ScandAsia China - October 2012

OCT 2012

China

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Coming Events

Business Person of the Year - Gala Party!

Date: 7 October 2012 Location: Hotel Twelve at Hengshan in Shanghai DCCC Shanghai is for the 6th time hosting the Business Person of the year in China 2012 Gala Party. After dinner and Awards Ceremony, the Danish band ‘Dodos and the Dodos’ will make sure that the dance floor is occupied. For more information, visit the chamber’s website www.dccc.com.cn

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in China

Seminar on how to coach and manage your team

ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish residents in China.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in Thailand, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukit 29 Prasert Manukit Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Wachiraporn Janrut wachiraporn@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com

Date: 1 November 2012 Location: Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World, 88 Nanjing Road (W) Shanghai 200003 Price: RMB 100/members RMB 500/non-members

A night at the race track

The seminar aims at increasing the understanding of teams and Action Reflection Learning (ARL) – a mix of drawing on the experiences of the participants, theory, experience sharing and reflection. It will also explore the subject of leadership, make distinctions between managing and coaching, and provide a set of useful means to approach team and leadership challenges.

The speakers will include Mr. Thomas Severin, a certified psychologist, author on several acclaimed books on leadership, coaching, teams and creativity, and Ms. Katarina Billing, a certified psychologist with more than ten years of experience working as a programme director and programme facilitator and coach for teams and individuals.

For more information, visit www.swedishchamber.com.cn

Date: 7 November 2012 Location: Happy Valley Racecourse Lounge Adrenaline, Entrance between C and D DCC Hong Kong is inviting you to join them for an exciting evening of Horse racing at the Happy Valley Racecourse. Seats have been reserved at the racecourse lounge Adrenaline for you to enjoy the perfect view of all the races and easy access to buying your winning tickets. Price of HKD 290 includes access to Tapas buffet and choice of one signature drink or house drink.

For registration, contact Jette at dcc@dcc.hk

Christmas celebrations Christmas is coming closer and it appears to be enough Christmas parties to attend.

Finnish Business Council Shanghai is organising a Christmas Luncheon on 14 December 2012.

For more information, visit www.fbcs.fi

Printing : Lake & Foundtain Printing Co., Ltd.

Danish Chamber of Commerce in South China is organising a Christmas Party on 24 November 2012.

For more information, visit www.dccc.com.cn

Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

Danish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong is organising a Christmas Ball on 15 December 2012.

For more information, visit www.dcc.hk

Front cover image courtesy of Bjarne Wildau

Danish Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai is organising a Christmas Party on 8 December 2012.

For more information, visit www.dccc.com.cn

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October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 5

Past Events

Swedish Crayfish Party in Shanghai

T

he Swedish Chamber of Commerce together with the Swedish Club in Shanghai celebrated their annual crayfish party on 15 September 2012. Held at Paulaner Bräuhaus (Expo), more than 240 happy guests attended.

The evening started with a welcoming drink and an array of appetizers indoors, to continue with crayfish and a buffet outdoors. Despite having had its fair share of rain scares the weather kept perfect for the duration of the event, with few clouds and a refreshing breeze.

Like any traditional Swedish Crayfish party the mood was on top, as the crowd enjoyed the crayfish and sung the well-known Swedish snaps songs.

Host for the evening was Martin Stenberg, whom together with the evening’s toastmaster, Andreas Lundstedt, kept the audience entertained throughout the night. Andreas Lundstedt is the frontrunner for the popular Swedish disco ensemble Alcazar was flown in from Sweden especially for this evening.

After the crayfish, the guests were invited back indoors for dessert as well as a performance by Andreas Lundstedt who sang a few of his and Alcazar’s most well-known hits.

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6 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

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Breakfast seminar with Dr. Ewa Björling

Past Events

By Alexander de Freitas

D

espite the early hour, a lot of people were eager to hear the Swedish Minister of Trade, Dr. Ewa Björling, speak to the members of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China (SCCC) on Friday 14 September 2012. The event was held at the Radisson Blu in downtown Shanghai. Almost 45 listeners from just above 35 different companies turned up to hear a presentation by Dr. Ewa Björling on the Swedish-Chinese trade talks and for a chance to air their own concerns to the Trade Minister at the Q&A session ending the seminar.

Dr. Ewa Björling said she would offer input on opportunities for strengthening free trade, decreasing protectionism, and dealing with issues that does not stimulate a free market economy. She continued by stating that a lot of western nations believe that China is a threat, but for Sweden – China is an opportunity. Sweden will continue its proud tradition of voting “no” on any petitions to limit free trade in the European Union, and fight against protectionism.

On a question regarding the increased importance of the service sector in the Swedish export, Dr. Björling said that the service sector establishing in China will play a big part in Sweden’s goal to double Swedish exports in the coming decade. The increase in Swedish export will focus on new sectors and markets, therefore a greater focus will be on small- and medium-sized companies in such service sectors as creative- communication and marketing, as well as the fashion and gaming sectors. The gaming sector has seen extraordinary growth recently, performing well even during the economic crisis of 2008.

Dr. Björling also mentioned the huge interest from China in Swedish clean-tech and green technology.

To promote Swedish export there has been a focus on a different industry each month for 2012. A new promotional calendar for 2013 was released in the end of September.

FBCS annual golf tournament NB. INTERNATIONAL EXAM CAMBRIDGE IGCSE, 8TH GRADE AND 9TH GRADE

O

n Friday 7 September, 2012, the Finnish Business Council in Shanghai (FBCS) hosted the annual golf tournament at Lakes Course, Binhai Golf Club in Nanhui. This year, they had 23 players with both ladies and gentlemen represented. Moreover, there were also participants from Suzhou. Despite a half-an-hour break due to the unplayable weather, participants enjoyed the game.

Results Best Scratch Hannu Suhonen (84) Best net, Men 1. Mika Narhi 73.6 2. Antti Oksala 74 3. Risto Tavia 74.8

Best net, Ladies 1. Marjukka Lemmetti 74.2 2. Sirpa Oksala 3. Riitu Kaartinen

Special competitions - Longest drive: Janne Tamminen - nearest the pin Matti Järvinen - nearest the pin 2nd shot (par 4) Timo Johansson The Peoria System was used in the tournament.

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October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 7

Past Events

Danish Minister held Seminar for Members of DCCC

By Ida-Helene Bronner

O

le Sohn’s, Danish Minister of Business & Growth, recent trip to China focused primarily on maritime affairs and tourism.

On Wednesday 29 August 2012, the members of the Danish Chamber of Commerce (DCCC) in Shanghai had the opportunity to meet with the minister and hear him present the Danish government’s recently initiated business and growth policy. The event attracted 50 participants from the Greater Shanghai region.

Ole Sohn emphasized that the pro-active policy aims at strengthening the horizontal framework conditions for doing business in Denmark and at the same time focuses on growth conditions in the areas where the Danish businesses have greater strength and potential. This includes areas such as maritime affairs, creative industries, water, biological and environmental solutions, healthcare and welfare solutions.

The speech was followed by a Q&A session where Ole Sohn elaborated on some subjects and in return asked the audience to present suggestions on what could be done to strengthen Danish growth.

After the event a large group of people stayed for networking.

Danish ISS shared their Story with Members of DCC

C

laus Madsen, Regional Director of International Service Systems (ISS) Greater China, welcomed members of the Danish Chamber of Commerce (DCC) in Hong Kong at ISS’s office in Quarry Bay on 28 August, 2012 and gave an enjoyable presentation to the 26 attendees.

A lot of people have heard of ISS, however, this event was an opportunity to get underneath the clean floors to find out what this company stands for and what their key success factors are.

In brief, ISS (Copenhagen-Frederiksberg Night Watch as it was originally called), was founded in 1901 with the objective of keeping watch at different office locations during night time. Thirty three years later a cleaning service (Det Danske Rengøringsselskab) would be added, as owners found an opportunity to ensure that offices would never be unattended even after the watch patrols would leave at 4am, the cleaning team would be present until the employees would reenter in the morning.

Later the company split into two companies, ISS and Security, which later became G4S. In 2005, ISS was taken private by EQT partners and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. The same year ISS launched their strategy ‘The ISS Way’. Key success criteria of the ISS Way was to introduce Brand protection, Center of Excellence and Core Values (such as Honesty, Entrepreneurship, Quality, and Responsibility), as well as a more ‘soft side’ focusing on changing the employees’ perspective to see the bigger picture of their efforts and establish dedication by allowing them to unleash the power of human nature.

The ISS vision is that leading facility services globally is by leading facility services locally.

Claus Madsen finalized his presentation by a video focusing on ‘unleashing the power of human nature’, paying tribute to some of the thousands of ISS employees to the lovely tones of Keane ‘You don’t see me’. The presentation was followed by a great tapas buffet.

8 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

News Brief

Volvo cuts costs and strives to improve demand in China

Ida Auken promotes Danish water solutions in China

O

n 24 September 2012 Ida Auken, Danish Minister for the Environment met with Chen Lei, Chinese Minister for Water Resources in Zhengzhou to discuss the relationship between Denmark and China regarding water resources, and the future plans for the bilateral relationship in the area.

A

cquired by Chinese firm Geely from Ford in 2010, Volvo Car Corporation announced on 14 September 2012 it would cut up to 400 temporary consultant positions and has reportedly issued an ultimatum to its Swedish suppliers to reduce prices by 20 percent before 2015. The company aims to quadruple sales in China and has a plan to purchase more from Chinese suppliers.

Volvo said that the reason behind phasing out of technical consultant positions was the completion of work on updating its car models.

“By using highly skilled technical consultants in our engineering operations we have the flexibility to tailor the workforce to short-term needs in our car projects,” said Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development at Volvo.

Meanwhile, according to Swedish economic newspaper Dagens Industri, the car maker is leaning on suppliers to reduce costs.

Volvo sold 449,000 vehicles in 2011, half of which were sold in Europe. The company aims to quadruple sales in China to 200,000 vehicles a year from 47,000 sold in 2011.

Volvo has been struggling to improve demand, and announced in early September that it lost 254 million kronor ($38.5 million) in the first half.

Maschka did not confirm his ultimatum to Dagens Industri but said he hopes to increase the company’s supply from China in order to meet the 2020 sales target.

“We are planning to buy about 25 percent from Chinese suppliers. We will reinforce our cooperation with Geely over our purchases in China,” he said.

Planning the future through dialogue After the meeting, Auken participated in the ChinaEurope Water Platform (CEWP) High Level Event.

The CEWP was established by China and EU earlier this year with a Chinese-Danish lead, to set the focus on how Europe can participate in solving the challenges China has in the water area.

Building up platforms for further collaboration On 25 September Auken gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the 5th International Yellow River Forum and also talked at the CEWP Thematic Session on Groundwater Management at the forum. After the forum the Minister flew to Chongqing to open the Chongqing-Denmark Water Days 2012. On 26 September Minister Auken had a bilateral meeting with Minister of Environmental Protection, Mr. Zhou Shengxian, in Beijing.

China to build LNG-powered vessels for Norway

C

hina’s Tsuji Heavy Industries recently held the steel cutting ceremony for a LNG-fuelled multipurpose vessel for Norwegian ro-ro operator Nor Lines.

It is the first of two natural gas-powered (LNG) vessels that will cut emissions of NOx by 90 percent and CO2 by percent. Norway is a world leader in use and development of LNG shipping technology.

Natural gas LNG-vessels are more environmental friendly options from today’s standard diesel engines. The

concept currently being built by Tsuji was developed in cooperation with Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s main ship engine developers based in Norway. In 2011 the concept won the “Next Generation Ship Award” during Nor-Shipping.

The two vessels that will be built by Tsuji are both 5000 dead weight tons, and use LNG as fuel instead of bunker fuel. This will reduce CO2 emissions by between 35 and 40%, and Nitric oxide (NOx) by 90 to 95%, and eliminate SOx (sulfur) and soot particle emissions completely. The environmentalfriendly technology is also more energy efficient, saving costs on top of cutting emissions. Completion is expected in October 2013, and the vessels will traffic the North Sea carrying cargo from Germany and The Netherlands to several delivery ports along the Norwegian coast.

The ships will be classed by DNV, which has been instrumental in developing safe technologies and standards for LNG as a shipping fuel.

October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 9

News Brief

Danish PM met with Wen Jiabao

B

efore attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) on 11 September 2012, Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Tianjin. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the bilateral relations between Denmark and China.

Premier Wen gave Thorning-Schmidt a warm welcome. He said that China wants to further promote the cooperation between the two countries in such areas as trade, agriculture, environmental protection, tourism, maritime issues and culture.

Thorning-Schmidt emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship between the two countries and was committed to develop the strategic partnership between Denmark and China. She explained she would like to have closer cooperation with China in all areas. She would also create better conditions for Chinese companies investing in Denmark.

The European social model is worth fighting for After a meeting with Wen Jiabao, the Danish PM participated in WEF where she spoke at two panels. The first one “European Crisis, Global Impact” was attended by more than 400 participants. Helle ThorningSchmidt made it clear that the European model will be maintained.

“A fundamental goal is to ensure that the social market economies of Europe can be sustained. I believe the European social model based on core values of solidarity, safety nets and equal opportunity is worth fighting for.”

The Danish PM also spoke at the panel ‘Championing Competitiveness’, which discussed factors that drive the success of competitiveness champions across the globe. This session was interactive with 60-100 CEO’s participating.

Fisker Karma to enter the Chinese market

A

fter successful introductions in the American and European markets, California-based Fisker Automotive plans to introduce “Fisker Karma,” said to be one of the world’s sexiest electric and environmental friendly cars, to the Chinese market.

Fisker Automotive has manufacturing operations in Finland. According to founder and designer Henrik Fiske, the company has set a launch date for its Karma sport cars to enter the Chinese market in November this year. Fisker Karma is one of the world’s first production plug-in hybrid electric luxury vehicles.

Danish designer Fisker has made his name from creating the BMW Z8 and the V8 Vantage and DB9 for Aston Martin before branching out on his own, said industry veteran Joe Chao who was appointed as executive vice president and CEO of Fisker Automotive in China and Asia operation.

Norwegian concept for China Eastern Airlines’ new headquarter

52 Danish companies in Tianjin On the same day, Thorning-Schmidt also had a meeting with Party Secretary at CPC Tianjin Municipality Committee, Zhang Gaoli, where they discussed the economic activity in the Tianjin municipality of Danish companies. With 52 Danish companies located in the Tianjin-area, the area is considered the most popular region in China in terms of investments from Denmark.

At World Economic Forum, Thorning-Schmidt also had bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, as well as Klaus Schwab, the director of World Economic Forum.

N

orwegian architect firm Niels Torp has won the competition to build China Eastern Airlines new headquarter in Shanghai. The new headquarter will consist of 13 connected buildings with a total space of 225,000 sqm. The size of the construction site is 66,000 sqm located at Hongquiao airport in Shanghai.

Shaped as a flower From the bird-eye view, the new headquarter will look like a flower.

“We have made a very different concept for this project. Most buildings in Shanghai are often box-like. Though the construction size is enormous, there are Green space areas separating the buildings as well as a park surrounding the area,” says Niels Torp.

The concept of buildings separated by green areas and surrounded by park was used by Niels Torp Architects for building British Airways headquarter in London.

The project is expected to be completed in two or three years.

10 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

News Brief

Denmark and China collaborate in maritime study

O

n 13 September 2012 Danish Prime Minister H.E. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish and Chinese officials, and high level representatives, including CEOs and specialists, from the Danish and Chinese maritime industry attended a Sino-Danish Maritime event in Shanghai.

Organised by Danish Maritime, Danish Export Association and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark and funded by Danish Maritime Fund, the objective of the event was to discuss and share opinions on the future of Danish-Chinese maritime industry.

The speakers all shared their perspectives on the short-, middle- and long-term future for shipbuilding globally. The discussion on how Denmark and China can collaborate for benefits for both countries took place.

“In Denmark we base ourselves on international regulations for the maritime industry, and we believe in high standards. I know that China is also a strong supporter of international rules and quality shipping. That is why I truly believe that continued dialogue, more trade and increased cooperation between our nations is very important to both our countries. I am certain that we will be able to make use of the opportunities before us, and work even closer together in the future for our mutual benefit,” states the Danish Prime Minister.

Among the participating guests also included Danish Ambassador to China, Mr. Friis Arne Petersen, Danish Consul General to China, Mr. Karsten Ankjær Jensen, Chairman of Shanghai International Port Group, Mr. Chen Xuyuan, CEO of Danish Maritime, Ms. Jenny N. Braat, CEO of Maersk Terminals, A.P. Moeller Maersk, and Kim Fejfer.

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October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 11

12 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

From passion to profession Gitte Johansen, the Danish photographer and graphic designer at International Design House, turned her passion of taking photos into her profession.

She moved to Hong Kong seven years ago to enjoy the excitement of a city of contrasts which drives her creativity.

By Wachiraporn Janrut Photo by Bjarne Wildau

B

orn in Esbjerg in Denmark, Gitte Johansen grew up with a father who loves taking photos. She received her first camera as a gift from her father when she was around six.

In Gitte’s early age, her father worked in shipping and transportation business. Whenever he had time off work, he enjoyed taking photos.

He even had a dark chamber where he developed black & white and colour pictures at home.

“I spent a lot of time taking photos with my dad and I absolutely loved it. I’ve enjoyed taking photos since I was young,” says Gitte.

Growing up taking photos since a very young age, it was always a part of life so Gitte never thought of pursuing it as her profession. When she had to decide to further her education, it took her quite some time to know that taking photos was

I have never seen a place that has so many small little things happening all around in the creative environment at the same time. There are so many impressions per minute. I really like that.

what she wanted to do professionally. In any case, she always knew that she wanted to do something in the creative field so she took drawing and art classes. Nevertheless, it didn’t satisfy her emotionally.

“One day I came home to consult my dad about my choice of education because I was not happy about it. And he said: Why is it that you don’t want to be a photographer.

It hit me then. Of course, I want to be a photographer,” says Gitte with a big smile.

Gitte decided to take the education in Denmark to become a professional photographer. Alongside with doing photography, she has been doing graphic designs and graphic illustrations.

International Design House Gitte moved to Hong Kong seven years ago. She is currently working for International Design House, the Danish company providing product design solutions including product design and development, production, packaging and branding.

The company also has own brands of modern style wine accessories and kitchenware products which are SPIRIT and MIX. Designed

by Marcus Vagnby, a well-recognized product designer from Denmark, the products have been distributed globally in many countries such as Denmark, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

As the Art Manager of the company, Gitte’s role is to ensure that all graphic illustrations, logos, photography, packaging, and all kids of designs work together to initiate purchases from consumers.

Charm of Hong Kong Seven years in Hong Kong means the Dane is enjoying her life in the city.

“Hong Kong is a city of contrasts. And for me as a creative person, working here gives me a lot of creative input,” says Gitte.

For Gitte, the city has so much to offer with a variety of choices. It’s also a major food capital that residents can enjoy good food ranging from dining in a fine dining restaurant to grabbing a quick bite to eat on a messy street. Despite the fact that

Hong Kong is very hectic, Gitte loves the liveliness of the place.

“I have never seen a place that has so many small little things happening all around in the creative environment at the same time. There are so many impressions per minute.

I really like that,” adds Gitte.

Gitte says that there are many small groups of creative people in Hong Kong. With support from the Hong Kong government, the arts scene in the city is on the rise.

Danish Community in Hong Kong According to Gitte, the Danish community is tight in Hong Kong.

The bond between Scandinavian and other expat communities is also strong. Many events and activities are available for Scandinavians to connect with each other, for example, Danish Chamber of Commerce networking events and luncheons, football tournaments, and Christmas celebrations.

The Danish church in Hong Kong is set up as a social centre where expats get together for all kinds of celebrations.

Gitte is well connected with the Danish and expat communities in the city. She often volunteers to help with photography and graphic illustrations at Danish and Scandinavianrelated events.

“They know they can always call me if they need my help. We get used to helping each other around here,” says Gitte.

“What expats have in common is that we are open to meeting other people. We often travel in a group together. I have a large group of Danish friends living here,” adds Gitte.

For anyone interested in moving to Asia, Gitte says that Hong Kong is one of the easiest cities for expats to live. She recommends newcomers to join the community and participate in events as soon as possible as it’d help them both in professional and personal levels.

“There’s no reason to get into trouble finding something. You can just ask and people here are more than happy to help you,” says Gitte with a smile.

October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 13

Guide to the perfect sh

South Bund Fabric Market 14 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

Nanjing Road

hopping day in Shanghai With the risk of receiving hatemails from our male readers, who are tired of being dragged around shopping streets by their wives or girlfriends, ScandAsia here brings you a guide to one perfect day of shopping in Shanghai.

By Dennis Krog

W

hen marketing Shanghai the tourist agencies call it the Paris of Asia, and in many ways they are right as you will find good quality and the latest fashion in the Chinese city.

You can probably find anything in the Chinese Metro pole, and if you follow the advice in this article, you will get a great - and very diverse - day of shopping at three very different Shanghai locations.

Nanjing Road Nanjing Road is the most popular shopping street of Shanghai. The street is divided between Nanjing East and Nanjing West. In Nanjing East you will find more than 600 shops, all well known from shopping streets all over the world. The street is extremely crowded, but if you are looking to browse around for the mainstream, this is definitely the place to go, but be patient, because there are people everywhere. The tip is to go to Nanjing East in the evening as the many lights and activities give the street a lively and fun atmosphere.

If you come with a fat wallet the Nanjing West road is the place for you to go, here you will find all the luxury items as Dior, Chanel, Armani and all the other luxury brands.

South Bund Fabric Market This is a crazy place, but at the same time the place to do a good deal if

you are looking for silk to make your own close. The South Bund Market is also where you will get your custom made suit.

The South Bund Fabric Market is an indoor market that continues for a staggering three floors. You will find almost everything within clothing and fabrics here. As in many other markets bargaining is a big part of making a good deal, and do take your time, because there are many different tailors to choose from.

The tip here is to be careful.

You can find the best suits here, but you can also find the worst. If you are buying more than one suit do yourself the favor of starting with one anyway, send it to the cleaners, and if the shape, color and everything else still adds up, then you found yourself a good tailor and now you know, where to buy the rest of your suits.

Nanchang Road Nanchang Road is the little secret tip to Shanghai shopping. If you are a regular in Shanghai you probably already know this perfect place for shopping. Nanchang Road is known for its European styled houses, which holds small boutiques where designers sell their own designs or designs of other designers.

The area is much quieter than the rest Shanghai shopping has to offer, and you will find the most beautiful clothes and shoes here. The prices are reasonable and you can be pretty sure that you friends from

back home won’t be wearing the same dress at your next party. The Nanchang Road is definitely the place to go for exclusive and fashionable shopping. The tip is: Go there!

How to make it all in one day?

It is actually not that difficult. Taxies will take you there, quick and cheap – just follow this route. You start by going to the South Bund Fabric Market in the morning. You can be measured for your suit which will be ready for you to pick up later on the same day or the next morning on your way back to the airport.

From the Fabric Market you continue to Nanchang Road, and this is where you do most of your shopping. The biggest hurdle here is to keep some of your money for going to the mayhem of Nanjing Road.

In the late afternoon you go to Nanjing Road, make sure to put in a beer break for your male companion, because if he isn’t tired of shopping now, he will get there soon. But the advantage of going to Nanjing Road in the afternoon and evening is the amazing lights and all the other activities that go on in the area.

After one entire day of shopping you finish the day off with a nice dinner and a glass of champagne, and maybe this is the perfect time to give your husband or boyfriend the tickets to that football game he has been talking so much about.

Enjoy your shopping!

Nanchang Road October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 15

What name?

“It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.” Spoken by one-time Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping a few decades ago, those words can apply to almost every situation. They don’t apply, however, to Western companies that are branding themselves for the Chinese market.

By Alexandra Leyton Esoinoza

T

he right name does matter – and is crucial for the company’s success.

Coca-Cola learned that lesson – the hard way.

When the soft drink maker entered China in 1928, it did not have an official Chinese translation of its name.

To make the brand appeal to locals, shopkeepers reportedly put Chinese characters together to make the phonetic sound “ko-ka-ko-la.” Unfortunately for Coke, the translation meant “Bite the wax tadpole.”

The Coca-Cola company soon realized it needed to find four Chinese characters whose pronunciations approximated the sound of the brand’s name, without producing a nonsensical, or adverse, meaning when strung together as a written phrase. After researching over 40,000 Chinese characters they came up with the name “Ke Kou Ke Le,”which means “mouthful of happiness,” or literally “to allow the, mouth to be able to rejoice.” Now, Coca-Cola is widely recognized as one of the most successful brand names in China.

Appealing?

“I asked my employees to help me with the branding of my name in Chinese,” says Rurik Nystrom, who started his company, redBANG International, in 2000. The company is the largest supplier of city guides in China.

“My company’s English name made it easy where they just translated red to “hong.” In China, red symbolizes good fortune and joy. We then added a phonetic sound of the

word Bang to “bang,” or great! Even if I can’t relate the translation 100 percent, since I am not a Chinese speaker, I believe my employees did a great job,” he adds.

Studies on product branding in China indicate cross-cultural translation of a brand name, in both content and context, must appeal to the local market. At the same time, the translation must stay true to the brand’s global image.

MSL China, one of the world’s top five international PR and social media companies, assist companies achieve both objectives.

“With any kind of branding, it’s important not only to have a memorable and nice-sounding name, but also to demonstrate what the brand stands for and consistently reinforce it. It’s also critical to register your trademarks for Chinese brand names, and you should research this before choosing a brand name,” says Bill Adams, director at MSLChina.

In China, however, this can be particularly difficult. The Chinese language is radically different from languages that use Roman letters and, as a result, it is not easy to achieve a direct translation. In addition, the meanings of the chosen characters will play an important role, and may communicate product attributes, benefits, country-of-origin, traditional and modern values and beliefs and customs.

“Many companies will try to translate their names both phonetically and literally, but this is not always possible,” Adams says.

MSLChina has worked with this

16 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

for almost a decade. “We agree on criteria with the client, including the brand connotations and what the brand name should communicate,” Adams says.

“If they want a name that sounds similar to the international name, we develop a short list with 10 options confirmed by the client. This is usually done through workshops and screening against the criteria, and we do dialect and geographical testing to make sure the names are OK. During this process, we get five finalists. After confirmation by client, we leave three to five final options for legal approval and trademark registration.”

Time consuming Kerry Cai, corporate account manager for Corporation China, a company that provides legal, financial, registration, outsourcing and HR services, believes a good name is important, especially given China’s cultural references.

“Chinese people really care about Fengshui so having a good name will bring good luck to the business. But many foreign companies don’t care about this,” she says.

Before Corporation China helps a foreign firm develop its strategy for the Chinese market, it requires the company to pick a Chinese name so it can register. The process can be both costly and time consuming. The Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce will not allow a company to register until it has a Chinese name.

Positive translation Many companies, especially when

trying to make a literal translation, still use common Chinese characters, such as “le” ( ), which means happy, or “bai” ( ), which means 100, because they have positive connotations in Chinese. Companies also choose relevant characters for their translations. For example, IKEA adopted “yijia” ( ) for its Chinese name. “Yi” means suitable or fitting while “jia” means family or home.

The implication, from the Chinese name, is that IKEA’s furniture is good and suitable for your home.

Sometimes, the phonetic translation of a company’s name will have similarities with other brands, and that will prevent the company from using its name in advertisements. Philip Wenzel Kylh, who helped establish a foreign travel agency in China, has been through that experience.

“Our travel company’s English name is Albatross. First, we tried to find a translation to the English name but our Chinese friends, colleagues and employees found it ridiculous.

Since they are our target market, we changed to a phonetic translation with positive Chinese characters for the name. The bureau approved the name and also informed us that the phonetic translation was similar to another brand, rendering advertising useless,” he says.

“The process has been time consuming, and, at this point, we are unsure if we will use a Chinese name at all. Most of our clients speak English, and we hope they understand the meaning of the English word Albatross,” he adds.

Some brands have never used

the Chinese names they have registered. For example, Quaker and Ralph Lauren are two well-known brands that did not create a Chinese name when they entered the Chinese market.

Therefore, their Chinese names evolved mainly through consumers’ perceptions of the brands. For example, consumers labeled Quaker as “Lao Ren Paii” ( ), which literally translates to “old man brand,”

while Ralph Lauren became known as “San Jiao Ma” ( ), which translates as “three-legged horse.”

What is usually the budget for companies for this specific cost?

“This is really up to the company.

Some pay PR/advertising agencies large fees to get the perfect name.

Other companies, who do not have big budgets, will sometimes rely on their Chinese colleagues to do this in house,” Adams says.

October 2012 • ScandAsia.China 17

Medium

Danish Meatballs in Curry

T

his great tasting traditional Danish recipe is very popular amongst Danes of all ages. It has undoubtedly been introduced in Denmark by seamen returning from the Far East, but there is very little of its original hot spicy taste left. This is a very mildly spiced dish, and many Danish children happily call this their favorite food.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4) Meatballs: • 1 pound ground pork • 3 garlic gloves • 1 cup breadcrumbs or 2 tablespoon flour • 2 finely chopped onions • 1 egg • Salt • Pepper

Evil

Curry Sauce: • 2 tablespoons Danish butter • 2 heaping tablespoons yellow curry • 1 large chopped onion • 1 large chopped leek • 5 tablespoons flour • 3,5 ounces cream 35% • 4 cups Beef stock • chopped fresh parsley (just enough for a light sprinkling just prior to serving)

Are you done?

W

hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt.

Name:

___________________________________________________

Age: ________________________

Mobile:

___________________

Address:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Email:

__________________________________________________

Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 November 2012 18 ScandAsia.China • October 2012

PREPERATION Meatballs: Mix Breadcrumbs or flour, egg, onions, garlic salt and pepper go into a big bowl. Add ground pork and mix it well again. Leave the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour.

Scoop up the meatballs with a tablespoon, and place in boiling water with the beef stock.

Boil for 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. Take meatballs out of the water, but keep the water (you will need it for the Curry Sauce).

Curry Sauce: Melt butter in a pot.

Add curry and brown it for a couple of minutes.

Add onions and leek and brown it for a couple of minutes. Add flour and mix well. Add water from meatballs a little bit at the time, until the sauce thickens. Add cream and meatballs.

Let it simmer for 12 mins. Serve with boiled rice, and sprinkle with parsley on top. Enjoy!

Searching for the winners

To find the best fund managers to invest your money with is a core investment decision for all of us.You need a sophisticated and tested method to scrutinize the investment funds available.

Nordea’s International Private Banking unit, which is also represented in Singapore, has devised such a method.

T

o invest in today’s markets takes a considerable amount of time and effort. To leave the investment decisions to the professionals allows your wealth to grow without having to make every decision yourself. In 2008, Nordea developed the Multi-Manager portfolio management investment solution as a way to offer investors convenient access to the best investment funds in the world. To learn more about this investment solution, we talked to Jørgen Jakobsen, Head of the Investment Department at Nordea in Luxembourg.

What do you look for when selecting a fund manager?

Finding the best fund managers in the world is easier said than done.

How do you pick the winners?

Generally, around 20 funds. This allows an appropriate diversification in terms of managers.

It may happen that a manager underperforms the benchmark for a period of time, but this would normally be compensated by the outperformance of another manager in the same asset class.

We select the best fund managers from a universe of more than 60,000 investment funds. We do not focus on, or limit ourselves to one country or legal framework, but are internationally oriented. We look for managers who can beat the benchmarks in the respective asset classes consistently over time.

The fund manager selection is based on both quantitative analysis and qualitative evaluation.

Our quantitative analysis is based on a rating system graded by historical performance. But, as past performance does not guarantee future results, the final selection of managers is also subject to a qualitative evaluation of the investment philosophy, process and management team for each prospective fund.

How many funds are you normally invested in?

How can you be sure that yesterday’s winners will also be tomorrow’s best-performing investments?

Jørgen Jakobsen, Head of the Investment Department at Nordea in Luxembourg We look to see whether the investment team has a competitive advantage that will increase the probability of their fund being best-in-class in the future. Before we determine whether or not to invest in a particular fund, we talk in detail to the managers to make sure that we understand their strategy and investment process, and that they understand our mandate. The investment process must be maintainable and the skills that have created outperformance in the past must remain in the team. That is why we constantly monitor the funds in the portfolio to insure that the right elements are still in place.

How often do you change funds in your portfolio?

Some changes are due to an asset allocation decision, whereby we might change the weight of the asset classes represented in the portfolio, or its geographical allocation and currency exposure. Other changes occur when we decide that a manager might no longer be able to deliver consistent outperformance, or if we identify a manager who we deem able to deliver superior results

What are the typical reasons for pulling out of a fund?

If a fund manager is not true to the strategy that has been communicated or starts to change the strategy, then we pull out. Also, if key members of the team leave, and it is not clear that continuity with the results obtained previously can be assured, we would sell the fund concerned.

Do you offer different risk classes?

There are three risk categories available: conservative, balanced and aggressive, each of which contains an appropriate mix of funds that invest in a variety of securities and markets.

How do you control the risk in the portfolio?

Risk is defined by the category in question. For each category, this corresponds to a variable, asset-class target allocation of the portfolio between relatively “safe” investments (typically bonds) and relatively “risky” investments (typically stocks). We can deviate from these targets, in order to add value with active management, but not in a way that significantly alters the specific risk profile.

When it’s time to do business, we’re exceptionally open.

Every business has a different story and a different goal. We understand that.

Over many years in this market of unique opportunities, we’ve developed the local knowledge, resources and connections needed to turn ambitions into reality. That’s why we’re one of the most well-established northern European banks in the region. For corporates, financial institutions and private banking clients, we’re ready to listen and cater to your needs – in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi.

Welcome to contact us at Tel: +65 63 57 08 95 singapore@sebprivatebanking.com.sg www.sebgroup.com/privatebanking