Last Day in Beijing
Posted 06/04/2010 8:00 AM
After a great day with GE and Brady, we spent today at Oshkosh Corporation. The meetings yesterday with GE consisted of a very detailed cultural synopsis of the country of China, and included GE's strategic and Human Resource recruitment, training and retention components.
The Brady tour was very impressive and we were able to not only see some production lines, but also meet with Chinese researchers and scientists who develop new products. We also talked about acquisitions and the growing pains companies face when deciding to make and acquisition. The information was very practical and direct. We went to a great dinner of Peking Duck with the Brady staff after the meeting.
Today we started the day at Oshkosh's Beijing Office. We met at their office not too far from our hotel. We had met with Jennifer Thompson of Oshkosh back in Wisconsin and that meeting laid the ground work for understanding their operations here in China. Today we discussed China-U.S. relations at Oshkosh's office and we were fortunate enough to have meetings with the U.S. Commercial Service as well. We learned a lot about China's growth, and the challenges associated with doing business here. This is a place of many opportunities, but all opportunities certainly come with challenges. Patience, Relations and Commitment are the 3 big pillars for being successful here and our discussions were very detailed and insightful. After the meetings, we went to the Pearl market and the Silk market to purchase gifts for family and friends. The experience of negotiating with the Chinese as a tourist was certainly an eye opening experience for everyone.
Tonight some of us met with Paul Jensen, an MSOE mechanical engineering alum from '88. He does consulting work here in Beijing and we had a great conversation about Expatriate life, Healthcare in China, Corruption, IPR issues, and Talent flow of human capital between the U.S. and China. Tomorrow we will visit the Great Wall, the company Foton, and then leave for Xi'an. We will take the night train and arrive on Sunday. Should be a great trip!
Until Next time,
Doing Business in China class 2010