Here are some of the best links I’ve found today, related to the business of education in China.
(1) Why Chinese Study Abroad, an Independent Counselor’s Take:
Interview with a China-based, US-focused college counselor Joe Fuqua, from Enovate’s excellent blog. Fuqua explains the top three reasons why Chinese students go abroad. I think this quote, referring to why Chinese students prefer to study in the US, is particularly telling:
It’s impossible to explain the concept of “good fit” or “educational culture” to Chinese parents. They are paying top dollar for tuition, they want something to brag about.
(2) This article from China International Business profiles the cutthroat English training market in Beijing’s Haidian district:
It only makes sense that schools in a place like Haidian need to use every tool at their disposal to bring in the students. At times these may include trying to shut down the competition through legal injunction, imitating a competitor’s winning strategy, or simply undercutting a competitor’s price. But, as the old adage goes, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”
(3) This is an older, but a longer and better article from the same magazine, about the market for overseas education consulting
Note: China International Business magazine appears to have added the login request today, since it was not there this morning when I first read these articles.
(4) I like this funny article from ChinaSolved, The US is from Mars, China is from Venus because it illustrates how these two countries have completely different worldviews. It gives some concrete advice about cross-cultural negotiation too.
[Personal Sidenote / Tangent] It also mimics my thoughts about China in 2007, after I’d spent 1.5 years in and around Shanghai. I was debating whether to stay or return to the US. I found myself saying, “China and I, we met online. We quickly decided to move in together. It’s been fun. We switched things up after a year and it’s still fun. Now, should we break up or get married.” At the time, I was also thinking of my first geographic love, Latin America. (I was a Latin American Studies major in college, worked in Costa Rica, studied abroad in Chile, and never thought much about China until deciding to come here. It is true that China and I met online, through the website of the program that originally brought me to China in 2006.) Oh, and for the record, China and I went on a break for a year, then got back together. No wedding planned. [End of Tangent]
It really is a good article.
–Leslie
Yaxley Education’s Drew Ross wrote this article for China Success Stories, where it was published on November 13, 2008. The original post attracted many comments, which I invite you to check out.
One of the greatest frustrations for many foreigners when they begin working in China is the inability for many people to say one simple word: no. Saying the ‘n’ word sounds easy, but it is actually, for the vast majority of us, incredibly difficult. Whether one does not have the ability to do something or does not have the time, learning how to politely refuse a task is an essential tool that can both improve productivity and maximise time.
Teaching your staff and the people around you to say ‘no’ can be hard – especially when we are, after all, in China and saying ‘no’ can sometimes be regarded as impolite in Chinese culture. How can one balance these cultural sensitivities with the need for direct and honest answers?