MBA Talk on “The Chinese Negotiation” - Singapore

Alumni in Singapore gathered for a MBA Talk, organised by the Imperial College Alumni Association of Singapore - 20 June 2007

The fourth MBA talk this year was given by Mark Lam on 20 June 2007, at the Auditorium at Air Transport Training College.  It was organized by the MBA Wing of ICAAS, with cooperation from the British Alumni (Singapore). 

Mark Lam is Chairman, Executive Committee and CEO of Live365.  He has just completed a book by McGraw Hill - "China Now" - with Professor John L. Graham, an authority in international marketing and negotiation, on doing business with China.  Attendees were able to buy the book at 20% discount after the talk.

Executives doing business with China typically prepare themselves with etiquette tips. These may get them started, but a much deeper understanding of Chinese culture is needed to sustain business relationships over the longer term. The central cause of communication breakdowns is due to a cultural ignorance. To help remedy this dangerous lack of knowledge, Lam explained the four cultural threads that have shaped Chinese thinking over thousands of years. These cultural underpinnings explain eight elements that define the Chinese negotiating style.