Amazingly, we are almost a full month into the new year, and have a lot of great China Sourcing Information Center content to review. Check out below some of our favorite articles from January. Continue reading
We have written a few times in the past about the value of Social Audits for imports from Asia. Never more has this been apparent than this recent story from the USA. When opening a box of her Chinese-made Halloween decorations, Julie Keith, American, found an alarming letter:
As a sales representative based in Shenzhen, I frequently hear from Western clients who find it hard doing business with Chinese nationals and with their suppliers. They often tell me that it is hard to get close to them and gain their trust. However, anyone who is seeking to do business in China needs to understand Chinese culture – especially the concept of Guanxi. Continue reading
When any reliable inspector visits a factory for a client’s order, he or she is looking to be able to complete a comprehensive inspection in a relatively short amount of time, with infinitely detailed checkpoints. While seemingly on the “opposing team” from the factory, inspectors will generally ask for assistance from the factory to complete the inspection within the time constraints. Some factories claim they do not have the man-power to help or simply are unwilling due to their disdain for the inspector. But is it normal for an inspector to request the factory’s help? And if so what can the factory be of assistance with? Continue reading
Continuing on with our summer interview series (see interviews with Mike Bellamy and Sophie Mao), this week we talked with Jamon Yerger, of Southern Perspective Shenzhen. Learn more about his company, and whether or not their services might be right for you—they provide conflict resolution services for importers who wish to work out problems with their factory, rather than end their relationship. Continue reading
Fiducia, our fellow CSIC sponsor puts out some great insights in their China Focus newsletter. Continue reading
In our article from February, Social Compliance: Apple’s Foxconn Dilemma, we discussed the plight of one of the most notable factories in the world.
Just weeks later, after much bad publicity, Apple and Foxconn decided to hire 10s of thousands of new employees limit the hours, improve worker safety and housing. While this is great news, it is also being said that perhaps Apple will have to raise prices, which may be slightly hard to swallow for clients given the already absurd profit margins they see.
The major question I have is, once the fixes have been made, when quality inspectors and auditors visit, will the changes be noticeable? Will things eventually revert back to the way they are when they are very busy and understaffed?
Check out more about these new developments here.
While it is not the first time we publish an article based on the cultural differences between Asians and Westerners (see: Making Sense of China), this time we’ll try to be a little more graphic. We hope these examples help importers and people who are often associated with Chinese to better understand some of the quirks that differentiate the West from Asia. Continue reading
You’ve found a factory in China and before ordering your product and booking inspections are taking the intelligent step to visit yourself to ensure that your factory is acceptable and its quality control standards are up to snuff. Great! But do you know the basics of the culture enough to interact with the native Chinese without being too disoriented?
In China, more so than almost anywhere in the world, it is important to understand some of the cultural differences that separate the culture from that of the West. There are wide disparities that are often misunderstood by Westerners that with a little training could lead to more effective communication and overall less confusion. Continue reading
Check out AQF’s guest blog post, Sourcing from Asia & Avoiding Middlemen, on Globial’s blog today. For those of you who have never heard of Globial, it is a brand new business network meant for small and medium sized businesses involved in international trade. It is free and a cool way to interact with and meet new suppliers and other importers! You have a public profile, and can post statuses (like you might see in Facebook) with questions or comments for your connections to see. Try it out!
