8 December 2011 | James Williams

Paul Midler

John Wiley & Sons

£11.99

★★★★

This is one man’s account of the ‘China production game’. Midler is very qualified to write it, having spent 30 years living and working in China supporting US firms in dealing with Chinese manufacturers.

The core theme of the book is around the quality fade (where quality decreases over time) that he came across on several occasions when working with Chinese manufacturers. He explains this phenomenon by giving an understanding of the Chinese culture that he knows so well.

Midler not only puts the facts across, but does it in such an entertaining way that if you have experience of Chinese manufacturers you will end up laughing out loud, saying: “That exact thing happened to me!”.

There are a host of other relationship ‘tactics’ Chinese companies use that are examined in the book, with specific examples that will shock some, but sound familiar to those with experience – all part of the game when doing business in China.

The book is informative and entertaining, but is more about highlighting issues when dealing with the Chinese rather than providing solutions and he leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

☛ James Williams, overseas purchasing manager