Sun Baohong, the Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of Marketing at CKGSB, and Carnegie Mellon University business and computer science professor R. Ravi outlined at a CKGSB Knowledge Series event a consumer-centric marketing framework that they said would bump up profit growth and return on investment significantly more than a campaign-centered strategy.

While China’s slowing GDP growth has caused some to sound the alarm, CKGSB Economics Professor Li Wei instead told leading Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail that there were some positives to the slowdown, not least more affordable housing.

With China’s real estate industry continuing to be one of the hottest topics for discussion, CKGSB and KPMG held a joint breakfast seminar for senior executives of Japanese companies in Beijing. Shedding light on the issue were CKGSB Professor of Economics Li Wei and Tomoyuki Fukumoto, GM, Bank of Japan.

With the CKGSB Business Conditions Index (BCI) posting its highest reading for nearly a year, things are looking up for competitive companies in China, despite the potential impact that continuing macroeconomic risks might have on operations.

China is no longer resting on its ‘Made in China’ laurels. These days, China’s main economic driver is the ICT industry, including smartphone manufacturers and gaming firms, as well as the e-commerce and internet search market sectors. CKGSB Professor Li Wei said, “To highlight Chinese ICT companies’ common reasons for success, their customer-oriented businesses have correctly anticipated what a good portion of Chinese customers want and have strived to serve them. A significant percentage of Chinese customers are well-educated, but their income is not as high as their western counterparts. They want smartphones that have high-end specs, incorporate the latest designs and best implement software elements. Some of them have the technical skills to redesign or tinker with a phone's hardware and software. This has given rise to Xiaomi, whose business model is fundamentally different from global brands such as Samsung and Apple.”

November’s APEC meeting was arguably the highlight of the Chinese calendar this year, with Beijing playing host to the world’s leaders. With international media also descending on the Chinese capital, AP reporter Joe McDonald spoke to CKGSB Professor of Economics Li Wei to get his thoughts on a proposed new free-trade deal among APEC countries in the face of resistance from the US.

To coincide with the recent Fourth Plenum gathering of senior leaders in Beijing, Professor of Economics at CKGSB Li Wei spoke to The Wall Street Journal’s Ramy Inocencio in a recent video interview, where they discussed the rule of law, the slowing economy in China and Prof Li’s opinion on relevant policies.

In 2014, CKGSB and its world-class faculty were mentioned in more than 300 original articles in top-tier international media – a staggering 200% increase over 2013 – and that’s not to mention a whole range of additional coverage through reprinted articles and syndicated material.

According to the CKGSB Business Conditions Index (BCI), businesses in China remain confident, but it remains unclear if they will continue to. In October 2015, the BCI posted a figure of 54.0, a mild rise over September’s 51.1 and slightly above the confidence threshold of 50. The BCI hit a 14-month high of 61.3 in May 2015 before sliding steadily, with readings from July to September hovering above 50, indicating that the sample firms became less optimistic about business conditions with regard to the following six months. Despite a moderate rally, it is unclear whether the momentum will hold and so companies need to remain cautiously optimistic.

The CKGSB Business Conditions Index shows that companies are expecting the Chinese economy to encounter some difficulties in the coming six months.

The Chinese economy is slowing and that has significant ramifications for things like capital and the Renminbi. Is there a silver lining in all this?

This week, China’s central bank finally bit the bullet and cut the required reserve ratio by 50 basis points; and the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index hit a new low