Posted on 06/22/2005 8:50:15 AM PDT by GOP_1900AD
Assuming that you worked at a US (or other Western) based firm, what would you do if a Mainland Chinese "firm"* acquired your employer?
What would you do:
1) During the "courtship" period
2) During the "consumation" period
3) During the "integration" period?
Please share your ideas!
* By way of operational definitions, as I see it, there is no such thing as a firm - in the traditional Western sense - in Mainland China. To one extent or another, every enterprise headquartered there incurs some form of involvement by either local or national government. CCP representatives are placed within each company in various roles. ErBu and other PLA or federal intelligence agents are also, often, assigned to individual companies. At best, a "firm's" life in the PRC is a fascist existence, but more typically it is a hybrid of that, and a more traditional Stalinist state owned enterprise.
LOL!!!!
Thankfully not ... although I do have lots of past experience with various aspects of acquisitions. (and no, I am NOT T. Boone Pickens! ... LOL! :)
I just don't, just don't, just don't get why China isn't being called the "Evil Empire" that Russia was called when I was a kid. Being a communist isn't a bad thing anymore. We "won" the cold war, yeah right. Any time I hear someone complain about how high the gas prices are I ask them how many products they've bought that are "Made in China".
Quote: I just don't, just don't, just don't get why China isn't being called the "Evil Empire" that Russia was called when I was a kid. Being a communist isn't a bad thing anymore.
Yeah Ronnie is spinning so much in his grave they ought to hook his casket up to the electric lines.
The new god is the almighty buck and me me me first. Forget Nation, God and your fellow citizens.
I take it you work for Unocal? What I would do is manipualte the reserve #'s in an attempt to get them to sell off assets to Devon, Apache, or Anadarko at a good price. Then write a book about it.
bttt
It's hard, even impossible to find certain items made in the US, but anytime we can, even if it costs more, hubby and I will always buy American. I'd rather support the unions than the commies.
With 75% of my companies sales going to engine manufacturers in China, this a very viable senario. One I hadn't given any thought to until now...very scary.
If they took a hands off management approach, I'd probably keep plugging away. If they started changing things and began instilling their philosophy, I'd quit.
It's a good thing for you that everyone on FR has by now been trained to automatically append "< /sarcasm>" to all of your posts. ;)
No, I don't work at a place getting acquired (or courted). I've got no dog in this hunt. Although, having been involved, very deeply, in a number of mergers and acquisitions, the recent news got me to thinking about this. My previous experience has been on both the buying and selling end of these sorts of deals. But only with US based (with the exception of one Japanese) companies doing the buying. But with the PRC, I think things would be bizarre, in any such deal...
Find a new job immediately.
I've been down this road before with an automotive company with German connections.
It really depends where you are in the organization of the company and your location in the corporate food chain:
- If you work at a production function (a Maytag office that builds product), you are doomed. If you work at a technical function (a job where the products are designed or serviced) you have a chance.
- If you are an executive, you're screwed. They will bring in their 'buds' to run the show, and you will be gone.
- If you are a middle manager, you would need to start learning Chinese, and also realize that in the best case scenario that you will be stuck in a dead end job. Americans are allowed to advance only so far up the food chain. If your standard of living is OK, and you're paying the mortgage, saving for college, and putting food on the table, then ride the gravy train.
- If you are a lower level manager, then not much changes for you. Unless your job is in a functional area that probably will have overlap with Haier (e.g. Payroll department manager)
- If you are a worker bee, ditto the above.
- If you are an IT worker, then why the he!! haven't you gotten out of IT yet?
- If you are a contract employee, you have reason to worry. Haier will be needed to show ROI, and contract people are always the first to go.
- If you are the janitor, then spend a little extra time when you empty the trash near the copy machine, the fax, and in HR to "read the tea leaves"
- If you are a corporate attorney, you have earned your fate.
That being said, Haier is buying market share only. They don't give a d@mn about Maytag's products or technology, regardless of what your bosses are telling you. They want your markets, but will need domestic people in key areas to support that increased market share.
The patriotic thing to do might be to stick it out, and wait for the war (if you are like me and believe that it is inevitable). Once we are at war with China, the US will need people left who know how to do what Maytag does.
The Chinese distribute cash to the members of our government from top to bottom, both parties.
The politicians stand to lose a fortune if they speak the truth about the Chicoms.
The Chinese are smarter than the Russians were. Bribery is better than arms in conquering America.
FYI - I don't work at an acquired firm. This is just a very interesting topic for me. I've been heavily involved in mergers and acquisitions but this seeming trend of buy outs by Chinese companies puts a whole new wrinkle into things. I had never thought about this very much prior to this week.
That's cool. I misunderstood your involvement in this situation.
For any people who do work at Maytag, here's another pointer:
You will meet a lot of Chinese in the next few months. They come in a few varieties:
- “First time in the states”-ers These guys just got off the airplane. It’s fun to use American slang when you talk with them.
- “Been here before”-ers These guys went to grad school here, and still have thick accents. It’s fun to pretend you don’t understand them.
- “Fluents” These guys did both their undergrad and grad work in the states. Their English is usually better than yours. These are the people to get to know, as Haier will be relying on them in the day-to-day operations downstream.
Thank you for the ping!
You're lucky you're you. Only YOU, with your wicked sense of humor, could get away with saying that! < ;D
Check my post.
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