“Our ride to the embassy today was filled with stories from Sean recounting of the treats and life-endangering tricks of last night´s acrobatic show. While a few of us wished we could stop and shop at the “fireign pruducts” store, we arrived at the Canadian embassy right on time. For some of us, home sweet home!
Right after passing through guarded gates and metal detectors, we found ourselves in a building with french signs, traditional toilets (as opposed to holes on the floor) and an excessive amount of air conditioning.
The lectures were fantastic! Plenty of ideas on how Canada could benefit from improved sino-canadian relations. We won´t share them here, however, since we personally plan to capitalize on their ideas for doing business in China.
Next up, lunch at another Chinese food restaurant – which did not have an operational air conditioner. Yet we still enjoyed a nice meal and discovered more about one another and our respective cultures. We discussed food from around the world and the most adventurous things we have eaten in the past. For those who are interested, horse is a delightful culinary experience whereas camel leaves a little to be desired.
The multicultural theme continued when traffic was light and we arrived early at GE Healthcare. Professor Wong suggested that while waiting on the bus we sing some karaoke – and I kindly requested to be serenaded by the Canadian national anthem. We ended sharing the Canadian, French, Indian and Columbian anthems as well as a Pakistani cheer and the Chinese version of Frère Jacques (thank Lisa for that!).
Our talk at GE recounted the history of GE Healthcare in China. Growth, again, not surprisingly is what is the forecast for moving forward: in the next three years they will double their engineering workforce and focus their marketing efforts on local customers. For growth, their strategy will also include sourcing hardware from local vendors. In brief one of the world’s largest and most global companies is now focused on localization.
We also got a tour of their production facilities, I was thrilled to find out that one of their most important products, an automated arm for medical procedures, was invented in France.
And now —> the Pearl Market, McDonald´s and BEERS!
This part will remain a mystery for those who aren´t here. After all, what happens in China, stays in China! (Our money for example).
This blog was sent to me for posting by Marthe d’Andrea
Alberta School of Business International Study 