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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Top Galleries: February 17, 2007 Looking to China By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Orville Hector | Daily Tidings ABOVE: The dragon dancer weaves between the tables, Friday, to kickoff the 2007 Global Business Conference at Southern Oregon University. FRONT: Jameson Wong, 5, watches the dragon dancer prepare for an entrance during the 2007 Global Business Conference, Friday, at Southern Oregon University. The conference deals with issues companies will face when conducting business with China. See the Tidings PHOTO GALLERY for scenes from the conference. The Pacific Ocean may separate China from the Rogue Valley, but many local companies are building trade connections with the rising giant. Hank O'Dougherty, president and CEO of ProTool Manufacturing in Ashland, was one of the speakers recounting his personal experiences in China at Friday's first annual Global Business and Culture Conference on the Southern Oregon University campus. His company works with Chinese manufacturers that build many components for ProTool's consumer and industrial drill bit sharpeners. China is both a supplier of parts and a buyer of the assembled products. China's skyrocketing consumption of metal-cutting tools is a telling marker of the country's economic growth. O'Dougherty said that 20 years ago, China wasn't even on the list of top consumers of the key industrial tools. But China pulled even with American consumption in 2000, doubled American numbers in 2004 and then tripled this country's consumption in 2006. "The situation even in the last year is changing because the evolution of China's economy is so rapid," O'Dougherty told a packed room of 200 business and government representatives. Across the state, businesses are riding the economic boom. Oregon sales to China increased 73 percent in 2006, far outpacing the state's worldwide export growth rate of 23 percent, the Associated Press reported last week. However, most programs to promote international business are based in Portland, said Ashland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sandra Slattery. She said she hopes local companies will benefit from Southern Oregon's first business conference focused on China. Avoiding faux pas Doing business in China means navigating the cultural differences between that country and the United States. O'Dougherty said in America, a company will just drop a supplier if that supplier does not meet expectations. But in China, the more appropriate response is to continue working and communicating with the supplier so that the supplier will be successful. An American company that habitually drops suppliers will develop a bad reputation and be unable to find Chinese business partners, he warned. Dallas Stahle, China operations manager for Medford-based Sabroso Company, said the concept of "giving face" and "losing face" is critical. "I've helped a lot of people lose face, unfortunately," he said, recounting a time when he critiqued a Chinese businessman in front of his colleagues rather than in private. Stahle said Americans should find opportunities to give sincere compliments to their Chinese counterparts, and to point out how their work has contributed to the success of both companies. Chinese people appreciate efforts to understand their rich culture and language, said Stahle, who speaks Mandarin Chinese. Americans can make missteps even outside of face-to-face encounters. Portland State University International Business and Marketing Professor Douglas Tseng showed footage from a 2004 Nike commercial that depicted an American basketball player kicking and dunking on animated Chinese characters. "With all good intentions, it was a disaster," he said. After numerous complaints, China's government banned the commercial and Nike issued an apology. A second — and successful — commercial showed Chinese athletes and children, clad in Nike shoes and clothing, performing skillfully. Japan-based Toyota committed its own faux pas with an ad of a traditional Chinese lion bowing to an SUV. Ultimately, acting with sensitivity and empathy is the best defense against blunders, Tseng said. Falling behind? France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela, Brazil and a host of other countries are all scrambling to win a foothold in China, said California State University Professor of Anthropology Franklin Ng. But while many nations have retooled their education systems to focus on Chinese language, history and culture, America is lagging behind. China also is training its people to speak English and to understand Western traditions, he said. "We have so many Chinese studying in America, yet so few Americans studying in China," Ng said. Tim McCabe, economic development policy advisor for Gov. Ted Kulongoski, said the state has to continually find new ways to market Oregon and its products in order to be successful. Companies and their home-town communities need to promote the exchange of ideas between America and China, he said. Trade between the two nations has a positive ripple effect as Oregon companies grow, he said. "Though you may not do business in China, chances are you benefit from a local company that does," McCabe said. The conference was organized by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association and the SOU School of Business. It was sponsored by more than a dozen business and government organizations. Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or [email protected]. Current Comments: Interesting article. I note that Americans wishing to do business in China are learning to understand and respect that nation's culture. But on the other hand, we expect US citizens to adapt to the culture of immigrants. Also I would be willing to bet that more schools teach Spanish than Chinese. Barb V. - Escondido CA - February 17th, 1:42 PM we have a local business considering doing business in China and would have loved to attend this. I wish you would have reported on it beforehand. Can we get a DVD of the speakers? thanks, nina 201-0808 nina kelley - ashland - February 17th, 3:53 PM Hello, Nina Kelley, Members of the Chamber of Commerce were well informed about the program. Being a member of the Chamber has many advantages. Consider joining. Donna D. - Ashland OR - February 19th, 12:57 PM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Payday Loans Free Ringtones Debt Consolidation Security Systems Debt Relief Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us