Archive of Category: Sourcing Management

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Sourcing from China: How to Perform a SWOT Analysis

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If you’re sourcing from China, you understand the importance of management and you are probably already evaluating your systems and processes on a regular basis to ensure that they are running optimally and according to your plans and your vision. (If you’re not, you really should.) SWOT stands for “Strengths,...

China Sourcing Alternatives: Is it time to move?

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Given the current climate surrounding China, various factors have caused importers to ask if sourcing from China is still the right choice for their supply chain. Uncertainty due to tariffs/Trade war, rising labor costs and COVID-19 have sparked a lot of concerns. Is it time to search for China sourcing...

Buy Direct from China vs US

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American-made vs China-bought has been a hot topic as of late. With the recent political climate, the trade war, and tariffs, more and more importers are looking to move their supply chain management in China home. But is that really in their best interest? Should importers buy direct from China...

The Evolution of IP Protection in China

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China has been heavy in the media lately, mostly because of the US-China Trade War. However, a recent article from the Economist’s Schumpeter blog caught our eye. In the midst of all the news on tariffs, this article, Chinese Firms are not all serial intellectual-property thieves, actually highlights some of...

In Search of Experience

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Experience: “Knowledge and skill gained while doing something” (MacMillan).  Experience is a fun topic. In politics, those who have a lot of it worry they are too old, and those who don’t have enough argue it is not important. Kissinger is 100 years old, is his experience valuable? You decide. ...

Opening Your Own Sourcing Office: What does it take?

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It goes without saying – when you buy direct from China, you must have an excellent support system. Many companies secure this support by hiring a China sourcing agent or a China sourcing company. But for some companies, opening their own sourcing office makes the most sense. This requires an...

China Supply Chain Management: Dare to Delegate

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Napoleon said, “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.” So why delegate? Does it even make sense?  We know that managers (even Napoleon) delegate. That is pretty much a definition of management. But why?  And how? We previously wrote a blog about Hiring Teams vs. Individuals and...

China Sourcing: Hiring Teams vs. Individuals

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One common dilemma importers often face is the decision of whether to hire a China sourcing agent or a China sourcing agency. You hire people to get results.  But hiring is a big investment of time and resources.  To get a good return on that investment, you need to find...

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