Sunday, November 12, 2006
Don't Push Too Far Your Dreams of China in Your Hand
I love China. There are so many fascinating aspects to it. I also think that in so many ways the civilisation and culture is preferable to that of the western markets.
It seems that everyone shares this love from a business perspective. China is the great hope in so many ways. David Harvey of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore once told me that capitalism can only work well if it can continue to grow. Given its inherent contradictory (and uncontrollable) logic, this can only happen when there are great sinks for the capital to flow into - if you look in history you see that this is true:
- US and post war Europe
- Western European powers and Colonial / US growth
- Through global technological forces and Governmental change, the opening of vast sinks in the BRIC economies. China especially.
So those are the opportunities. However don't confuse this with a simple adaptation of the western model. It just won't work. There are so many differences and challenges that need to be considered from a perspective of building a platform for engagement:
- people's proaction in joining multiple times
- the challenges of the local IT environment
- the attention span in certain regions of the country
I see so many western models, that just won't work, applied there. So many of these considerations are just not accounted for. And that affects quality.
China in your hand? You can try!....
It seems that everyone shares this love from a business perspective. China is the great hope in so many ways. David Harvey of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore once told me that capitalism can only work well if it can continue to grow. Given its inherent contradictory (and uncontrollable) logic, this can only happen when there are great sinks for the capital to flow into - if you look in history you see that this is true:
- US and post war Europe
- Western European powers and Colonial / US growth
- Through global technological forces and Governmental change, the opening of vast sinks in the BRIC economies. China especially.
So those are the opportunities. However don't confuse this with a simple adaptation of the western model. It just won't work. There are so many differences and challenges that need to be considered from a perspective of building a platform for engagement:
- people's proaction in joining multiple times
- the challenges of the local IT environment
- the attention span in certain regions of the country
I see so many western models, that just won't work, applied there. So many of these considerations are just not accounted for. And that affects quality.
China in your hand? You can try!....
