What should be included in a manual on doing business in China?

Full Question

What should be included in a manual on doing Business in China? I am writing a manual for our company's sourcing division.

Answer

If you want a comprehensive list of items to be covered, then you may find this table of contents from The Essential Reference Guide To China Sourcing of interest:

Introduction

1. What the reader can expect to gain & why I decided to write this book
2. How the book is organized
3. Assumptions about the reader & terminology
4. What this book isn't
5. Disclaimer
6. Keeping current

Preface by Global Sources COO Peter Zapf

1. China Sourcing Overview
   • Brief history of China sourcing
   • Looking forward
2. Managing Expectations
   • Language & culture
   • Business culture
   • How buying back home differs from buying in China
3. Step One: Sourcing Feasibility
   • Is your product a good match for China sourcing?
   • Confirming availability
   • Door-to-door cost modeling
4. Step Two: Finding the Right Supplier
   • Geographic overview
   • Types of suppliers
   • Foreign trade rights
   • Avoiding middlemen - What most China sourcing agents, trading companies and brokers don't want you to know!
5. Step Three: Organizing an Efficient Request for Quotation (RFQ)
   • Defining the ideal type of supplier for your particular project
   • Engaging potential suppliers
   • Evaluating quotations
   • Picking a winner
   • Options if you need help picking a winner
6. Step Four: Face to Face
   • Negotiation tips
   • "Socializing with your Chinese supplier in China"
7. Step Five: Placing the PO (Purchase Order)
   • The illusion of communication
   • Setting the road map to success in the form of a well written PO package
8. Step Six: Vendor Management/ Order Fulfillment & Project management tools
9. Intellectual Property Protection
10. Quality Control (QC)
    • Why so many QC problems in China?
    • Understanding QC basics
    • Buyer's quality assurance tool box
11. Addition Templates and Checklists
    • E-mail protocol
    • Document revision management
    • International travel checklist
    • Local travel checklist
    • Petty cash
    • Effective conference calls
    • Handling business cards
    • Taxi cabs
    • Factory visit logistics
    • Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
12. What to do when things go wrong
13. Third-Party Support
    • Quality assurance specialists (3PQC)
    • Testing labs
    • Freight forwarders (3PL)
    • Sourcing/purchasing agents
    • Engineering
    • Tool & die shops/ Tooling stewards
    • Business intelligence, surveillance and investigations
    • Lawyers
    • Business formation
    • Online resources
14. Conclusion

Appendix One: Short Articles of Interest

1. What is VAT and Why Should I Worry About It? By Mike Bellamy
2. Global Sources' Interview with Mike Bellamy about Audits and Inspections
3. Paul Hornikx's interview with Mike Bellamy about Options for Third-party Engineering