Top of the Great Era

Chapter 2900: Advantages of Being Posted in Africa

The next day, a symposium will be held.

I guess it’s time to end this morning of answering questions and solving problems.

There are no Japanese maids in the family here in China, so Zhou Buqi's daily life is mainly taken care of by Aunt Xue and Ning Yaxian. Now that Wang Yanan and Chen Yan have also moved in, they also have such jobs.

Especially Wang Yanan.

As Wang Yihuan became more favored, her status naturally rose as well.

Walking out of the living room and to the entrance, Wang Yanan knelt at his feet and gently changed his floor mops into black leather shoes for going out.

This performance is much better than Aunt Xue's.

Zhou Buqi asked casually: "How is Huanhuan? If the pain is still severe, go to the hospital. If the inflammation is serious, don't let it cause other diseases."

"I took anti-inflammatory medicine last night, and I feel much better this morning." Wang Yanan changed his leather shoes for him, then stood up and simply adjusted his suit for him, chuckling, "Don't worry, Master. I have learned from experience this time. Next time when Tongtong celebrates her coming-of-age ceremony, I will have to keep a close eye on her."

Zhou Buqi nodded, quite satisfied, "When will your period end?"

Wang Yanan pursed her lips and said, "Two or three days."

Zhou Buqi said: "When it's over, come find me. I'll find a chance to visit you alone as a reward for you."

"Thank you, Master." Wang Yanan's spirit seemed to be excited all of a sudden, with a happy light flashing in her eyes, and a smile blooming like a spring flower on the corner of her mouth, revealing a kind of joy radiating from the inside out. She threw herself into Zhou Buqi's arms, hooked her neck, and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Master, except for the first time you took me in, you have never favored me alone."

Zhou Buqi patted her on the back and said, "Our family's situation is quite complicated. You have to learn to understand it."

Wang Yanan was no longer a little girl, and had long passed the stage of being unreasonable and spoiled. She said gently and tenderly, "Master, I understand your difficulties. As long as I have the opportunity to be close to you, I will be happy no matter what."

After leaving home, Zhou Buqi went directly to the ministry.

This was an official meeting, so it was not appropriate to have a delicate and beautiful female secretary around. To be honest, during the meeting yesterday, he saw some bosses bringing beautiful female secretaries with them, trying to be as conspicuous as possible, looking like nouveau riche.

Without a secretary, he had to make phone calls to make appointments himself.

"Hey, hello, Mr. Zhou, I'm Zhou Buqi... Hey, you're welcome... I'm on my way to the ministry... If you're free, come over and we can chat. I want to ask you for some advice on how to do business... That's very polite of you, you're my senior, I have to pay tribute to you! Um... OK, okay, see you later!"

Zhou Buqi, with a lot of false pretenses, invited Hisense's big boss Zhou Huajin to come out.

Hisense is a state-owned enterprise.

However, mixed-ownership reform has also been taking place in recent years.

There are two main strategies for the market-oriented reform of state-owned enterprises: one is the Lenovo model and the other is the Haier model. The Haier model is too complicated. Most reforms follow the Lenovo model, and the routines adopted are similar, relying on overseas markets and using foreign exchange earnings as bait to win reform approval.

Moreover, times have changed. It is no longer as harsh as when Lenovo broke through.

When CEO Liu secured 25% of the equity for the management team, it really cost him half his life and also caused a sequelae of notoriety that lasted for decades. The first person to step out and step on the landmine always has huge risks. Business innovation is also innovation.

It was much easier for the followers later, and the handling methods could be more clever. In particular, the case of Jianlibao, which quickly went from the peak to bankruptcy after its restructuring application was rejected, shocked the whole country and finally made some people understand the power of human nature and market-driven.

Since then, the situation has been relatively relaxed. Whether it is Hisense, TCL or Gree, they have all completed the reform smoothly and basically did not cause any waves in society.

The management team led by Mr. Zhou Huajin even acquired nearly 40% of Hisense's shares.

This is also due to Hisense's outstanding performance in overseas markets.

Hisense is the world's second-largest TV maker after Samsung.

However, in the African market, Hisense TV is leading the market.

Zhou Buqi is focusing on the African market.

Soon, Zhou Buqi met Mr. Zhou at the door of the ministry. He arrived half an hour earlier, and the two went to the reception room to drink tea together. Here, he also saw that civil servants are really servants of the people. Two staff members, one male and one female, really entertained the two Mr. Zhous.

After a few words, Zhou Buqi got to the point and asked, "Mr. Zhou, I heard that Hisense just made a large investment in Africa?"

Zhou Huajin smiled and said, "Yes, in South Africa. Hisense has been exploring the South African market for more than 3000 years, and this is not the first time we have built a factory. This time, we will invest about million US dollars in South Africa to set up a TV manufacturing plant."

"Is this reliable?"

Zhou Buqi was a little worried. South Africa can be said to be the richest country in Africa. It was once among the developed countries and one of the richest countries in the world.

However, after Mandela's uprising was successful and he led the black people to seize control, the country gradually fell into chaos, the unemployment rate became higher and higher, the economy became worse and worse, and many social elites gradually left the country, including the famous Elon Musk and his family.

Zhou Huajin said: "It's still okay. South Africa is different from other African countries. The society is relatively stable. Especially in some major cities, the social order is also very good. Send people from China to manage it and recruit some local workers from the local area to do the work."

Zhou Buqi felt that this was not an excuse. "How does the labor cost of workers in South Africa compare to that in China?"

Zhou Huajin said: "Basically, there is not much difference. The unemployment rate there is quite high, and it is easy to recruit workers."

“It’s definitely not as good as back home.”

"That is."

"Then why don't you invest in China?" Zhou Buqi could see that he was reluctant to talk, but he wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Even if the TV is a large item, it is not easy to manufacture it in China and transport it to South Africa. However, this part of the expenditure cannot make up for the huge gap between South Africa and China in the manufacturing field."

Zhou Huajin hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "The funds were provided by the China-Africa Development Fund."

Just enough, Zhou Buqi understood it immediately.

This is money given by the state!

That would be a waste. No wonder they built a factory in that place.

Zhou Buqi smiled and said: "Hisense TV has developed so well in Africa, and the channels have been opened, so why hasn't Hisense mobile phones been developed there?"

Zhou Huajin said: "Mobile phones and TVs are different. TVs are Hisense's core products. As for mobile phones... you can see that even in the domestic market, Hisense mobile phones have little market share. Going abroad will be more risky."

Zhou Buqi then asked: "Hisense TV's market share in Africa seems to be much higher than Samsung's. What's the reason?"

Zhou Huajin said: "The decision was made by the management team. Hisense... not only Hisense, but also domestic companies that want to develop their business in Africa, whether private or state-owned, all send management teams from China on business trips to manage and supervise the work of local people. In this regard, China has a complete and relatively mature management system. This is different from many popular modern management models. Samsung is not good enough because their expatriate team is too weak."

Zhou Buqi nodded, "Yes, whether it's Koreans or white people in Europe and America, as long as they have some working ability, they are unwilling to work in Africa. Those sent to Africa will not be very good."

Zhou Huajin smiled and said, "Yes, in this regard, domestic companies have a huge advantage. We have stronger execution capabilities. Even if we go to Africa, it is considered going abroad, which is more attractive. At least we can go abroad to see the world and experience the cultural customs of different countries. In this regard, Koreans are not good. Business in Africa is difficult to do, but our country is the best in doing business in Africa."

"It really is!"

Zhou Buqi has basically formed a general understanding of this. The advantages of China in developing the African market are not only supported by national strategies, but also influenced by the overall environment.

Zhou Huajin asked: "Mr. Zhou, are you interested in the African market? Do you want to make mobile phones in the African market?"

Zhou Buqi did not hide anything and said frankly: "I do have this idea."

"It's difficult!" Zhou Huajin shook his head. "Hisense has good channels in Africa. If the mobile phone business was good, we would have invested heavily in this market a long time ago. Africa is very poor, and it is not easy for ordinary people to make money. After they have money, their first choice is to buy a TV. This is the main reason why Hisense TV can enter the African market. It must meet the needs of local people."

"Is buying a TV a priority?"

"Yes, after a family saves money for several years, the most important thing is to buy a TV. TV is the most important electronic product in Africa. Even in South Africa, many families still have black and white TVs. There is a huge gap in the TV market in Africa now. People are saving money to buy TVs, and mobile phones are not so attractive."

"That's it..."

Zhou Buqi didn't say anything more about this.

There is no need for excessive research.

Foreknowledge is enough.

Transsion has been developing in Africa for several years, and the performance it has accumulated is more impressive than Hisense's decades of operation in Africa.

The cost of manufacturing is getting lower and lower, and the same is true for televisions.

Television sets are getting cheaper and cheaper now. Unlike before, when you had to spend thousands of dollars to buy a bulky analog TV set, now this cheap TV only costs a few hundred dollars. This is a blessing for the African people.

Of course, the money you save from buying a TV should be used to buy a mobile phone!

Especially smartphones.

Africa is a place with no people, no entertainment, and a huge information gap with the civilized world. Only interesting and powerful smartphones can give them a sense of accomplishment as modern people!

Especially those unhealthy adult websites in Europe and the United States are absolutely a killer for the African people.