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Ethnic Chinese control a staggering 98 percent of the East Asian economy outside Korea and Japan. For any company seeking to work with the Chinese, understanding the unique social and cultural values that underpin their commercial practices can make or break business dealings before they even get off the ground.

Ming-Jer Chen, a leading expert on business strategy and competition, offers Western managers the definitive guide to navigating the fascinating-but often confusing-Chinese business world. Drawing from his intimate knowledge of Chinese culture and history, and from his extensive managerial work and international experience, Chen provides an unrivalled insider's perspective on how to work, compete, and cooperate successfully with Chinese companies around the globe.

Inside Chinese Business explains that almost all major Chinese organizations are relationship-based and continue to be influenced by an enduring set of cultural and social principles. Building on this premise with examples from companies throughout Asia and North America, the book addresses issues including:

Chinese "business families" and their transformation in the new century.
Guanxi: what it is, how it works, and how Western managers can develop their own business networks.
The influence of traditional Chinese concepts such as "face," balance, harmony, and social roles on contemporary business conduct.
How to spot a yesno: understanding Chinese communication patterns.
The Chinese distaste for "negotiation"-and how to negotiate with them.
The cultural roots of Chinese competitive practices, and ways Western companies can successfully adapt these ideas.
Navigating the People's Republic of China's transitional economy.
Using cultural difference to develop a globally integrative business perspective.

A powerful guide to resolving the often overwhelming rifts between Western and Eastern ways of doing business, Inside Chinese Business presents critical lessons for global enterprise in the 21st century.