Dragon Suit

Book excerpt: Worldwide business leaders who try to comprehend China’s unavoidable impact on their livelihoods often ignore the most important voices: those of expatriate managers with years of experience in the country. Based on interviews with China-based corporate executives over five years, Dragon Suit brings to life the country’s swarming cities, recent economic tsunami, unstoppable middle class, endemic pollution, intermittent internet, confusing culture, and endless opportunities. This book is a rare insight into the way global firms select, relocate, manage, motivate, and reward top managers in the world’s most populous market. CEOs, C-suite executives, and senior managers recall their careers since China’s early 2000s reform period until a notable 2014 policy paper declared “the end of a golden age for foreign business in China”, and beyond to the present day. Dragon Suit addresses crucial questions for international business: How did China become a key market for global firms? Why are most foreign managers unprepared for its challenges? Why did the country’s near-million foreigners begin to leave in the mid-2010s, and who will replace them? Most importantly, how can managers, entrepreneurs, experts, and students prepare for an increasingly China-facing future in business?