Read the different sections of the proposal and then drag and drop them under the appropriate headings to complete it.
The main problems faced by PJ Stanley in their efforts to get a foothold in the China market are related to difficulties establishing contacts and finding clients in Chungking, Chengdu and Kunming because of:
| Chungking | } | Estimated cost for each location including printing and distribution costs: $60,000 x 3 = $180,000 |
| Chengdu | ||
| Kunming |
Based upon similar cases involving previous clients, we strongly recommend the following action to cement PJ Stanley’s position in China.
Short term - To ease the immediate problem, we shall investigate local translating services in the three cities as well as in Hong Kong. Clearly using a local service in China will be cheaper but in terms of confidentiality, Hong Kong might prove to be a better provider. We shall advise you accordingly.
Long term - Given that many of the Hong Kong based staff are not proficient in Mandarin, we shall also make enquiries about running regular in-house customer service and business Putonghua classes. We have a number of providers that we have worked with before and will obtain quotes before making a final recommendation.
Short - medium term - However, we believe that as it will take some time to see results from this initiative, PJ Stanley need to recruit bilingual / trilingual sales staff who will be responsible for ‘on-the-ground’ operations in Chungking, Chengdu and Kunming immediately. We suggest these staff be divided into three specialised promotional and sales teams operating in the three cities. We will be happy to work alongside your Human Resources Office in the recruitment process and to assist in the vetting procedure.
PJ Stanley Limited is a well established financial services company originally founded in the United Kingdom and now operating worldwide. PJ Stanley’s Hong Kong operation has been in existence for over 50 years and incorporates:
The scope of PJ Stanley’s clients work has always been on personal clients in the upper income bracket and so, given the enormous personal wealth generated there in recent years, PJ Stanley has been keen to enter the mainland Chinese market. In particular though, they are targeting China’s second and third tier cities as cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are already saturated with financial advisers. Initial forays into Chungking, Chengdu and Kunming have so far yielded only very modest results.
This will be dealt with separately and once all of the points itemised in this proposal have been agreed upon.
It is clear that contacts in the local business communities, media and government authorities have to be established in order to make progress in China. It is equally clear that lack of experienced, Putonghua speaking front-line staff is one of the key reasons for this shortcoming and as such, we believe that the measures suggested to solve the first problem should in part at least solve this one.
However, the concept of guanxi should not be underestimated and it appears that here, JP Stanley is in a decidedly disadvantaged situation.
For each city, we will therefore draw up a comprehensive list of:
Upon compiling the list, we shall work closely with JP Stanley’s in-house public relations team and the translation service provider to develop a bi-lingual introductory information package for distribution in Chungking, Chengdu and Kunming.
We shall also arrange a number of presentations at venues at some of the locations on the list as well as at major hotels in the three cities.
PJ Stanley Limited, a major global financial services operator is experiencing problems accessing its client base in China, particularly in some of China’s emerging ‘second-tier’ cities.
Clifford Charles Communications Limited has compiled a comprehensive proposal to deal with PJ Stanley’s difficulties which include:
Based upon CCC’s impressive record over the years helping major international firms to establish themselves in mainland China, it is predicted that the recommendations in this document can be achieved within budget and according to schedule.
| Chungking – contacts list | } | Deadline 21/XX/20XX |
| Chengdu – contacts list | ||
| Kunming – contacts list |
| Chungking | } | Deadline 28/XX/20XX |
| Chengdu | ||
| Kunming |
Since there are clearly problems understanding the complex and often contradictory content of business law in China, we recommend that staff attend a series of training sessions under the heading of ‘Business Law in China’ run by Prof. Edmund Xiao at Hong Kong University. These courses are offered over four weeks and they run three times a year covering:
It might be possible to run the sessions as an in-house training course we will certainly discuss this with HKU. Again though, as with the language skills problem, we must advise PJ Stanley to look closely at their recruitment policies as it seems clear that staff with comprehensive knowledge of the legal system, particularly the corporate legal system, is crucial to establishing a client base and expanding it in the long run.
We shall also contact the Hong Kong Trade Development Council which publishes a Guide to Doing Business in China annually.
Increasing opportunities and improving financial services in the PRC
The benefits to JP Stanley of the recommendations outlined in this proposal are many and varied.
To improve the language skills of JPS staff, clearly more than one approach is required and we believe that tackling the issue in the short, medium and long term will provide the most effective and comprehensive solution. We also believe that liaising with language experts is vital for effective communication in China.
As with the language skills proposals, we firmly believe that working with experts in the field and spending time and money on training will bring about positive results in the long run.
We cannot stress too highly the value which must be placed on public relations and networking in China. In order to do business, you have to meet people and in order to meet people you have ‘get out there’ in the market place and sell your services. We are confident that the suggestions we have proposed will provide JP Stanley with the platform and the audience to do business in China.
Having advised a significant number of major international companies on increasing their exposure in China and accessing customers, we believe that here at Clifford Charles Communications Limited, we possess:
to allow you to establish a solid foundation and lucrative business venture in mainland China.