Full Question
What should be included in a manual on doing Business in China? I am writing a manual for our company's sourcing division.
Answer
If you want a comprehensive list of items to be covered, then you may find this table of contents from The Essential Reference Guide To China Sourcing of interest:
Introduction
- What the reader can expect to gain & why I decided to write this book
- How the book is organized
- Assumptions about the reader & terminology
- What this book isn't
- Disclaimer
- Keeping current
Preface by Global Sources COO Peter Zapf
- China Sourcing Overview
- Brief history of China sourcing
- Looking forward
- Managing Expectations
- Language & culture
- Business culture
- How buying back home differs from buying in China
- Step One: Sourcing Feasibility
- Is your product a good match for China sourcing?
- Confirming availability
- Door-to-door cost modeling
- Step Two: Finding the Right Supplier
- Geographic overview
- Types of suppliers
- Foreign trade rights
- Avoiding middlemen - What most China sourcing agents, trading companies and brokers don't want you to know!
- Step Three: Organizing an Efficient Request for Quotation (RFQ)
- Defining the ideal type of supplier for your particular project
- Engaging potential suppliers
- Evaluating quotations
- Picking a winner
- Options if you need help picking a winner
- Step Four: Face to Face
- Negotiation tips
- "Socializing with your Chinese supplier in China"
- Step Five: Placing the PO (Purchase Order)
- The illusion of communication
- Setting the road map to success in the form of a well written PO package
- Step Six: Vendor Management/ Order Fulfillment & Project management tools
- Intellectual Property Protection
- Quality Control (QC)
- Why so many QC problems in China?
- Understanding QC basics
- Buyer's quality assurance tool box
- Addition Templates and Checklists
- E-mail protocol
- Document revision management
- International travel checklist
- Local travel checklist
- Petty cash
- Effective conference calls
- Handling business cards
- Taxi cabs
- Factory visit logistics
- Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
- What to do when things go wrong
- Third-Party Support
- Quality assurance specialists (3PQC)
- Testing labs
- Freight forwarders (3PL)
- Sourcing/purchasing agents
- Engineering
- Tool & die shops/ Tooling stewards
- Business intelligence, surveillance and investigations
- Lawyers
- Business formation
- Online resources
- Conclusion
Appendix One: Short Articles of Interest
- What is VAT and Why Should I Worry About It? By Mike Bellamy
- Global Sources' Interview with Mike Bellamy about Audits and Inspections
- Paul Hornikx's interview with Mike Bellamy about Options for Third-party Engineering
