McDonald's is funding homosexual activism--and I'm NOT lovin' it!

Charmaine and the Penta-Posse
at a McDonald's
somewhere in Middle America
circa 2005 Buying a McDonald's hamburger now promotes the homosexual lifestyle. Here's a sample open letter to the McDonald's leadership, supplied by the Family Research Council,

Dear Chairman McKenna,

We are writing to request that you end your "Corporate Partnership" with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and refrain from making corporate contributions to this or other homosexual organizations.

[If individual members of the board of McDonald's wishes to give to any charity, have it your way, so to say -- but a corporation should not
use earnings for charity. Charity is a test of the individual heart -- not corporate or government largess.]

We also request that you adopt a policy which would prevent your corporate officers from using the McDonald's corporate name to lend legitimacy to work they may do for such organizations. The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce exists to generate business for companies that are owned by homosexuals. While we do not object to McDonald's doing business with any suppliers who can provide a quality product or service at a good price, we also do not understand why anyone would engage in affirmative steps to seek out suppliers based on their sexual behavior, or assist in promoting businesses for that reason.

[Your Business Blogger(R) has spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours in McDonald's PlayPlaces. I'm not sure I've ever seen a homosexual in a McDonald's. The demographics do not fit the fast food market segment.

No. The homosexuals do not want to eat at McDonald's any more than they really want to serve in the military. Homosexuals are on a marketing campaign for normalcy. And they are looking for a stamp of approval in basic cultural institutions: Ronald McDonald, marriage and the military.]

However, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce does not exist just to promote the economic interests of their members. They also promote an extensive political agenda, including explicit support for legislation and litigation that would:

* Undermine the unique treatment granted to marriage between one man and one woman under the law
* Treat homosexual and "transgender" behavior on the same basis as race under federal civil rights laws
* Label disapproval of homosexual behavior a form of "hate" under so-called "hate crime" laws.

[Parents should ask if McDonald's will embrace open unisex restrooms where transgenders and transvestites and cross-dressers can have proximity to the wee ones.]

The NGLCC promotes a controversial social and political agenda that is offensive to tens of millions of your customers. A corporation like McDonald's, which prides itself on providing a family-friendly product in a family-friendly environment, should not be associated with any narrow political agenda. Thank you for considering my views.

Let the homosexuals dine on fast food at Starbucks. With the rest of the liberals.

Nope. The next time I need to take the Penta-Posse out for fast food -- Lord, the money we spend -- we will not go to McDonald's. And neither should you.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Market Research for McDonald's

Your Business Blogger(R) has enjoyed eating at McDonald's the world over. I'm not sure of the support for homosexuals in, say, China. See China's New Statue for Brotherhood and World Peace. And learn where the ad, I'm Lovin' It was developed.

Posted at 9:04 PM | Permalink
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Your Business Blogger
in a central China
university amphitheater When Your Business Blogger was consulting in China, I visited a large university (redundant: there are no small Chinese universities) and had a conversation with a post-grad working on international contract law. His English was better than my Chinese.

In every Chinese town there is an "English Corner," just as every major American city has a "Chinatown." These corners in China are where the locals gather to practice speaking English.

The inverse parallel is, of course, that the Chinese speak English in both China and America, and the Americans speak English in both China and America.

Anyway, I asked the student what he wanted to do with his advanced degree. Without prompting, he says, "I want to work for Wal*Mart. It is big and powerful."

"Powerful?" I ask.

"Yes, more powerful than some countries."

And Wal*Mart is getting powerful in China. To make the move to world-wide acceptance, Wal*Mart is assuming the triple-threat position: Unions, Communism, Homosexuality.

Alert Readers will recall that Your Business Blogger is was an enthusiastic cheerleader for the Bentonville World Dominator. The Penta-Posse et. al. consumed $4,328.37 in consumable goods in the 12 trailing months at Sam's Club.

The embrace of Unions and Communism are in China, of course. As a compromise to get sales. The embrace of Homosexuality is here in the U S of A as a compromise... to get more sales?

A source close to Wal*Mart who preferred to be off-the-record, emailed Your Business Blogger:

...the [homosexual] chamber that Wal-Mart has joined is simply that -- a chamber of commerce -- and organization of businesses. And, as I said, Wal-Mart is a member of dozens of them. Wal-Mart isn't trying to make a political statement by joining. And it's certainly not ascribing to any particular agenda.

But Wal*Mart/Sam's does fit a particular agenda because of the particular demographic. Wal*Mart shoppers have lots of kids, and those parents of lots of kids are conservatives: Liberals don't breed. Which gives us the Roe Effect. Allan Carlson, President of the Howard Center wrote in The Weekly Standard that,

IN THE INTERNAL POLITICS OF the Republican coalition, some members are consistently more equal than others. In particular, where the interests of the proverbial "Sam's Club Republicans" collide with the interests of the great banks, the Sam's Club set might as well pile into the family car and go home.

Go home, stay home. Indeed. Dr. Carlson reminds us that,

...when push comes to shove, social conservatives remain second class citizens under the Republican tent. During the 2004 Republican convention, they were virtually confined to the party's attic, kept off the main stage, treated like slightly lunatic children. Republican lobbyist Michael Scanlon's infamous candid comment--"The wackos get their information [from] the Christian right [and] Christian radio"--suggests a common opinion among the dominant "K Street" Republicans toward their coalition allies.

Conservatives are maligned from the right and the left.

Tony Perkins, the President of Family Research Council, says:

In an apparent concession to the heat from the radical left, Wal-Mart has entered into a new partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

... Recently, they described efforts to defend traditional marriage as an attempt to "write discrimination into the Constitution..."

The NGLCC also advocated attaching a pro-homosexual "hate crimes" amendment to legislation intended to protect children from violent sex offenders. Their advocacy delayed the legislation for several months.

What demographic is Wal*Mart pursuing? What new market segment? Do the boys in Bentonville really think boy-toys from the Tenderloin will truck to Sam's for the two-gallon jar of pickles?

"Dee Breazeale, vice president of divisional merchandise for SAM'S CLUB Jewelry will serve on the organization's [National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce] Corporate Advisory Council," reports 247gay.com.

As if. As if any homosexual would buy jewelry from Sam's.

Goodness, even I wouldn't buy the jewelry from SAM'S.

Oh no, I do have something in common with gay men!

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Communications at The Family Research Council and is the wife of Your Business Blogger. And I have a mail box on "K Street" in Washington, DC.

A Lady's Ruminations has more: Sickening news.

The Bleechers has the Christmas story.

Starling Hunter, Ph.D. has all the news on Wal*Mart.

Continue Reading »

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When Charmaine attended the National Religous Broadcasters (NRB) tradeshow, she decided to help make a difference by making trouble with a book.

Books make a difference.

Especially the Good One. Look for the effect of those printed pages, especially with interesting developments in China. And it's not just the utilitarian totalitarians preparing for the Beijing Olympics. On my visit to China, I learned how the legal profession was building a framework to speed international transactions. Growth is coming from the young.

And coming from the young new lawyers in East Asia. Yes lawyers. Heaven Forbid. It seems that the legal minds have been studying legal foundations in other cultures and traditions. End up studying Judeo-Christian concepts, then studying Jesus.

And come away with a new look on life.

Would that our lawyers here in the USA were so diligent.

With Bob Fu and Peggy Dau
Mailing a Bible to China! Following is a cross post from Reasoned Audacity and Bibles for China: Voice of the Martyrs.
One of the best parts of being at NRB is meeting some of the wonderful people in ministries represented here. The Voice of the Martyrs has a large booth here and they are offering NRB attendees the opportunity to mail a Bible to China.

I did one for each of my children -- so I now have names of five people in China for our family to pray for.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Stop by Voice of the Martyrs and learn more about the persecuted Church. . .and the Bibles Unbound program.

Posted at 10:39 PM | Permalink
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Your Business Blogger
with back office hardware
Bangalore, India In India it's called "Speed Money." In Mexico it's call "Facilitation." In China it's called a "Relationship."

In the US of A, it's called a "Bribe."

Except in Washington, DC, where it's called "Love."

Frank Robinson, an Inspector for the Washington, DC Department of Transportation was caught on tape asking for love; asking for a bribe. According to The Washington Times, May 25, 2006:

Mr. Robinson: You want your permit right away, right?

Contractor: D*mn right I want my permit.

Mr. Robinson: You need to love me, baby, you need to love me. I did my part; you didn't get no fines or anything.

Contractor: Give me a price. I got to talk to my people about money. Tell me how much.

Mr. Robinson: What you think man? If you had somebody ...watch something so you didn't get a $2,500 ticket?

Contractor: Frank, I need a price.

Mr. Robinson: Give me $500.

Sounds much like doing business in a Third World Nation. Or maybe it is. As Washington, DC has often been compared.

Your Business Blogger once had a boss in the medical device business working the Washington, DC hospitals. He advised me on how to deliver "the gratuity" which was usually in a brown paper bag, to the key influencers and decision makers. My boss was a pro. He directed me to give the goods only after the contract was signed as a "reward." Rather than before the signed order.

The "thank you" was a box of donuts.

A difference of degree from $100K Congressman Jefferson received as a "gratuity" I suppose.

As Your Business Blogger consults with international clients, particular attention is paid to the difference between a gratuity and a gratuity.

And I would lecture smugly on the superiority of God-fearing English-speaking Capitalists (that'd be us) ruling the world.

(Test: Find something in your house made in China Syria.)

People always ask, "What is the main difference in business between USA and [country X]?

The short answer is that North America has trust as then central tenet of business. The Puritan Work Ethic. I would advise, discreetly, that Americans expect an honest deal. The rest of the world expects to get screwed.

Nobel laureate Milton Friedman spoke to this. He said that a cultural prerequisite of making money is the holding of truthfulness as a common virtue.

When you can trust a merchant's word, says Friedman, "it cut[s] down transaction costs."

The North American flavor of capitalism makes the most money and leaves the best taste. Even with an occasional rotten apple in Your Nation's Capital.

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Hugh Hewilt, 3-Time Emmy Award Winner;
Charmaine Yoest
photo credit: Jack Yoest Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo. The fifth of May is our wedding anniversary. Chuck deFeo, Director of Online Strategy for Town Hall, Beyond the News.com, with the Salem Web Network, asked us to join him with 300 of our closest friends in Your Nation's Capital. Karl Rove would say a few words.

Which is odd since he didn't know it was our anniversary. And no one mentioned it. The dinner was off the record, but I think I can report that Karl Rove was silent about Your Business Blogger and the Little Woman.

Other than forgetting our anniversay, Rove was quite engaging.

Charmaine, Mark Steyn making a point,
Michael Medved backgroundThere was a panel with Dennis Prager, Mark Steyn, Bill Bennett.

In the audience, asking questions, was Hugh Hewitt, James Dobson, Frank Gaffney, Mike Gallagher.

We picked up a copy of Hewitt's new book, Paint the Map Red. The Entertainment Industry has the best SWAG.

Janet Parshall; Elaine Bennett of Best Friends; Michael Medved. Some of the brightest stars and thinkers in the business.

Ken Blackwell, the next president Governor, of Ohio spoke.

There were some very, very smart people in that room. I wasn't one of them. I felt like a, well, journalist.

David Aikman moderated the panel. He spent two decades with Time magazine. He's the former Beijing bureau chief. He is such an unTimely kind of guy. (David and Dennis Prager greeted each other speaking fluent Russian.) Anyway, he wrote Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power. David says that China is changing. They are beginning to understand the rule of law. Lex Rex. He says most of the young lawyers--lawyers! there are Christians. Go figure.

I read Aikman's book. He starts his book with a lecture from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing in 2002. Aikman quotes a Chinese academic speaking to a group from the USA visiting China:

One of the things we were asked to look into was what accounted for the success, in fact, the pre-eminence of the West all over the world...We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system. But in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don't have any doubt about this.

The Chinese don't doubt the source of our cultural heritage. Sadly, American liberals do.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

The National Day of Prayer was Thursday, May 4th. George Bush spoke.

Ed Atsinger
Salem President
and CEOSalem Communications Corporation, NASDAQ SALM,

... is the leading provider of radio programming, online resources and magazines targeted to the Christian and family themes audience. ...Salem Communications currently owns and operates 95 radio stations nation-wide, with 60 stations located in the top 25 most populated U.S. markets. ...Religious formats constitute the third largest radio format in the United States. Currently, over 2,000 radio stations are identified as having primarily a religious format. Approximately 52% of Americans been identified as listeners to religious formatted radio.

Read more on Salem's Editorial Board: Hugh Hewitt, Terry Eastland, Janet Parshall, Albert Mohler, Jr., Michael Medved, Phillip Johnson and David Aikman.

Basil's Blog has a Picnic.

Mudville has Open Post.

Continue Reading »

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and open for business at Mighty Bargain Hunter.

And while there click through to Sports Biz as he takes a swing a golf in business: And an insight on why India and China do not yet play golf. And why that may be good.

Mighty Bargain Hunter is run by John who,

is a new father in his mid thirties and a scientist by trade. He loves talking about financial and money topics including frugal living, financial current events, personal finance, bargain hunting, garage sales, online and offline auctions, and business.

Posted at 7:57 AM | Permalink
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DC Metro subway
farecard One of the most popular web cams in Your Nation's Capital is not with the C-SPANing of lawmakers. Not Congress.

Nope. The other Zoo. The National Zoo.

With Panda-ring in both venues.

See the Panda Cam. Scroll down. Live shots of Tai Shan, the bear. National Zoo.

America, the world, has a thing for bears.

The Pandas are so popular that the Washington DC Metro System uses them as a branding image on the fare cards.

USA's Smokey Bear
Your Business Blogger was not content with watching. I wanted to see a Panda Bear IRL. And I wanted to study China's marketing equivalent of the USA's Smokey Bear.

Tourism for China. Forest fire prevention for America. Marketing to make money. Marketing to prevent loss. Using approachable bear images.

I was crazy, Charmaine says. I went over the top...

...of the world, chugging to Chengdu. Home of the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center.

My Bamboo eating Buddy So I ask if I could cuddle a big critter.

Not the big one, the Panda Keepers suggested, but a smaller version. In red. Looks like a raccoon.

Not in the traditional black and white.

So I play with a live panda. For 100 Yuan. Twelve and a half bucks.

Panda in Black & WhiteA marketing adventure.

But I am a bit disappointed. My expectations were not managed. I was expecting a bit more, I guess.

A little danger, perhaps. Exotic Orient Express adrenaline rush. I got safely Shanghaied instead.

The Panda feels like a rat with coarse hair. Loved by kids and congressmen.

Not my cup of chai.

Sometimes a branding experience should not be handled too near at hand. Distance makes consultants more valuable; makes Pandas more valuable.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

April is Panda Month.

Basil's Blog has a Picnic.

Posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink
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Elmer Wheeler selling
through the senses "Sell the sizzle, not the steak," said master salesman Elmer Wheeler. His book SIZZLEMANSHIP: New Tested Selling Sentences and his others are among sales lore classics.

His original research was built around 105,000 word order combinations and tested on some 19,000,000 people, as the legend goes. Elmer then took the "Wheeler Word Laboratory" on the road consulting with major retailers. Teaching salesmen to sell more.

His research from the 1930's still holds and sells today. Even half way around the world.

Your Business Blogger was touring the country side north of Beijing. Seeking out local thrills.

The buzz from my hosts was about a terrific luge-like ride. Nothing like Disney World. A real experience.

A ride faster and more dangerous. Not OSHA compliant with all those pesky safety restrictions.

It sounded great. All my senses were a-tingle. I jumped at the chance for danger.

Ski lift to the top of the runOur guides mentioned some history and scenery and artifacts, along the way. With an edge. So I ride with my buddy David Wayne up to the top. And sped down to the bottom.

A Chinese thrill rideEveryone was right! Cheap, exciting thrills! When you come to Beijing, be sure to look into the luge ride!

It sizzles.

By the way, there was another attraction in between the ski lift ride up, and the tremendous luge ride down.

Here's Your Business Blogger modeling genuine Chinese Communist Red Army head wear. At the Great Wall of China.

The structure was breathtaking. A meaty experience sold with sizzle. Anticipation rewarded with a concrete experience through each of the senses.

Marketing at its best.

Elmer Wheeler lives.

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Off-vertical brick laying Your Business Blogger worked in college as a carpenter's helper and was intrigued by the brickwork of the Great Wall. The bricks followed the terrain contours. The Wall in the Middle Kingdom doesn't follow the vertical to earth's center. If a mason could plumb this out for me and comment, I'll send a blog t-shirt.

From Emperor Heaven,

The Great Wall of China is one of the great man-made landmarks on earth, an incredible feat of engineering begun some 2000 years ago. It stretches for about 6,500 km from the Korean mountains to the Gobi desert. The average height is 10 metres (originally the height of 5 men) & the width is 5 metres (originally 6 horses wide at the top, 8 horses wide at the bottom).

It was started during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty as small bits of defensive wall for three of the individual states to keep the northern nomadic barbarians away. Under the Qin Dynasty the independent bits of wall began to be joined making it the 'great' wall to protect the whole country from northern invasions. Over a million people eventually were sent to work on the wall during the Qin Dynasty (local people, soldiers, scholars and prisoners) and it was worked on for ten years continuously day and night using, for the most part, local construction materials. If anyone died while working, they were buried in the wall. Workers who complained or tried to run away were buried alive. During the Qin and Han Dynasties the construction was of wooden frames which were filled with earth which was then tamped tightly. The frames were removed leaving a tightly packed earthen wall. Many years later the earth was enclosed by brick and stone.

It consisted of wall interspersed with watchtowers. The soldiers lived and stored their supplies in the towers and each tower was within sight of the next. The soldiers looked out for invasions when a flag or torch was used for signaling and occasionally took part in skirmishes with the invaders. Many of the garrisons had nearby farming plots so were self-sufficient as getting supplies to the remote areas was hard.

From the Han Dynasty (200 BC) to the Ming Dynasty (17th century), it was continually extended, reconstructed and restored. It's the remnants of the Ming wall that are mainly visible today when the brick and stone work was extended and sophisticated designs added.

Mudville Gazette has Open Post.

Russell Davies has a better picture of Wheeler. Bet on the Brits. And a better article. Blog roll him.

Posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink
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It is good to have health
and strength
...number one...
a strong country
It is good to support
your country... Your Business Blogger was touring a large Chinese university. (Goodness, every Chinese university is large.)

Anyway, I was interested to see China's interest in American marketing. American ideals. American riches. The American source of riches:

Wal*Mart
Narnia
Corvettes
The United States of America Internal Revenue Service.

...Strength through taxes
IRS Form 1040 signs
at a university
in the Middle KingdomThe IRS. China uses the IRS Form 1040 as ...inspiration.

For Heaven's sake.

China's leadership looks to the American model of tax collection as the enlightened path to good government funding.

China looks in amazement at the American population compliance to the tax code. Population control. Clean compliance.

Without revolution.

But this is depressing. I wish Americans were more revolting.

On taxes.

Happy Tax Day.

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China doesn't need to look half around the world for a taxing template. Hong Kong would be a terrific start: a 15% flat tax. And no capital gains tax. Steve Forbes would be pleased if the USofA were more like this part of China. Compliance is easy when the cost of tax payment is less than the opportunity costs of tax evasion.

See AllFinancialMatters.

Visit Simon World for reasons to move to China.

Few have traveled to China as much as Director Mitch at The Window Manager.

Blogroll Virtual Handshake for references.

More at the jump.

Jeff Cornwall has a great graphic. Go visit.

Visit the Tax Carnival at Don't Mess Wtih Taxes.

Continue Reading »

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1958 'Vette with standard accessories Years ago Your Business Blogger tooled around town in a vintage 'Vette. Pictured with factory options. The blond came (and went) with the machine.

It didn't have 12 cylinders. But it was a product of marketing perfection that got better over the decades.

The late 50's Corvette profile has become the car-guy subliminal imprint. A peculiar American case of brain damage. Suffered by gnarly-car guys who bend wrenches and needles. American Men. Marlboro Men.

I thought.

Except I now have proof that all males the world over have this marketing image in the manliness DNA. Even to the other side of the world.

China manufactures cars. And makes a very good Chevy product. Chinese auto manufacturers wanted to sell the new models a recent car show.

And used a late 1950's 'Vette to advertise the show. The old girl attracts. And seduces men the world over.

Car Show in China

A Vette

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Thank you (foot)notes:

So I sold the 'Vette to buy a Ph.D.. I took the Corvette off the pedestal. Charmaine has been there since. Not a bad trade.

But I did buy more Corvettes. And I did put girls in them not my wife.

Mudville Gazette has Open Post.

Argghhh! has open backtracks.

Read what Peter Thinks on more manufacturing moving to China.

See the GM FastLane Blog. World Keeps Getting Bigger for Chevorlet. Corporate and good.

Posted at 3:41 PM | Permalink
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Starbucks in China A well meaning friend gives me a gift certificate from Starbucks. While we were in Shanghai.

So I pack it home, thinking I would attempt to redeem in the US of A, then blog bad when Starbucks shirks.

[sigh]... lots of bad things to say about the liberal Starbucks. But not this time.

So. So me and my older boy barge into our local Starbucks, it was close -- they built one in my front yard -- and bark to see the manager.

A pleasant young lady, the smiling shift leader, the liberal-chirpie-communist looks at my certificate.

The traditional Chinese calligraphy is difficult to understand; the only thing legible (to us) is the Starbucks logo.

"I demand redemption," I'm a-smirking.

She doesn't stop smiling. Looking at the certificate, although confused, she says, "Yes."

I'm crushed.

I give her the Full Disclosure about Your Business Blogger bashing Starbucks. I ask her a few questions.

Meagan, from Texas, was transferred with her Navy husband to Maryland.

(This is the only way Maryland gets any jobs. The only way Texas loses any employees.)

Anyway, I ask her why she took my scrip from Shanghai. "It's our 'Just Say Yes' program. We want to make our customers happy."

A simple procedure, a simple policy. The bigger the company, the broader the audience, the simpler the sound bite.

Not unlike Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No!" Meagan's "Just Say Yes!"

Revealing a positive attitude and an effective training program. Starbucks will never need Your Business Blogger consultant. Not that they'd ever ask anyhoo.

I don't think Meagan is a communist. Or even a liberal, married to a Navy guy from Texas and all.

We redeem the coupon for a creme based yummie frozen chocolate chip 12 oz for The Dude to celebrate his home run.

We leave happy. Darn it.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

So why boycott Starbucks? Following is a cross post from Charmaine from last April.

Color-coded Shopping: Starbucks, Out! Dunkin' Donuts In!

As reported by Brenda Goodman in one of my favorite lefty business mags, Fast Company, there's a new source for color-coding your shopping and coordinating your voting and your spending habits.

Check out www.choosetheblue.com and www.buyblue.org: they've compiled the data on how corporate PAC's and corporate leadership contributed in the last election cycle.

There's bad news for conservative coffee drinkers: Starbucks, 100% Dem!! And what's this betrayal from Bed, Bath and Beyond??

Sorry buyblue guys, you heard it here first: this cuts both ways.

No more Starbucks for this girl!

Is this what's behind the left-wing war on Wal-Mart? Hey, two sides can play this game. If Wal-Mart or Sam's don't got it, we don't need it -- (with apologies to Garrison Keillor).

(For more on political color, see here: conservatives are the new progressives. . .)

Update 18 June 2005: Patterico's Pontifications reviews the high cost of coffee: See-Dub: A Little Lattetudinarianism, Please

Update: Sean at The American Mind reminds us that coffee cost is de minimus. See Coffee is a Drop in the Bucket.

Update: Daniel W. Drezner questions assumptions in coffee cost in Which editor at the Washington Post owes Blaine Harden money?

Update July 13: AttaBoy points to a lefty humorous site where Starbucks is loved and WalMart hated.

see Basil's Blog for a picnic.

Posted at 10:21 AM | Permalink
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Chinese Snacks in Chengdu Your Business Blogger was looking for a bit to eat. Maybe some local flavor. In Chengdu, in the middle of China.

A traditional snack. I dropped into a small grocer and loaded up. Pringles, Oreos, washed down with a Coke. And Cheetos chaser.

Then I noticed something. As I looked down into my feed bag, I saw international brand names.

(Nothing escapes Your Business Blogger.)

Peter Drucker said that innovation and marketing were the only competitive advantages the USA needed.

The raw ingredients in Coke and Cheetos are commodities. Available anywhere. Cheap.

The real added value is in the marketing. From America.

Pepsi ad at The Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Wyeth formula ad in the Beijing subway

Starbucks at Beijing Airport

Coke bench ad in Chengdu, China

Narnia sidewalk poster, Chengdu Narnia? In the Middle Kingdom?

Narnia at a theater near you, Chongqing, China American marketing on the move.

Aslan's on the move.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Interested in Narnia? If you are near Glen Burnie, Maryland, be sure to come to the C S Lewis lecture Thursday nite.

More pics at The Travel Bug

See Snacking Across China.

Visit Basil's Blog for his pick of good posts.

Posted at 11:00 AM | Permalink
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Internet Cafe in Chongqing, ChinaYour Business Blogger just bought The Big Blogger, Glenn Reynolds' new book An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths.

The Instapundit thesis is not, I think, limited to the US of A.

Technology; people; institutions face the same challenges the world over. Your Business Blogger has become, gasp! a globalist.

An Army of Davids

When working in China I was reminded of another army -- an army of blue ants. Twenty years ago, foreign visitors noted, not unkindly, the ubiquitous blue Mao suits. A hard-working populous; one mind; one suit.

Fashion has changed in China.

Colors, style, trend. Pushed by teenagers and embraced by all.

And the teens are pushing, as they do the world over, in other directions.

Your Business Blogger visited an internet cafe on my last China trip. Etiquette hint: Don't ask for the non-smoking terminals. A non-smoking section? Heh, as Reynolds would write. The whole country is, well, Marlboro country.

Directions to the cafe were complicated. It was hidden in a dimly lit smokey warehouse accessible thru a back alley -- safety was never a concern -- workstations as far as the eye could see. 100's of them. An hour on a keyboard sets a hacker back one yuan. 12.5 cents.

The arena was filled with 20-somethings all gone gaming. Smoking and practicing English.

The kids looked like they were there for days. I was there a few hours myself.

And not a Mao suit in sight.

What's the matter with kids these days? Beijing is wondering.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that China is attempting to limit the Web's influence on young people.

Goodness. Attempting to limit access to the web! Big Brother stopping freedom! Big Government controlling all behavior!

Except.

Except Beijing wants to limit kids under 18 to five hours -- five hours of on-line gaming each day.

Maybe that's not such a bad law after all.

Now if China could keep the kids from smoking...

Like our Government does.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

More on Mao suits at the jump.

Dana Blankenhorn has his limits. An excellent review.

Tim Wu, from the Columbia Law School has a white paper at The World Trade Law of Internet Filtering.

For the best in business in China, visit David Daniels at Global Market Development and Internet Adoption in China.

Median Sib has excellent review of Davids.

Don Surber has best of Thursday Posts. Bookmark him.

Mudville Gazette has Open Post.

See Feld's Thoughts on A Different View on China.

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Charmaine Yoest with
Amy Bolthouse Shane
from ELI/China
at The Willard lobby
The English Language Institute/China recently held their 25th Anniversary in Washington, DC, staying at The Willard Hotel.

The hotel has a rich history.

The Willard is a social and political hub. President Lincoln probably stopped by a number of times while president. A few visits can be verified: with Mrs. Lincoln on July 6, 1861, to attend a concert by Meda Blanchard, and his review of troops with General Burnside on April 25, 1864.

In 1861 Willard's also hosted Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words for The Battle Hymn of the Republic in her hotel room early one morning.

General Tom Thumb and his bride, who visited the Lincolns at the White House, stayed at The Willard in 1863.

In 1864 General Ulysses S. Grant was a hotel guest. In his presidency, he passed thru Willard's lobby where he coined the term "lobbyists."

The Original Willard

Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individual's or organization's point of view is represented in the government. A lobbyist is a person who is paid to influence legislation as well as public opinion. A more tactful description might be said to be someone who is engaged in public affairs.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

The English Language Institute/China began in 1979 at the start of normalization of relations between the People's Republic of China and the USA. The PRC's move to modernization and market reform created demand for English language skills. The first teachers were sent to China in 1982 for the purpose of teaching English, building friendships, offering instruction on the teachings of Jesus Christ to university students and faculty.

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Ronald and Jack pledge global unity
at a shopping mall in Shanghai.

Many pundits forecast war with China within two decades.

I would forecast lunch.

The I'm Lovin' It ad McDonald's popular ad campaign is well known across America. The boys in Hamburger University near Chicago came up with a brilliant branding tag line winner that is well recognized. And well received around the world.

Yep, nothing beats good ol' Yankee innovation and marketing. American know-how.

Ni Hoa?

Hello...

The ad was created in Shanghai, China.

We have more in common than we realize: making friends; making (Star)bucks.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

There are more than 700 McDonald's in China with over 50,000 staff. See more at the jump.

From the China Daily

China's creative history goes back centuries. The world's first print ad for Liujia Zhenpu (Liu's Needle Workshop) in Jinan City, Shandong Province dates back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

This predates the first European advertisement, a British Bible poster from 1473, by more than 300 years.

Visit Basil's Blog for the best blogs.

Don Surber has best of Saturday and is looking for a job at the Washington Post.

Mudville Gazette has Open Post.

Continue Reading »

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"It's all fake," said the young man who lived in town.

We were looking at acres of a bazaar, that was, well, bazaar bizarre. Rolex, North Face, Mont Blanc, DVDs as far as the eye could see.

None of it was real.

There was a 'new' word that swept thru elite American campuses a few years ago: Authentic. Professors liked the word because it had three syllables instead of the single syllable 'real.'

Inauthentic for the academy was even better -- it has four syllables instead of single syllable 'fake.'

So.

In this (new) age of exploring our feelings, few ask any questions about the emotion of fake goods; stolen brand names.

How does the fake North Face make you feel?

Your Business Blogger owns a real Armani suit, purchased some time ago from a reputable establishment. (Yes, only one.) Every time I slip the coat on, I stand a bit taller.

Tragically, few people have ever recognized or identified the brand name suit on its smug owner. No one knows it's an Armani.

But I do.

And that is the difference. The suit is real. The emotion is real. Ergo I am real.

The feeling is authentic.

Not everyone is as shallow as Yours Truly. A fake brand, a fake suit would make me feel like... a fake.

And feelings are the only things that count.

Full Disclosure: Your Business Blogger did a little shopping in East Asia. And bought a North Face duffle bag to haul all the loot home. I was assured that it was real. A sign, in English!, said so.

The Carnival of the Capitalists is up at CaseySoftware.

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Read the above-the-fold headline story. And to get this growth the government wants to:

...raise personal income by scrapping [some] taxes.

Is this another evil plot hatched by George Bush and Karl Rove?

Cooked up by the the Rascally Republicans wanting to reduce taxes?

Nope.

The headline is not from capitalists in the good ol' US of A.

The headline is from the communists in East Asia.

The communists.

Goodness.

Jiao Xiao Yang has the byline in China Daily on 16 March. The government's leadership would not be happy with the mere 12% GDP eye-popping growth.

It is not enough that 50% of the world's concrete is poured in China. Or that 40% of the world's steel is consumed in China.

To get even more growth, the communists want to cut taxes.

Something the communists in our own Congress won't do.

Let us put the Democrats on a slow boat to, well, China.

Thankyou (foot)notes:

The US economy needs 3% growth to keep even with population growth. China needs only 0.6% growth to keep even and maintain existing standards of living.

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The Sons of Thunder...is a common prayer in East Asia. Done with incense by devout and cultural Bhuddahists.

Your Business Blogger was a bit curious about this superstitous nature when visiting an ancient temple.

Until.

Until, I remembered a nifty BMW advertisement a few decades ago:

Every man should plant a tree, raise a son and drive a 12 cylinder car

What may be superstition 4,000 years ago,

Is called marketing today.

Full Disclosure: Totally unrelated to the BMW advertisement, Your Business Blogger has planted a tree, is raising the sons of thunder, but has never owned a 12 cylinder car. Unless a 1957 Chevy counts.

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The Chinese school system is producing some very bright children.

The United States system is, well, academically challenged.

Here's how the Chinese manage education:

1) Schools are ranked by qualitative measure of student performance, and

2) Any student can compete to get into any school, so that

3) Competition makes schools and students better.

Competition. In Communist China.

But not in the USA. Children must attent schools based on geography. Or pay for private schooling -- in effect paying twice.

One would have hoped that the last two communist structures in the world could work together.

The communists running the National Education Association -- the teacher's union -- should be following the lead of the union's smarter comrades on the other side of the world.

And let the children attend whatever school they wish; local or not.

Freedom of association. The American Way.

Full Disclosure: Your Business Blogger was once a member of the National Education Association.

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The Carnival has some outstanding writing and analysis. World class. From around the world.

Leah MacleanFrom the continent/country of Australia, Leah Maclean, at Working Solo, presents Golden Rules Part 2 - My List. Leah's article highlights ground rules in being grounded. I liked her point: Surround yourself with people you love. I would add the Love issue to taking on an assignment or job. Clinton Secretary Jesse Brown said that he would "only work for people who loved" him. Our friend, Leah, from Down Under is on top with this advice.

Rick SpenceRick Spence, at Canadian Entrepreneur, presents Thinking before speaking. On how to deliver criticism. Rick has advice on advising -- having a direct conversation, however uncomfortable.

David DanielsDavid Daniels, at Global Market Development, presents Checklist to Internationalize a Product. Another Canadian, David, has distilled the steps to take a product international. David correctly, I believe, suggested using local partners, joint ventures whenever possible. I would add that in some countries, such as China -- and here I would defer to David's expertise -- that what the Chinese call a 'wholly foreign-owned enterprise' might be the better structure than a JV. For a larger company.

Denise O'BerryDenise O'Berry, at Just For Small Business, presents It Is Not OK To Steal.Denise's post is an outstanding short summary in defense of intellectual property -- entertaining and useful. Bookmark her advice and links on actions to take when a thief steals your stuff.

Scott AllenScott Allen, at About.com Entrepreneur's Guide, presents Wednesday Work Tip #1: Redefining Project Completion. My oldest daughter, The Dreamer, came into my office last night and said, "I spent the whole day on this project and I have nothing to show for it." Oh no, I thought. Welcome to the real world. Scott Allen has a compelling piece on Getting Things Done. Busy is not a receivable. Scott's piece reminds us in so many words that going to the bank is what is important. Anything else is a hobby. (Don't show income for three years and the IRS says so.) Anyway, The Dreamer learned Scott's lesson early. She's 12. She's on her way to some day running her own business. And Scott's blog is helping now.

Tom McMahonSee Tom McMahon with The Secret Of My Success, where he hit 1,000,000 visitors. Read how he runs the numbers down the funnel. In business, or in life, we do not manage numbers, we manage behaviors. The right behaviors (done by the numbers) will produce desired outcomes (measured against the numbers).

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Thank you (foot)notes:

The Carnival of Entrepreneurship #5 will be hosted by Martin Neumann.

Jesse Brown was my mentor and business partner.

Don Surber has best Thursday Posts.

Maneuver Marketing has more good analysis at AMGEN's Tour.

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This week's host duties are performed flawlessly by Joseph Weisenthal at The Stalwart. Mr Weisenthal has a well done blog with almost 900 visitors a day.

Impressive.

Carnival Editors, as you know, are not paid. But lend their time, talent and treasure to making the world a better place.

Because of the COTC, Your Business Blogger found, Countries, Individuals, & Production, by Chris Rossini at Market Place Monitor about China.

Chris reminds us that people do business, not countries, not companies.

I would add that it really doesn't matter if the product is computer chips or potato chips. Or in which direction the transaction flows. A good deal enriches both parties. Both companies, both countries, both peoples.

Chris writes on China's steel. I would submit that the PRC very much wants to do business with the USA.

English is now the second official language of China. As I write, there are more people in China learning English than there are English speakers in America.

China did $160 billion in Feb 05 in exports to the USA -- we are China's largest export partner.

Bloggers like Chris Rossini help us to learn more about doing business the world over.

Good work and good business.

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GoogleIn Chinese there is no word for "privacy."

Google's business practices in China are under question. In having a different product for different counties. I am not so sure Google is departing from a sound business theory. I think Google's strategy deserves a case study. On doing business in different cultures.

Yoest, Faisal Alam in
New Delhi, IndiaYour Business Blogger was in India working with North American and Indian managers. Having thrown off our British rulers, we still shared a common English language.

But cultural communication was another matter.

American managers were frustrated that Indian executives and staff were not always truthful.

Or so it seemed.

If a supervisor (of any nationality) would ask an Indian subordinate a closed question such as "Does the report include the budget from Bangalore?" The Indian subordinate reply always would be 'yes.' Even if the answer was 'no.' Accompanied by a side-to-side movement of the head -- which corresponds to the up and down affirmative head nod in America.

Was the Indian employee lying to his superior?

It depends on cultural perspective.

(Yes, yes I know -- Alert Readers know well that Your Business Blogger subscribes to Timeless Truth: Truth is not relative.)

But the Indian culture is one of deference and respect for authority. It is not within the languages or culture to say "no" to the boss. Immediate compliance -- obedience -- is something every boss, in every culture really wants -- but American's seldom openly admit.

The culture is different. Where change to USA standards should not be forced.

Supervisors working with Indian subordinates should only ask open ended questions. A question allowing something other than 'yes' or 'no.' "Show me the line item for employee taxi expenses for Bangalore."

The USA manager should understand also that the Indian manager will seldom say 'please' or 'thank you' to a subordinate.

Additional questions are time consuming. But necessary to do business across cultures. And to respect differences in culture and tradition.

I think we should ask more questions. And take the first step.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." says China's Confucius.

A single step from a single person. Countries don't do business. People do business.

President Nixon meets with
China's Community Party Leader,
Mao Tse-Tung on
February 29, 1972

Nixon went to China. Google went to China.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

In Chinese, in The Common Language (Mandarin) there are no words for "private" or "privacy" as we understand in English.

Mark at Mark My Words has commentary.

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Virtual HandshakeThe Marketing Carnival is up at Virtual Handshake.

Be sure to visit Chinese Economies and Opportunities Grow, by David Daniels in Toronto, Canada. An outstanding analysis noting that China now includes account service industries as part of economic growth. Adding big numbers.

I am planning a visit to China to teach and consult making David's work timely and useful for Your Business Blogger.

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Terrific talent hosting the carnival this week. From the Virtual Handshake Amazon blurb:

Book Description More people have used the Internet to participate in an online group than to read news or even to buy something. Online social networks have enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years, and every major Internet portal now offers some kind of social networking or "blogging" tool to its users. But these tools are not just recreational – they are rapidly becoming essential tools for business. They are part of a "social software" toolkit that includes blogs, relationship capital management software, advanced contact managers, virtual communities, web conferencing, instant messaging, and much more. The Virtual Handshake gives you the tools to take advantage of these new technologies to become dramatically more successful in business. Filled with clear, real-life examples, The Virtual Handshake shows you how to: * sign new customers, meet new business partners, and find your dream job * create a powerful professional presence online * attract business in online networks * meet more relevant senior people * start and promote your own blog * master the email deluge * analyze and value your social network * use web conferencing and discussion forums to build strong relationships * manage your contact database * ensure privacy and safety online The Virtual Handshake is the first book ever written about how to become extraordinarily successful by using these new online tools. Buying the book gives you a free pass to an extremely thorough and continually-updated resource site, TheVirtualHandshake.com.

and About the Author:

David Teten (New York, NY) is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Nitron Advisors, an independent research firm which uses social software to help hedge funds, venture capitalists, and buyout funds to learn directly from frontline industry experts. He is a former Bear Stearns investment banker and strategy consultant, and speaks frequently at conferences and at universities such as Wharton, Columbia Business School, Yale, and Princeton. Scott Allen (Austin, TX) is a 20-year veteran entrepreneur and IT executive who has implemented solutions for clients such as IBM and Amazon. He now provides strategic marketing consulting to a select group of clients and is the Entrepreneurs Guide on About.com, where he helps over 30,000 monthly visitors pursue their dreams of business ownership.

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