Inside the Chinese Business Mind

The book I chose to read for the trip was a book written by Ted Sun. His book is titled as a tactical guide for managers which sounds dull but it really had a lot of good and useful information. The most helpful thing about the book is that it not only shared the Chinese side to management and business but it compared the two cultures, American to Chinese. This allows for his readers to pick up a better understanding and see the perceived differences and similarities between the two cultures. It starts off with a section about the increasing economic state and national power of the Chinese nation. After this brief section it goes into depth on topic such as context versus content and later compares business context in the west and east. The next section takes into account the westerners beliefs, values, business principles and challenges followed directly by the eastern Chinese views. Most of what is discussed in this section relates what we learned in class about family, gender, congruence, relation of government, business management, relationships, power distance, collectivism, individuality, and purpose. The main goal of this book is to communicate the differences between cultures in beliefs and values that drive business in the rapidly developing Chinese economy. Understanding the differences helps individuals and managers to develop functional and beneficial relationships. The book has multiple survey results and charts to help create a better picture for its readers. It also provides a few short stories to help the readers grasp lessons and main points. It was an interesting read that came along with helpful insights referred to as "mind gems" and each mind gem was followed with tactical steps to execute the topic at hand.