In the Belly of the Dragon

About the Book

The People’s Republic of China have hired several hundred so-called foreign experts and assigned them to specific state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to help transform these into modern world-class companies. As far as I know, I was the first and only foreigner heading up the human resources in such an enterprise. The purpose of this short book is to provide a snapshot of what really happens inside: how the party functions in the company; how people issues are addressed, including industrial and social unrest; the problems around petty irregularities and resistance to change; the daily challenges facing non-Chinese nationals; and finally, how companies outside the People’s Republic are bought and integrated.

About the Author

John-James Farquarson was born in 1956, son of a British Diplomat, He went to school in France and the UK, has an MA from Oxford and an MBA from Insead, Fontainebleau. He served in the British Army, in Germany, India, Pakistan, Cyprus and Northern Ireland. He has spent about thirty years in the Chemical industry, in Finance, Sales, running a plant and HR, living and working in many different countries. He is married to a German National and they have two children.