通用電氣談中國:合作勝過被晾在一邊
????談到美國大型跨國企業(yè)進(jìn)軍海外市場,通用電氣(General Electric)高級副總裁莎琳?貝格麗在上周二總結(jié)稱:如果不能打敗對手,那么就加入他們的行列。 ????通用電氣的大部分業(yè)務(wù)在海外市場——有將近六成收益來自美國之外。雖然通用電氣往往與美國制造業(yè)曾經(jīng)的黃金時代聯(lián)系在一起,但如今,該公司超過一半的員工是海外雇員。 ????然而,通用電氣龐大的海外基業(yè)來得并不容易,尤其是在中國。貝格麗出席了《財富》雜志(Fortune)在拉古那尼克舉辦的商界女強人峰會(Most Powerful Women's Summit),她在一次小組討論會上稱,在(中國)這個世界第二大經(jīng)濟體開展商業(yè)活動是一個緩慢而復(fù)雜的過程,需要應(yīng)對來自地方政府方方面面的法規(guī)政策。 ????貝格麗表示:“我們?nèi)匀粚Υ朔浅>趩??!?/p> ????貝格麗的看法與通用電氣首席執(zhí)行官杰夫?伊梅爾特不謀而合,后者去年在一次私人宴會上曾表示,中國對跨國公司的態(tài)度越來越不友好?!督鹑跁r報》(Financial Times)報道稱,伊梅爾特說:“我真的很擔(dān)心。說到底,我還是不能確定,中國政府是否希望跨國公司贏得勝利或是獲得成功。” ????盡管關(guān)系復(fù)雜,但貝格麗還是認(rèn)為,通用電氣將與當(dāng)?shù)仄髽I(yè),尤其是中國企業(yè)的合作,視為獲得全球性機遇的一條途徑。今年初,通用電氣宣布與中國合資,成立一家航空電子設(shè)備公司。不過此舉遭致大量批評,許多人擔(dān)心合作計劃將迫使通用電氣與中國分享技術(shù)和商業(yè)秘密,最終導(dǎo)致中國公司后來居上,超越美國合作伙伴。 ????批評也許是對的,不過似乎合作的收益要大于可能的損失。就像貝格麗提到的,合作總比被晾在一邊要好。 |
????If you can't beat them, join them. That's how General Electric Senior Vice President Charlene Begley Tuesday summed up the U.S. multinational conglomerate's motto when it comes to tapping into overseas markets. ????GE does most of its business abroad -- nearly 60% of the company's revenue comes from outside the U.S. And while GE is often associated with the good old days of U.S. manufacturing, more than half of its of employees today are abroad. ????But GE's vast international presence hasn't come easy -- especially in China. Speaking at a panel discussion at Fortune's Most Powerful Women's Summit in Laguna Niguel, Begley said doing business in the world's second-largest economy has often been a slow and complex process dealing with everything from local government regulations. ????"We are still incredibly frustrated," Begley said. ????Her remarks echo those of GE CEO Jeff Immelt, who last year mentioned during a private dinner with fellow businessmen that China was being hostile to multinational companies: "I really worry about China. In the end I am not sure they want any of us to win, or to be successful," he said, according to the Financial Times. ????However complicated the relationship, Begley says GE (GE) sees partnering with local companies, particularly in China, as one way to reach global opportunities. Earlier this year, it announced an avionics joint venture with China. The deal received plenty of banter from critics, who say it could force GE to share technology and trade secrets that might eventually position Chinese companies to outperform their U.S. partners. ????The critics could be right, but it seems as though the benefits may outweight the costs. As Begley says, partnering up is better than being left out. |