Networking is the buzzword for today's successful businesses. Yet, the questions that recur are, how do you build a good business network and who are the people to network with? Certainly, finding the right opportunity to network does not come easy.
The 7th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC) held recently at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre in Bandar Sunway, Selangor, did just that - it provided the more than 3,500 participants the chance to mingle and network. The convention is believed to be the largest gathering of ethnic Chinese businessmen, coming from more than 20 countries in Southeast Asia, North America, Australasia and Europe.
Apart from the opening fanfare, city tours and gala dinners, the convention provided a forum for the meeting of minds and sharing of experience and expertise among business leaders in all spheres.
`There is a lot of potential for Malaysian and Chinese corporate and business leaders to work together,' says Hu Zhengyu, China's ambassador to Malaysia, adding that the event is an indication of the good relations between Malaysia and China. `We are looking forward to more business deals to be signed by the year's end.'
Indeed, the overseas Chinese networks constitute the single most dominant private business grouping in Asia outside Japan. Indonesian delegate and Indonesia Chinese Chamber of Commerce representative, Ted Sioeng, says the WCEC provides the best environment for networking.
We are seeing a long process of business cooperation between Indonesia,Malaysia and China,' he says, adding that the stable political climate of the two countries is conducive to business cooperation and cross- boundary networking.
However, networking remains a very intangible element and is rather hard to ascertain. `You cannot immediately see the real outcome of the 7th WCEC, says Wang Wuyi, a social economist at the Macao Polytechnic Institute. Still, he adds, the mere action of exchanging business cards itself would open many doors to future business cooperation.
How does the networking take place? Working along the lines of the British Old Boys Network, networking among the overseas Chinese is mainly along clan, dialect and trade lines. Interestingly, a Chinese of Hokkien descent in Indonesia would find it easy to network and do business with a fellow Hokkien in Malaysia or the Philippines.
Quintessentially, the overseas Chinese business network is shaped by the Chinese diaspora patterns, with the Chinese forming a diverse group divided by geographical background, social class and different sub-communities. In Southeast Asia, the networking is sometimes loosely organised, consisting of loosely connected individuals and companies, forged together by mutual obligations and trust.
Nevertheless, in recent years, networking such as
guild wars gold,lotro gold,runescape gold among Chinese businessmen has moved beyond clans or dialect distinction. The ability to communicate in a common language such as English or Mandarin provides the link for major Chinese networks, especially in Southeast Asia.
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