Insights
Pick Our Brains
Clarity For The Way Forward
Our articles are mainly about China, a reflection of our in-market experience.
Almost all the China articles are published by reputable media and trade publications or feature the insights of LB Chong, one of our partners (note: relevant copyrights apply).
The insights set out here are a fraction our in depth experience. A case in point: Take a look at these book reviews by Professor Wee of Nanyang Business School and Mr. Cosgrove, winner of Australian Entrepreneur of the Year, on a book on China by LB Chong.
So, please connect, and let us know your specific areas of interests and we will be happy to share our insights.
Sincerely yours? A value driven management approach
Publication: IE Singapore & Manchester Business School
For many Foreign Players, working with a Chinese partner to adapt its home model for the Chinese market place seems the obvious option. Yet, track record in this regard is generally...read article.
Despite the political mudslinging, Americans & Chinese are not so different
Publication: Caixin Global
Just to state the obvious, the novel coronavirus doesn’t pick sides. But politics does – also stating the obvious. Instead of a cease-fire, the opposite is happening as the US-China mudslinging...read article.
Nestle: Crafting the art of goodwill in China
Publication: China Business Review, Nanyang Business School & ISCA
In 1979, Nestle started negotiations for re-entering China, eventually inking its first joint venture in 1987; and it has been honing the art of crafting goodwill in China ever since...read article.
Opening Happiness: An oral history of Coca-Cola in China
Publication: Fortune featuring LB, one of our partners
Fortune article by Scott Cendrowski featuring interviews with LB Chong, our director. Coca-Cola’s journey to be where it is now in China – from a western soda that was banned by Mao in 1978 to...read article.
Google's playbook to succeed in China
Publication: Caixin Global
Google’s previous foray to provide search services to Chinese netizens was besieged with setbacks; and it pulled the plug in China in 2010. In view of tightened control on internet and media...read article.
Managing a Chinese Partner: Insights from Global Companies
Publication: Trade title published by Palgrave Macmillan
Danone, Nestle, Coca-Cola and SABMiller are similar in some ways, but adopted different approaches in China with different consequences. This book takes a look at the development...find out more.
Joint venture show signs of aging, but still have some life
Publication: Caixin Global featuring LB, one of our partners
My discussion of joint ventures began in a recent meeting with Singaporean Lub Bun Chong, author of the book “Managing a Chinese Partner,” who had his own very specific ideas...read article.
Jack Ma's True Mission is Not Retail, But Globalization
Publication: Caixin Global & NTU Link (NTU Alumni Newsletter)
Jack Ma’s destiny, it seems, is not limited to leading the “A-team” that built Alibaba to where and what it is now. As he put it himself in a Bloomberg interview, “I think some day, and soon, I'll go...read article.
After rebuff, Top Chinese Marketing Firm Takes Second Shot at North America
Publication: Caixin Global featuring LB, one of our partners
BlueFocus, China’s largest public relations and marketing firm, said it will buy U.S. peer Eleven Holdings Inc. for up to $80 million, moving ahead with a global expansion despite Washington’s...read article.
Paid in China: Bill Collecting Poses Big Challenge for Foreign Firms
Publication: Caixin Global featuring LB, one of our partners
About a decade ago, a smug American friend boasted to me that his expensive Washington law firm had helped a Chinese battery-maker successfully defend itself against a patent lawsuit bought...read article.
Is ruined Dick Clark deal the beginning of the end of China’s Hollywood buying binge?
Publication: SCMP featuring LB, one of our partners
Wanda’s latest plan for big-screen glory is in tatters. Some suggest a lack of cash, or Trump’s anti-Chinese rhetoric, while others insist it’s more to do with Chinese government pressure...read article.
Yuan outflow limit to hit smaller Chinese firms but seen temporary
Publication: SCMP featuring LB, one of our partners
The Chinese central bank’s move to limit and tighten scrutiny on yuan outflows via lending to offshore entities may make it more difficult for less established mainland firms to buy offices...read article.
Localization: It’s harder than you think
Publication: In-house
“Rupert Murdoch gives up on China with sale of Star China TV”, this headline blared on The Telegraph; and James Murdoch conceded at the end of the article that Star China TV had made...read article.
Localization & Performance: A Tale of Two JVs
Publication: In-house
Based on two Sino-Foreign JVs in China, this book looks at the impact of localization on their respective corporate performances over a 7 year period. Both are foreign owned, started...read article.
Solar Subsidy Meltdown Spotlights How Beijing Gives, Takes Away
Publication: Caixin Global featuring LB, one of our partners
Make hay while the sun shines, and don’t store all your Chinese eggs in one basket. Those farmyard bits of wisdom are two of the biggest lessons coming from this week’s column...read article.
Insights & Resource On Transaction (All In-house)
In the next few articles, we share our insights and some resources on fund raising and management buy-out. These are high level materials, and please connect with us for two-way discussions to get the best insights.
Fund Raising: Lessons from the tortoise and the hare
Realistic expectation is one of the vital factors that contribute to the success of a fund raising exercise – for the company, its advisors and potential investors. When expectations are not...read article.
Not just profits: the softer side to a successful IPO
How much profit does my company need to IPO? This is one of the most common questions raised by companies aspiring to become publicly listed. This is a very important and valid...read article.
Investment Teaser: Getting your first date with investors
An investment teaser is typically a short 2-3 page document that is used to solicit initial investor interest for a business. As the name suggests, it is used to "tease" investors to secure a "first date"; and like any "first date", it is important to say enough but not too much.
Download our sample teaser.
Info Memo: The courtship after the first date
An info memo follows the investment teaser, and it contains detailed information which is used for making an informed assessment for an investment in the business. Like any "courtship" after the "first date", it is important that both sides truly get to know each other during this period.
Download our sample info memo.
Management buyout: the once-in-a lifetime opportunity
In this paper, we look at three key questions, namely, (a) is the MBO do-able i.e. why would the owner sell (b) how to pitch a MBO i.e. value proposition to convince the owner to sell, and the investors to fund the deal and (c) how long does a MBO take?
Download our MBO paper.
Connect with us to engage in two-way discussions and get interactive insights.