Mr. Jimmy Ho Principal Korn/Ferry International

What are the most promising industries in China at the moment? Mr. Jimmy Ho, Principal of headhunters Korn/Ferry International specializing in mainland executive search says, China is in real need of Hong Kong's financial, marketing, IT and manufacturing professionals, and managerial-grade professionals are the hottest targets.

Hong Kong is an international financial center, and therefore, he says, it is natural that Hong Kong financial professionals enjoy high esteem in China. Marketing professionals are also in high demand. For example, in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries, the supply of research and development professionals is abundant, but no one with marketing knowledge is available to package and promote their products!

In the information technology field many foreign-funded enterprises, including many dot-com companies, are also looking for Hong Kong IT experts. Although China does not lack information technicians with salaries lower than their Hong Kong counterparts, Hong Kong experts have their edge in certain areas, for example, knowledge in e-commerce and experience in overseas marketing.

Moreover, Hong Kong manufacturers (e.g. textile and toy manufacturers), the earliest Hong Kong merchants to explore the mainland, also need Hong Kong people to manage their operations. Mr. Ho estimates that about 300,000 Hong Kong talent work in the Pearl River Delta engaged in the manufacturing sector.

Job openings in the above industries are mainly in management positions. People with less experience but wishing to develop a career in China can join red-chip or state-owned enterprises in Hong Kong and go for the China market in a less direct way, suggests Mr. Ho.

Ms Joey Cheng, Business Training Manager of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, thinks Hong Kong people should, before going for a China career, equip themselves with some basic knowledge, including the latest policies concerning various industries after China's accession to the World Trade Organization, basic China business operations, management of mainland staff, and China laws.

In addition, learning from the experiences of early China-goers is also very important. "Even after you have successfully established a company in China, there can still be many problems in developing your business, for example, building your brand, distributing your goods and collecting payments, etc. You have to learn from the successes and failures of others," says Ms Cheng.

Currently, universities and other private institutions offer numerous China business programs. Ms Virginia Wong, Director of Business Education and SME Solutions at Dun & Bradstreet Hong Kong Ltd., reminds applicants to pay particular attention to the lecturers' qualifications.

In the list of the approved courses, a number of China business courses are offered on China law, taxation, financing and corporate management, covering a wide range of topics and targeting students with different needs and interests.

The "Continuing Education Certificate in Operating Business in China" offered by SCOPE of the City University of Hong Kong and the "Continuing Education Diploma in Professional Management for China Business" offered by SCOPE in collaboration with the Hong Kong Economic Times have a relatively wide coverage. The courses include taxation, laws, accounting, marketing, basic knowledge of China business operations and financing in China, etc. Moreover, students may take the two courses in succession as the certificate course leads to the diploma course.

Mr. Daniel K F Choi, Supervisory Executive Officer of SCOPE says: "After the accession to the World Trade Organization, China will further open its market and deregulate restrictions on foreign investments. It pays to know more about the mainland market."

For courses on specialized subjects, the University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) offers the "Professional Certificate in Chinese Civil and Commercial Law." It is a certificate course on civil law such as company law and contract law.

Famous mainland Tsinghua University professors teach the course. It is a good choice for lawyers, accountants and those engaged in China trade, but applicants are expected to have a basic legal knowledge. The "Executive Certificate in China Business" offered by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is targeted at senior executives. The course is divided into two parts, which are two 4-day modules, one is international executive business administration training and the other is "Meeting the China Challenge" module. Students can only get the certificate after finishing both.

Ms Betty Lau, Program Manager of HKUST Business School Executive Programs office, says the "Meeting the China Challenge" module is a collaboration between HKUST and the State Council Hong Kong and Macau Office. Lecturers include representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and China Securities Regulatory Commission. This strong cast of teaching staff, in addition to the top ranking of HKUST's business school in Asia by the Financial Times, is a guarantee of the course's quality.

Taken from Career Times 2002/07/12