rotating statue of Shanghai's modern buildings in the lobby.

How much of the future Shanghai land is set aside for parks and recreation?

Who is the most respected Chinese painter? Did European artists have any exposure to early Chinese artists/craftsman which is reflected in their artwork?

Who appoints the architects who decide upon the buildings and future of Shanghai?


Shanghai Museum
http://www.shanghaimuseum.net/

This museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art with collections of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world.

Founded and first open to the public in 1952 the museum developed very quickly in aspects of acquisition, conservation, research, exhibition, education and cultural exchanges with other institutes. In 1992, the museum moved because the Shanghai municipal government allocated to the Museum a piece of land at the very center of the city, the People's Square. Construction took three years and finished in 1996. The new museum is 90 ft tall with over 39,200 square meters. Its unique architectural form of a round top with a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese philosophy that the square earth is under the round sky, is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional feature and modern spirit. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls.

What is the most prized piece of artwork inside the museum?

Why was the museum moved?

What is the oldest artifact which the museum holds?

KPMG
http://www.kpmg.com.cn/

KPMG’s China operations started in 1992, and now they have ten offices in Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau with a workforce of over 5,400 professionals. KPMG is a world-wide network of accounting firms providing tax, audit, and advisory services. The primary focus of the business is to turn knowledge into value for the benefit of the firm’s clients. The company employs over 113,000 people worldwide, and operates out of 148 countries.

How much of your business comes from foreign investors, as oppose to domestically within China?

What kind of sustainable accounting principals are at place in KPMG China?

How does the auditing process compare in China to the process in the United States? Is there more or less corruption within corporations in China?


Starbucks
http://www.starbucks.com

Named after a character in the novel Moby Dick, Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world. The business is based in the United States, with over 7500 self-operated and 5600 licensed stores in 39 countries. Starbucks serves coffees, espressos, tea, and ice-blended drinks, in addition to selling pastries, salads, and sandwiches. Starbucks has an Entertainment division where the business has started to go beyond refreshments producing books, music, and film. Starbucks first store in mainland China opened in Beijing's China World Trade Center. Later in 2000, it opened a store inside the Forbidden City. With new laws making it easier for Starbucks and other retailers to expand without local employees, they have since expanded to major cities throughout China. Ironically, there are no Starbucks branches in the two provinces of China where coffee is grown, Yunnan and Hainan.

Why were there reports in early 2007, that Starbucks might be forced to withdraw from the Forbidden City?

Does Starbucks use GIS (Geographic Information Systems) techniques to determine the best location for their new shops?

How does Starbucks prevent their company from becoming an eyesore for residents of China?


Callison Architecture
http://www.callison.com

Callison is an architecture company which provides planning and design services to retail, hospitality, mixed-use, healthcare and corporate clients throughout the world. They are presently ranked as the world’s top retail architect, specializing in graphic, interior, fixture and sustainable design. The company focuses their efforts on understanding market dynamics, which allows them to determine what to build, not just how to design it. Bringing business knowledge and design creativity brings excellence to their architecture firm. Based in Seattle, Callison is one of the largest architectural design firms in the United States. Callison's clients include Nordstrom, Inc., Microsoft, Gap, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Guess, Swedish Medical Center, Seibu Department Stores of Japan, and General Growth Properties.

What are some of the sustainable architectural design projects currently in place at Callison?

As a firm which prizes creativity how do they hire/find these types of people?

How is building sustainability changing the architectural industry, and how is Callison guiding the way?


CF Racing
http://www.cfracing.cn

Based out of Beijing this company is involved in racecar equipment.

Has CF looked into using eco-friendly designs to appeal to the younger environmentally friendly consumer?

What is CF’s strategy for future expansion?


Augmentum
http://www.augmentum.com

Augmentum is a company which offers software solutions services and IT services for Fortune 500 companies. The business also creates product development services to software companies, with teams who developing complex software themselves. They are unique because they develop software from people who have outsourced development for their own most complex, most important, and most profitable products and solutions. They work with companies such as Intel and Microsoft building software that gives consumers enabling abilities.

How do you overcome trust issues being an outsourcing company dealing with large American firms?

Explain what your company culture like?

How do you compete with Indian outsourcing companies?

Suzhou











Suzhou Industrial Park
http://www.sipac.gov.cn

The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (CS-SIP) was started on February 26th, 1994 when the Chinese Vice Premier and the Singapore Senior Minister signed an agreement on the park in Beijing. The industrial park built in east Suzhou, China has significant Singaporean input. The park was built near-simultaneously with the competing Suzhou New District industrial park which has caused controversy.

After occurring a loss of nearly $90 million (US) during the first five years of operations, the Singapore conglomerate lowered their ownership. One year after they reduced their share, the park saw its first profit of 3.8 million.

Has Singapore taken any steps to reclaim their part of the Suzhou Industrial Park?

How much does the industrial park pollute, and how do you regulate the damage?

What are the most profitable products manufactured in your industrial park?

Carrefour China
http://www.carrefour.com.cn/

This French retailing giant offers top quality items at discount prices. They make products ranging from clothing to household goods such as T-shirts, skirts, jeans, trousers, underwear, shoes, towels and bedding. They have headquarters in Paris, and locally in Guangzhou. Recently they have set up ventures in Kunming in the southwest capital of China's Yunnan province, and in Harbin, the capital of northernmost Heilongjiang province.

Their ‘First Line’ brand offers inexpensive kitchen appliances, audio, video and accessories, whereas their ‘Quality Line’ offers high quality and safety guaranteed fresh products such as pork, salmon, apples and oranges.

How do your company’s sales of such a diverse range of products help your profitability?

What will be the next move for expansion within Carefour?

Doesn’t four mean death in Chinese? How did you come up with the name for the company?


Beijing










21 Manager
http://www.21manager.com

21 Manager hosts a website where managers from Asia come to post info, ideas and share information. Some business ideas which managers talk about includee project management, marketing, human resources, and business culture.

On their website managers discuss recent business studies and they can exchange book recommendations and managerial suggestions. They also have job recruitment on their website.

Have you considered making your website in English, for increased business?

How do you generate revenue if your website is free?


Center for International Business and Ethics (CIBE)
http://www.cibe.org.cn

Located at Beijing Dongfang University, CIBE is an international non-profit research institution aiming to integrate ethics into businesses strategies by assisting the communication between scholars and businesses through seminars and conferences. Founded in December of 2004, CIBE’s focus is to increase awareness and understanding of Ethical issues within China. The institution hopes to become a leader/pioneer encouraging companies to make ethical business decisions. They create and distribute publications, programs and broadcasting material to organize projects and events to promote sound business ethics.

What is CIBE’s point of view about punishment when ethical issues are broken?


What organizations in China break most of CIBE’s ‘ethical codes’?

How do you convince a person that being ethical is more important than being profitable?


Thompson
http://www.thompson.com

Thompson is a publishing group starting in 1972 which provides professionals in business, government, law and academia the most authoritative, timely and practical guidance available. They provide tracking, and complying with, the dynamic regulatory mandates facing their organizations in a variety of areas. Some of the areas which they offer services in are with pensions and benefits, grants seeking, grants management, health care and with environment issues.

Which area of publication is seeing the most change and why?

How does Thompson keep such a healthy customer/ relationship?

How does Thomson keep a competitive edge over similar companies?


Lenvo
http://www.lenvo.com

Lenovo is an international technology company which develops, manufactures and markets cutting-edge, reliable, high-quality PC products. With over 19,000 employees worldwide Lenvo gives extra value with professional services that provide customers around the world with smarter ways to be productive and competitive. The company’s success is based on whether customers are able to achieve their productivity goals. Starting in 1984 with 11 computer scientists in Beijing, China and about $25,000 in startup capital, the company founded Legend which has helped introduced PCs to Chinese households, promoting PC usage in China. Later changing their name from Legend to Lenovo, the company is now a leader in the global PC market, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenue with products that serve consumers worldwide.

Has donating computers to victims of the SARS epidemic in China helped sales?

How much can Lenovo save with relatively inexpensive labor by operating out of China?

What are the key techniques your company uses to keep such high market share of the Chinese PC market?


Peking University
http://en.pku.edu.cn

Originally known as the Imperial University of Peking, the University was established in 1898. With 30 colleges, 12 departments, 93 undergraduate specialties, 199 specialties for Master's degrees and 173 specialties for PhDs, National Peking University it is currently ranked as the best university in Asia, (14th in the world). The university has one of the largest pools of international students in China with about 2000 mostly from Korean. The university is one of the oldest in China, and has a university policy which regulates the name use of Peking University in English rather than Beijing University to avoid confusion with Beijing Normal University.

Why doesn’t Peking University see higher numbers of students from North America or Europe?

What types of research is your university most famous for?

As an older establishment, what does Peking University need to do to remain cutting edge and professional?


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Excellent work and job.