JUHA LASSILA 劳尤豪

Best of The China Boom Project

2011-06-21T22:18:00.001+03:00

The China Boom Project is a multimedia research, public education, and oral history project designed to explore the question “Why did China boom?“ by recording the collective wisdom of our moment.

China BOOM: 1 question. 100 experts.

"Chinese Companies React Faster"
Edward Tse, Chairman, Greater China, Booz & Company

"China's Youth Fuels the Consumer Boom"
Shaun Rein, Managing Director, China Market Research Group

"Training the Chinese Consumer"
Sun Baohong, professor of Marketing, CKGSB

"What do Chinese Consumers Want?"
Sun Baohong, professor of Marketing, CKGSB

"The Model Should Be 300 Copies of New York, not Los Angeles"
Daniel Rosen, Founder, Rhodium Group

Leadership is the problem; Team is the key

2011-03-05T08:54:00.001+02:00

In a recent blog entry, Pekka Karhuvaara (CEO of MTV Media) distilled key points of leadership.

The most import task of the leader is to find the team. Strategy comes long after this 'cause strategy is created in co-operation with good individuals.
Enthusiasm is very important. Enthusiasm is belief that is converted into action. Create a strategic choice that you can believe in.
The things that everyone can believe in are not generated in your head only, they arise form the dialog with good people. Of course, the CEO is solely accountable for everything.
There are many kinds of leaders. One type is authentic, a guy who acts the same way at the office, home and in the bar. He doesn't have to show off, and he is not afraid of asking stupid questions.
Responsibilities have to be clear. The CEO is accountable for everything and other directors are responsible for their units. Either the boss does stupid things himself or he let's his his team members do stupid things.
If the organization is in trouble then you have to celebrate even the smallest victories. Final victory should never be declared, that's the starting point of next decline.
It should be fun at work. Laughter is important.The issues are serious but don't take yourself too seriously.
Real appreciation of the individual and fairness are at the core of the leadership. As individuals, the boss and his subordinates are equals. Beware of ivory towers and closed groups. The respect of an individual is determined by his input to teamwork and common good.

UK Trade & Investment - China Business Perspectives

2011-02-05T10:27:00.001+02:00

This film documentary contains informative accounts of the experiences of UK companies doing business in China. The aim is to provide the audience with practical, first-hand knowledge underpinned by valuable evidence-based research.

Download the case study annex here

Intro

Part 1: A pot of gold?

Part 2: Dealing with government

Part 3: HR - Finding the right people

Part 4: Markets and brands

Writer's Yardstick for Effective Letters & Memos

2010-04-05T16:00:00.007+03:00

While I was arranging my "archives" I stumbled upon a very practical piece of information.
Neil Smee some gave this at one of his lectures at Helsinki School of Economics some 20 years ago .

The advice is still valid and worth "recycling", so here we go:

-----

OPENING STATEMENT answers three questions for your reader, usually in the following order:

1. Why are you writing the memo?

Explain what prompts your memo now - an answer to a letter? confirm a conversation? at someone's request?
Stress importance of the subject, if your reader is unfamiliar with it.

2. What is your memo about?

State your Position (or Problem if Position is controversial), explaining what you want your reader to do or believe as a result of your reading your memo. Position usually should be stated no later than second paragraph.
Define special terms and give assumptions and limitations of your study.

3. How is subject to be discussed?

List your Issues, or better still, your Conclusions and Recommendations, making your Opening Statement a summary of your memo.

BODY OF MEMO introduces Data supporting each Issue or Conclusion listed in the Opening Statement. Keep three rules in mind:

Discuss issues in descending order of importance.
Start each Issue with statement of your Conclusion; then present your Data to support the Conclusion.
Present only enough Data to make your Conclusion clear to your Reader. Put supplementary Data in attachment.

SUMMING UP

Recap your MAJOR Conclusions discussed in the Body.
Restate your Position.
Give your Recommendations

the action program you want your reader to carry out or,
the future work that you intend to do.

PARAGRAPHS. Check your paragraphs for four items

Limit each paragraph to one (1) topic.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.
Limit your paragraphs to four to five sentences, or about 1 to 1,5 inches, single space.
Link sentences in a paragraph by

repeating a word or idea from preceding sentence, or
a connective.

SENTENCES: Follow five rules in editing your sentences

Limit sentences to a maximum of two ideas, or two verbs.
Check every sentence over three lines, counting the number of verbs it contains.
Omit unnecessary words, checking each word to see whether it can be left out, or one or two words used instead of three or more.
Use only words you would use in conversation with your key reader.
Keep the verb at the beginning of the sentence

-----

With this checklist we should be able to write more convincing materials, provided that we know what we are writing about and provided that we can structure and present the content using the good-old MECE principle (by McKinsey).

Mutually Exclusive (each idea is distinct and separate; overlap represents muddled thinking) and
Collectively Exhaustive (you've covered all the possibilities; you've thought of everything).
If your presentation is sloppy and muddled, your audience will think that your thinking is also sloppy and muddled.

China - From opportunities to action - A seminar by Sitra 24.11.2009

2009-11-26T16:46:00.003+02:00

Another set of interesting presentations, this time by Sitra - The Finnish Innovation Fund.

The presentations can be found here: www.sitra.fi/kiinaseminaari

And the webcast is here: http://webcast.magneetto.com/sitra/seminaarit/kiinaseminaari

For the English-speaking audience I would recommend Mikael Björkman's "Managing People in China: A Cultural Perspective"

Want to flip for quality information? Check out Google FastFlip

2009-10-15T12:40:00.003+03:00

Absolutely fantastic piece of service from Google Labs: Fast Flip

Try these links:
- China
- Seth Godin
- Social Media

TED: David Logan on tribal leadership

2009-10-15T11:58:00.001+03:00

Takeaway points from David Logan's TEDxUSC talk March 2009:

People form tribes. A tribe is a small group of people.
All tribes are not the same. What makes all the difference is tribal culture.
Tribal culture has five stages

Stage 1: Life sucks.
Stage 2: My life sucks.
Stage 3: I'm great (and you're not).
Stage 4: We are great.
Stage 5: Life is great.

Leaders are fluent in all five tribal stages.
Tribes can only hear one stage above and below where they are.
Leaders nudge people and the tribe to the next stage.
Leaders create value by extending the reach of their tribes.
Will your tribe make a difference?
Will your tribe change the world?

Chinalization of the West

2009-09-07T09:57:00.001+03:00

China is developing and becoming like a Western country? No way! Western countries are more influenced by China. If you are fluent in Finnish then read this report by EVA researchers Jack Ilmonen and Sakari Puisto: "Kiina mullistaa lännen".

Kiinan talouden nousun myötä monet länsimaissa odottavat, että Kiina muuttuisi asteittain entistä enemmän länsimaita muistuttavaksi yhteiskunnaksi. Tämän analyysin kirjoittajat, Kiinassa toimineet nuoren polven suomalaiset asiantuntijat väittävät, että oletus osuu harhaan. Pikemminkin kehitys tulee kulkemaan toisin päin: Kiinalaisten ajattelu- ja toimintatapojen merkitys tulee korostumaan myös muualla maailmassa. Siksi länsimaisten toimijoiden kannattaa oppia tuntemaan Kiinaa ja kiinalaista elämäntapaa syvällisesti, maan omista lähtökohdista ja paikallista toimintalogiikkaa ymmärtäen.

Must read reports by Chambers of Commerce

2009-08-30T23:24:00.004+03:00

Recently, AmCham and BritCham published very useful reports.

Manufacturing In China by AmCham discusses of motives for setting up operations in China as well as manufacturing best practices.

BritCham's Summer Edition of Chamber Eye provides a comprehensive report of due dilegence.