Americans like to think of themselves as entreprenuers and builders.  Okay, fair enough, we are.  No need for false humility.  But so are others, particularly in China. 

My hot cup of jo’ this morning tasted particularly good due to how much enjoyment I received while reading this front page Wall Street Journal article, Tools of a Minster To Modern Seamen: Cash, Phone Cards.  Now THIS dude can teach an MBA student, a business prof and business schools a thing or two about being an entreprenuer; only he does it for Providence and not cash (okay maybe he has his weak spots re: profitability, but even entreprenuers are entitled to be do-gooders).  But give this man (of God) credit — he can flat our spot a niche market in Hong Kong and serve it in a way that others are not, and talk about a poster child for the marketing precept of “knowing your customer”!

PS — as a follow up to Professor Ramezani’s talk and your econ courses, see this very relevant China Law Blog post of earlier today, “Why China Grows So Fast.”

It’s both. No debate on the first category. Re: the second, as just one example, the gentleman from Nike that recently visited the Ofalea College, Mike McBreen (Director of Nike’s Global Operations who also spoke at our winter undergrad graduation ceremony), told us during a luncheon that 80 percent of what Nike makes in China it in turn sells there in its domestic market. Mike was probably the best and most intellectually engaging (and convincing, yet humble) business speakers I have heard in years.

This Wall Street Journal article, For Some Manufacturers, There Are Benefits to Keeping Production at Home, does a nice job highlighting for you what type of manufacturing moves to China and what type tends to stay home here in the US. To gain a feel for how the services industry and market for foreign firms is developing and set to take off in China, see this recent China Law Blog post, China New Investment Rules ….