1. Chengdu promised: to give “one hour to the world”
On February 1st, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) announced that the Municipal Government of Chengdu had promised on January 29th that it participate in the activity of the “Earth Hour 2010” at 20:30 of March 27th, which indicated Chengdu had become the first city to join the WWF China “Earth Hour 2010”, and the prelude of the activity in China was also drew open therefrom.
2. Green Chengdu, 100 electric buses to drive on streets this year
This year, the program of actions on the promotion of the industrialization of electric vehicles of Chengdu City had finally settled, learnt the journalist recently from the Municipal Energy Office. The program fixed the execution of the “Hundred-thousand-ten-thousands” project, the demonstration and popularization of electric buses, namely hundred urban public transport, thousand taxis and ten thousand private cars. According to the program phased targets, in 2010, Chengdu will complete the target of putting into the demonstrational operation of 100 electric buses and 100 electric city sanitation trucks. The State Grid Corporation Sichuan branch then launched a supporting facilities construction project, and will build 3 electric vehicle charging stations and 300 charging stacks in Chengdu this year. In 2012, Chengdu will form a production capacity of 20,000 electric vehicles.
According to the PC World and other sources, it is saying that the launch day would be March 26th due to current production problem. Soon we will get to see this iPad Wi-Fi version and later in 30 days after this, there would be another 3G version again.
Additionally, launch timing would be similar to iPhone. They will start selling this t 6 PM by local time. Also we can see iPad commerical on March 15th.
Well, though the official launch timing was delayed, still I am getting excited with this new device, iPad. Hey guys, you are ready to own iPad? but we need to wait another 3 weeks more. However if we would be on the line for purchasing iPad on that day, we could expect any “special gift” as well.
I have changed my mouse a couple of days ago because of slow moving and no precise pointing as well as click button trouble. The Acer bundle mouse was replaced with not really the latest model of Microsoft Laser Mouse 5000. Due to exterior design, it looked like ergonomic style and seemed to be comfortable in using the mouse.
What about real situation on the mouse? The mouse is really poor on the design. Even though Microsoft released the design and feature is ergonomic style, but the real fact is not really ergonomic. Rather it causes more wrist fatigue.
Here is something poor quality on the product.
1. Two side poor button.
The thing really bothering using is the two side button. Especially right side button causes a lot of wrong clicking to right-hand users. When I try to move left to right, my finger unconsciously touches the right side button.
2. Heavy Handling
On the mouse, the users need to install 2 AA batteries on the mouse. Therefore it is little bit heavier than any mouse. In handling, the users can experience uncomfortable handling. The center of weight is placed at the bottom on the mouse as well. It generally gives not good user experience.
Finally, I can not understand and find what the mouse has on competitiveness. It’s saying the mouse has ergonomic design, but I believe this is only looking and design. In the real using, the ergonomic design does not exist any more.
What a poor product development and quality. I should have not bought any more MS mouse. Rather I would like to choose other light and agile mouse.
Be careful when you hear any ergonomic design, we are not able to know if it is true before we use.
Almost 2 years to the day it was announced that Bo Xilai was going to be packing up and moving from Dalian to Chongqing. It was an announcement that was part in parcel with several other high level provincial mayoral moves that I saw as an effort by Hu & Co’s to leverage the experience of trusted and respected from the East coast to clean up cities that has yet to fully prosper.. or fall in line with the movement that was underway in Beijing.
The challenge for Bo is whether he can turn this Rudy Giuliani-like popularity into a spot in the Communist Party leadership’s inner circle.
At the time of his move, my reasoning for seeing his move to Chongqing as the last step was simply this:
that some of China’s most important reforms have just been put in place, or are just now going in place, and as a trusted member of the inner circle, the central party is looking at he (and the other 4) as the persons who will ensure compliance.
In essence, he was going to – through this position – prove that he could – without his local network – prove that he could implement the reforms that Hu & Co had in mind and be someone who could carry the legacy of reforms that had been taken.
Now, to do that – and let’s assume for the length of this post that at this NPC he will take the next step – there is some interesting politics that would have to occur. After all, they did tap replacements already, and to bring up Bo into the inner circle would essentially mean having to find a way to move away from someone who had previous been made.
A step, that if we do see, I think will show China is taking another hard step forward to support the vision of the last 8 years
A bit of a rant here, but why is it that within many of Shanghai’s restaurants it is still considered acceptable to smoke a cigar? Over the weekend, while enjoying my lunch with a friend in a cafe where the entire menu is “healthy” a patron came in a lite up a cigar, which naturally polluted the entire 40 person space that was the main area of the cafe
And it was not the first time that this has happened. In fact, it is something and while the city’s planners are debating a city wide ban on smoking cigarettes, I find it sad that its restaurant owners and managers lack the sense to ban the smoking of cigars in their main dining rooms. Well documented health issues (PDF here) and impact to indoor CO2 levels aside, any restaurant that is willing to accept cigar smokers in its establishment simply do not care about the quality of their food or the experience the taste of their food is supposed to be providing.
Last year when preparing for my presentation at the 2009 CHaINA summit, I was given access to preliminary data from a survey that the China Supply Chain council had sent out on green practices. The council, lead by MAx Henry, has always been (in relation to other industry groups) forward leaning on the issues and he was trying to get a feel for what his members were seeing, experiencing, and wanting to learn more about.
At the time, what I found most interesting is that there were some really clear divisions that one could pick right out, and would have expected. that while (as supply chain managers) the focus was at the end of the day economic, there was a huge gap in knowledge on (1) what the environmental issues they “faced” were or (2) what to do.
It was a survey that showed some firms were very pragmatic about their actions in focusing on packaging (65% already/ 11% within the year), packaging materials (50% already/ 22% within the year), and moving to recyclable packaging containers (51% already/ 29% within the year), while others were looking strategically by talking with their carriers (transportation providers) about their own green initiatives (23% already/ 13% within the year) and were shifting to more efficient modes of transport (29% already/ 13% within the year).
Initiatives that really exposed things like switching to aerodynamic trucks (6% this year/ 6% within the year) as areas that needed to be focused on.
Motivations, both moral and economic, were across the board , but what interested me more was what firms saw as the barriers (emphasis mine): cost prohibitive (38% – not surprising), Too complicated/ don’t have the expertise (38% – SHOCKING), Not a priority (30% – NOT YET), and there are no financial incentives to support (34% – MARKET CAN CHANGE THAT FAST)
It is a report that I encourage you to take the time to download and read. Download here
Perhaps one of the more interesting, and at times comical and frustrating, dynamics about working in China is that sometimes you just know that the word “China” can create an emotional response that some cannot overcome. It is a dynamic that China does bring upon itself sometimes, but it is also a response that some managers should have really taken more time to consider, and the Why Your ‘Green’ or Vegan Shoes May Be Neither and the Youtube clip Whole Foods Market “Organic” food made in China!!!! illustrate this point nicely.
That regardless of whether or not you can source organic, or vegan, products (you can) in China, this is a great example of how brand, purchasing, and marketing managers need to carefully consider just how having the word “China” one’s packaging may rub the wrong way with consumers. .. and that brands need to really spend more time thinking about this as they go forward with their plans in China. It is not to say that you cannot source organics from China, or non-lead based painted toys, but that there are clearly new considerations for firms that should be considered.
Over the last couple of years, one of the firms that has popped up on the radar of firms whose labor conditions I felt were at some point going to come back to haunt them… and I think we have come a bit closer with the above CCTV report, an 11 and a half minute investigative report (in Chinese) where former employees of the Suzhou based Wintek facility speak about the physical ailments they experienced while working at the facility.
It is a report that covers all the bases. Interviews of former employees who detail the illnesses they feel come from working at the plant, people in the hospital who are still recovering, labor bureau officials, the cursory tours, some scientific facts on the chemicals used in the process of cleaning/ finishing the screens, and even a Wintek Manager interview.
Seems like it has been a while since I have posted, it has been a whole 10 days, and I have a few posts in the cage getting warmed up. In the meantime, I thought I would just post a short clip of something that I found while diving through my RSS feeds and doing a bit of random research on sustainabile transportation in China.
The clip is essentially a 5 minute snapshop of a pretty typical intersection in China, and like the painful punchlines that The Office brings the average viewer, this clip is a great laugh for anyone who has sat at an intersection in China and been amazed by just how little the painted lines mean to any driver on the road. It is a clusterf**k, and it is sadly all too common ( I have seen police literally flee intersections like this one they realize the battle has been lost).
Will be back with a post or two of real substance shortly.
You have seen and heard many cases from Toyota nowadays. We know what they have problems on the vehicles. Now the vehicles are ready to recall by Toyota. Also Toyota had closed North American factories during sales halt period.
In this case we are learning some lessons from Toyota in order to overcome this situation and revamp the #1 position while other competitors are eager to take the position.
I think there are some strategies of risk management.
1. How to retain their loyal customers?
2. How to increase the sales back?
3. How to recover its brand reputation?
4. How to prevent another quality problem of potential or unknown?
5. What to compensate to mad drivers who already bought?
6. How to motivate depressed inside employees and stakeholders?
These issues could be a real lesson to all strategist. Well, Toyota, they are so smart if you are thinking deeply more and more about this situation. They are not just waiting days, but preparing something big impact even though they do not sell any cars.
Personally I hope they would offer really unexpected gifts to all.
Let’s look what they will bring out and I will summarize some their executions and strategies.
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