Managing The Dragon

First it was pagers, then cell phones, then Internet use and then cars. In each case, China has emerged as the largest market in the world for these products soon after they were introduced into the country. Can the same thing happen in sports? When I came to China over 15 years ago, I would […]

Courtesy of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) chapter in Nairobi, Kenya, and the newly formed YPO chapter in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Carleen and I had a great opportunity to see East Africa for the first time during the Spring Festival holidays. East Africa generally includes the countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, […]

From all anecdotal evidence, the 2008 Beijing Olympics lived up to its promise and was a great success. Whether sitting in the Bird’s Nest or watching on television, everyone was simply blown away by the show China put on for the Opening Ceremony. Friends of mine in Beijing had nothing but good things to say […]

Everyone knows what happened to China’s economy after WTO, but what about ATO? China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in late 2001 was one of the factors that touched off six years of double-digit growth in China, culminating in an incredible 11.4 percent expansion of the country’s GDP in 2007. Exports quadrupled from approximately […]

These past three weeks in Beijing have been some of my most memorable in China. The Games themselves—from the Opening Ceremony to the amazing lineup of Chinese athletes and the unbelievable individual performances by Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt—- have been nothing short of spectacular. Along with that, I have had my entire family in […]

NBC and its affiliates have a ton of people here covering the Olympics, but even those not in China are featuring Beijing, China and the Games in their broadcasts from the States. In June, I was interviewed by Maria Bartiromo for her Wall Street Journal Report. Even then, much of the talk was about the […]

If you are in Beijing and hadn’t gotten into the Olympic spirit before this Monday, you couldn’t help but get into it then. Both NBC and CNN began their Olympic coverage with Matt Lauer conducting interviews on the Great Wall and John Vause and Anjali Rao leading Countdown Beijing.  Meanwhile, United, Continental, Lufthansa and dozens […]

The last few days in Beijing have been hot, muggy and grey—not great news for the upcoming Olympic Games. Also, the elimination of one-half of the cars on the streets of Beijing through the odd/even license plate system has not reduced traffic as much as one might think or hope. For one thing, one lane […]

On Friday the final (legal) chance to buy Olympic tickets came and went, but if you lacked the intestinal fortitude to brave the lines I wouldn’t blame you. Tickets went on sale at 9AM at many venues around the city but there were voracious Olympic fans waiting in line as early as Wednesday night. Phase […]

When I returned to Beijing this past Sunday after a short trip to the States, I found a city in Olympic mode. With the Opening Ceremony less than three weeks away, the signs are all there that the much awaited 2008 Olympics are near. As I stepped off the plane, I couldn’t help but notice […]