ScandAsia China - April 2015

APR 2015

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Swedish Chamber Shanghai: SPRING GALA 2015

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in China ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish residents in China.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in Thailand, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.

Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

Come along on a journey through the 1920’s Jazz Age of Shanghai and be dazzled by the decadence at Peace Hotel on the Bund. Prepare for a great evening filled delicious food and drinks as well as great enter tainment, the Honorar y Award Ceremony and surprises. After dinner let your feet get busy to the sound of live jazz.

Host of the evening will be Malou von Sivers,

an award winning journalist and TV personality, and also a renowned moderator and keynote speaker.

Where: Fairmont Peace Hotel 20 Nanjing Road East Shanghai 200002, China When: Friday, April 24, 2015-Saturday, April 25, 2015, 18:00 – 01:00 Contact klara@swedishchamber.com.cn

Swedish Chamber Beijing: Leadership Pipeline Chamber Business Breakfast: Companies must think and act in accordance to their strategic position and adjust the leadership structure to reflect accordingly. New business challenges, the new generation, changes in the workforce, leadership gaps and updated strategic positioning are some of the main trends that impact how companies build their Leadership Pipeline for the future. Ensuring continued success and strong future leadership is for many companies in China still one of the most important questions on the agenda. The war for talents is still a highly relevant question, but how we

FBCS: How to build a successful team in China

In today’s competitive environment, poor team work and cooperation are becoming increasingly important factors driving the costs of an organization. Come and listen to Anders Henningsson sharing his experiences on how to build high performing cross-functional teams in an Asian environment. Anders has lived in Asia for more than 14 years and has over 10 years of experience as a Managing Director for different companies. He always aims at combining the best of people, competences and cultures in order to create efficient organizations based on strong values and ethics.

Where: Renaissance Suzhou Hotel, Wuzhong, Suzhou, Jiangsu, When: Thursday, April 16, 2015, 15:00-17:00 Registration: Please sign up at fbcs@fbcs.fi by noon, Tuesday the 14.4.2015.

manage this question today is different…

Niklas Olsson from Celemi, a company that helps organizations change and develop using “the power of learning” as the vehicle to make changes happen, will present ideas and inspiration on how you can get your company to the next level and not be left behind.

Where: Board Room, 2nd floor, Radisson BLU Hotel Beijing When: Tuesday, April 14, 2015, Time: 08:00-09:3

Nordic Chambers Hong Kong: How to Motivate

How to motivate employees and colleagues to work smarter and harder and perform better is not always so easy. Join us to learn tips and tricks for improving your leadership and motivational skills within the different cultural contexts of local, mainland and other international cultures.

Eric Tarchoune, Founder and Managing Director of Dragonfly Group, a China-centric Human Resources consultancy, has 20+ years experience in China and currently shares his time between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Where: Mannheimer Swartling, located at 33/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central When: Tuesday 29 April, 09:00 - 10:00am Sign up by sending an email to Birgitte, dcc@dcc.hk no later than 27th April 2015.

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News Brief

SAS direct flight Hong Kong-Stockholm

S

AS will depar t five times a week from Hong Kong direct to Stockholm with good connections to and from Oslo and Copenhagen, commencing on 10 September 2015. The ticket sales for the new direct flight route opened on 29 January. The non-stop flights will be flown by SAS brand new Airbus 330 Enhanced.

This is the fourth SAS direct route between Scandinavia and Asia and it will offer good connections to and from central airpor ts in Europe. SAS is the only airline that flies between Scandinavia and Hong Kong, one of the world’s busiest airports and an important hub for the region. Hong Kong is also the number one airport in the world for freight and SAS therefore anticipates big interest in freight shipments on the new route.

SAS already has direct flights between Copenhagen and Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo in Asia.

“We are launching a product that is attractive for our frequent flyers not only in terms of comfor t, service onboard, an upgraded cabin with new entertainment system and WiFi, but also a very appealing timetable and ticket prices.

With this new direct route to Hong Kong, SAS is continuing to deliver on its vision of making life easier for Scandinavian travelers. We are extremely proud and expectant,” said Eivind Roald, Executive Vice President Commercial, SAS.

“We are seeing increased demand for long haul flights between Scandinavia and Asia and USA. Many Scandinavian companies with regional head offices in East Asia are based in Hong Kong and we look forward to welcoming everyone onboard,” he added.

The flight time from Stockholm to Hong Kong is estimated at around 10 hours and 20 minutes. The timetable is also designed to enable travelers from Oslo and Copenhagen to make a smart connection to the flight with short transfer times. Ticket prices during the campaign period start at SEK 4,999.

The route will be operated by a 262 seat Airbus 330 Enhanced. However until mid October, the flight will be with either an Airbus 330 Enhanced or an Airbus 340.

In Februar y SAS launched the new SAS Airbus A330 on flights between Copenhagen and Newark with a new design, new seats, new infotainment system and onboard WiFi.

2018 onwards with an option on an additional six SAS’ new cabin offers: SAS Go, SAS Plus, SAS Business “We are delighted to now be able to present our ultramodern cabin. It is a huge boost for SAS and will give our customers a totally new in flight experience. The new interior is designed to meet the needs of our frequent flyers and substantially strengthens our customer offer,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS. The materials and color scheme in the new cabins have been chosen to create a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere. The seating in SAS Go and SAS Plus is designed with good storage to create extra space. All seats in SAS Business have direct access to aisles and fold flat as sleeper seats.

The bedding comes from Hästens, the oldest bed manufacturer in Sweden, to ensure passengers enjoy a high class sleeping experience.The aircraft has a new on-demand entertainment system with HD screens and WiFi in all classes.

Upgrading the fleet

Hong Kong facts:

This heralds the launch of SAS’s investment in its long haul fleet in which seven existing aircraft are being updated and new aircraft will enter service from fall 2015. The changes are as follows: • Cabin upgrade on seven Airbus A330/A340s • Four new Airbus A330-300s to be delivered in 2015 and 2016 • Eight Airbus A350-900s to be delivered from

• The number one airpor t in the world for freight and the route is expected to attract big interest for freight.

• The most popular destination in Asia and had previously lacked a direct route from Scandinavia.

• From 1992 to 1999, SAS had direct flights between Hong Kong and Copenhagen.

Zhong Shang forms joint venture in Denmark

T

he Chinese company Zhong Shang has formed a joint venture with COOHÉ Denmar k A/S, aiming at developing products for the Danish and European markets as well as bringing Danish design to China.

Zhong Shang supplies products to leading chain stores in China, Korea and Japan such as Watsons, Mannings and 7-11. The company was founded in 2006, has more than 500 employees and develops more than 600 products every year. It designs, develops, produces and distributes cosmetics, personal care products and houseware products with brand licenses from world famous cartoon brands such as Hello Kitty, 4 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

Barbie and Snoopy.

Denmark’s strong design competence was the main reason for Chinese Zhong Shang’s decision to establish a joint venture in Copenhagen.

“When it comes to Nordic design, Denmark has a unique reputation, many passionate designers and several world-famous brands.

These are all factors which Chinese consumers find attractive. Through our joint venture in Copenhagen, we wish to make Danish design as well as Denmar k’s special, high-quality lifestyle available to consumers in China”, says Tinghua He, Owner of Zhong Shang & COOHÉ Denmark A/S.

The joint venture was established with the assistance of Copenhagen Capacity, the Danish capital city region’s official organisation for investment promotion, business development and cluster growth. Copenhagen Capacity helped Zhong Shang with, among other things, strategic advice, provision of location benchmarks and market analyses, contact to Danish companies, business partners and service providers.

Copenhagen Capacity enables all companies considering locating or expanding their operations in Copenhagen to succeed and achieve their business goals. Their services are open to all foreign-owned companies and are free of charge.

News Brief

Ericsson acquires Sunrise Technology in China

T

he Swedish telecom group Ericsson announced on 16 March 2015 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the telecom business of Sunrise Technology, a provider of IT ser vices in the operations and business suppor t systems (OSS/BSS) domain. Sunrise Technology has a strong track record of delivering complex IT solutions to leading operators in China. The unit which is headquartered in Guangzhou, China, will continue to exist as a separate entity - serving customers in sectors other than telecom.

The news follows on a recent announcement to announce major redundancies in Sweden where Ericsson will shed 2,200 employees in Sweden. Approximately 1,000 employees almost all of whom are based in Guangzhou - will join Ericsson by Q2 2015, subject to customary closing conditions. These employees have expertise in IT consulting; systems integration for charging and billing systems, customer relationship management and business intelligence/analytics solutions; and application development and maintenance.

“The completion of this acquisition significantly strengthens our position in China and shows our commitment to the market,” says Mats H. Olsson, Senior Vice President and Head

of Asia-Pacific at Ericsson.

“The skills and experience of the Sunrise Technology employees will be key for us to continue providing leading ser vices to our customers in China.”

Magnus Mandersson, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Unit Global Services at Ericsson, says: “China is the world’s biggest mobile market in terms of number of subscriptions, with 1.285 billion. Most of the country’s telecom operators are at the beginning of their IT transformation journeys, and will soon replace their legacy IT systems with next-generation solutions that will enable them to launch digital offerings. The acquisition of Sunrise Technology’s telecom business will boost our ability to serve mobile operators’ IT transformation needs in China, and is aligned with our strategy of becoming a global ICT leader.”

Ericsson’s strategy to create value builds on a combination of excelling in its core business and establishing leadership in targeted growth areas. The group says the acquisition of Sunrise Technology strengthens its position in OSS/BSS, which is one of the targeted areas. Great strides have been made already, with leading analyst firms describing Ericsson’s OSS/BSS portfolio as

the most comprehensive offering in the telecom market. To maintain momentum in OSS/BSS, Ericsson has previously acquired companies such as Telcordia (2012), TeleOSS and Telcocell (2013), GEOSS (2014), and TimelessMIND (2015).

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14/08/2014 12:04 April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 5

News Brief

Volvo Cars selects Port of Gothenburg for China exports

T

he Port of Gothenburg will be the new export port for Volvo cars to China, as well as Finland and Russia, with an estimated volume of around 30,000 cars each year.

The Port of Gothenburg has for a long time been the principal export gateway for Volvo Cars.

It has now been confirmed that Volvo Cars has also chosen its home port for exports to Finland, Russia and China. The cars were previously exported via Wallhamn.

The Volvo cars will be exported via the Car Terminal at the Port of Gothenburg, Logent Ports & Terminals. A completely new service from the terminal will be established for this purpose.

“We are the lar gest expor t por t in Sweden for cars and this new development has consolidated this position even further. It is particularly heartening that Volvo is choosing to continue to focus on its home port,” said Claes Sundmark, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg.

Volvo Cars sold over 80,000 cars in China

W

hen Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) announced its financial results for the previous year 2014, it was clear that China is playing a key role. As the company’s largest market, Volvo Cars sold over 80,000 cars there. In Europe, meanwhile, Volvo grew twice as fast as the overall market and all of its main competitors in the region.

The all-time sales record of 465,866 cars was an increase of 8.9 per cent compared to 427,840 in 2013, and was supported by strong

performances in China and Europe.

Volvo repor ted a 17.4 per cent increase in operating profit for 2014 to 2,252 MSEK, compared to 1,919 MSEK in 2013, as record sales cleared the way for the company to continue investing in its global transformation. Revenue for the year was 129,959 MSEK, up from 122,245 MSEK in 2013. The car brand has now reported sales growth every month since July 2013.

“It is essential to remember that the company is in an investment phase right now,” said Håkan

Samuelsson, President and Chief Executive. “The fruits of these investments will start to be felt from this year.

Volvo Car s is investing in a global transformation as part of its long term strategic ambition to enhance its position as a global premium car maker. Driven by the complete renewal of its product range, Volvo is aiming to double sales to around 800,000 cars a year in the medium term.

During 2014, Volvo Car s took several important steps towards achieving these goals.

It unveiled the all-new Volvo XC90, which is built on an entirely new, in-house developed Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) technology, which improves driveability and provides a wider range of design options. SPA will be used across the product range in future and will generate economies of scale, improvements in productivity and improved profitability.

The XC90 also features Volvo Cars’ new in-house developed Drive-E powertrain, which provides a world leading combination of power and low carbon emissions. Drive-E will also be introduced across the product range in future.

In addition, the XC90 offers world first safety technologies and the most comprehensive safety package on the market as standard.

In 2014, the company also continued to expand its industrial footprint in China and Europe.

Production of the best-selling XC60 started at its Chengdu plant, while the company also expanded its manufacturing footprint in China by

6 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

Q&A Exports to China will also be shipped by Euro Marine Logistics. The cars will be transshipped to deep sea car carriers on the continent.

The models that will be shipped from Gothenburg are the Volvo S80, V70, S60, V60, XC70 and the new Volvo XC90.

The Belgian shipping company Euro Marine Logistics that will operate to Finland and Russia, calling once a week.

“It is extremely pleasing that Volvo Cars has chosen our terminal at the Port of Gothenburg as its export port for the Finnish, Russian and Chinese markets. This represents a substantial increase in volumes and completely new destinations,” said Anders Madsen, President of Logent Por ts & Terminals.

Last year, 166,000 cars were imported or exported via the Port of Gothenburg, representing an increase of two per cent on 2013.

Torsten Edens

T

orsten Edens, 49, moved to Vietnam with his wife Mona and 16 year old daughter Sophia in January 2014 to work as Managing Director for Diethelm Travel.

Working in tghen travel industry, Torsten has overv the years lived in “around 20 countries”.

His daughter Sophia star ted at UNIS in Hanoi and is going for the IB program.

I decided to move to Vietnam... because it was a great opportunity and I instantly felt a great affection for the country and its people.

Runnning a travel agency in Vietnam has taught me... not to judge the book by it’s cover, the Vietnamese might not be smiling as much as the Thais but they are fantastic, have a great sense of humor and are hardworking and qualified.

announcing that SPA-based cars will be built at its plant in Daqing. In Sweden, the re-introduction of a third shift in the Torslanda plant was announced, creating 1,300 new jobs.

“Looking back at 2014’s performance gives me confidence in our future performance,” said Mr Samuelsson. “By any measure, Volvo Cars is performing well. Sales are growing, a range of all new products are on the way, we are leading the field in new technologies and Volvo Cars is well positioned for the future.”

Volvo Cars is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world.Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for China is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium) and Chengdu (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).

Reader profile of the month

In my spare time...

I try to see as much of Vietnam as I can, I do trail running wherever I can and that is a great way to get close to the nature.

It never ceases to amaze me... when I drive to work every morning in the traffic here in Hanoi and I don’t see accidents all over the place.The traffic is almost organic and every little piece of pavement is used.

I will never get tired of ... the old Quarter in Hanoi with its constant life and mixture of new and old.

The worst thing about doing business in Vietnam... is the constant change of rules and regulations which means that you are never completely certain of what the law says. Sometimes the laws that are passed makes absolutely no sense what so ever.

When I moved to Vietnam I wish I had known... how cold it gets in the winter here in Hanoi, actually it is usually colder inside the houses than outside.

Living outside of Scandinavia has made me realize... how narrow minded and fixated with 1st world problems we have become in Scandinavia. Live and let live and don’t worry too much about a bus that is 5 min delayed or if your internet connection is a bit slow. Your rights come with obligations and we become too much focused on our rights and do not want to contribute. It is a great shame and shows how petty we have become.

Since I became an expat... traditions like Christmas have become more about quality and less about quantity. I love that everything looks normal until 7 days before Xmas and it is all removed the day after Xmas.

We don’t over eat in sweets and Danish food and Xmas lunches with hangovers are - almost - a thing of the past.

Finding a school for my daughter... was relatively easy. In her age there was only two options and UNIS was by far the better choice, apart from that they have a great reputation worldwide and doors to further education will be open in all continents for her.

In Vietnam I have picked up the habit of.... smoking too much. But it kind of filters the dust in the air.

The Scandinavian community in Hanoi is... relatively small. Actually, we have not been seeking out Scandinavians so far.

To satisfy my social needs...

I go out for a Bia Hoi with my staff or run in the Hanoi Hash House Harriers I will return to Denmark when... not really. I am enjoying it too much here!

April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 7

Celebrating 65 years of Nor In 1949, Mao Zedong officially announced the formation of the People’s Replublic of China and in January 1950, the last Kuomintang troops surrendered on mainland China. Soon after, all the four Nordic countries established diplomatic relations with the People’s Replublic of China.

Throughout 2015, Sweden, Finland and Denmark plan in various way to mark this starting point of their political, cultural, and commercial relationship with People’s Republic of China.

Sweden – China

relations highlighted in 2015

By Joakim Persson

S

wedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s visit to People’s Republic of China on 27-28 March marked the start of the anniversar y year, highlighting the 65 years of Diplomatic relations between China and Sweden (the first western country to establish such diplomatic relations.)

The Embassy of Sweden ran a design competition in China to come up with the logo for the activities in 2015.

“We wanted to generate engagement and give opportunities for interactivity for our followers on social media. The initiative aimed at those using the social forums Weibo and Wechat,” said counsellor Gabriella Augustsson at the Embassy of Sweden, Beijing. “In doing so, we wish not only to inspire, but also to learn and to listen. In China, I’m sure that there are many bright young minds that have great ideas on what this logo should look like,” she had commented at the launch, eager to see what would come out of it.

8 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

The contest generated great interest with over 200 entries sent to embassy, of which the top three designs were also invited to meet the Swedish ambassador. The first prize was a roundtrip ticket to Sweden, and all of the participating designs were published online.

The winning design ser ved as the major inspiration for the official Swedish logo, to be used in various communication platforms.

“During 2015 the Swedish embassy in Beijing goes for the theme Health and Lifestyle, which will permeate our work during the year. Also the Swedish Government’s ambition to conduct a feminist foreign policy characterizes our work,” the councellor highlighted.

Any possible future visits to China by Swedish ministers will be announced continuously on our website www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/ Embassies/Beijing/. Sweden’s National Day, 6 June, will be a large event.

Commenting on the bilateral trade between

Counsellor Gabriella Augustsson looks on as Sweden’s Ambassador to China approves the format for the memory envelope to be signed

by Prime Minister Stefan Lövfen and Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Friday 27 March 2015.

the two countries she replied: “China is Sweden’s largest trade partner in Asia. Statistics from 2013 shows that Sweden’s export to China amounted to 39.5 billion SEK, while the import amounted to 53.4 billion SEK, which is about 5,1 per cent of Sweden’s total import.”

“We have also noticed that more and more Chinese tourists apply of Swedish visas. Between 2013-2014 the increase was 64 per cent, as a consequence of that more and more Chinese are getting more well off, and thanks to the Swedish embassy’s short turnaround times for applications.”

rdic diplomatic relations Denmark - China

Finland - China

O

T

celebrations kick start with art expos

n 9 January 1950 the Kingdom of Denmark recognized the People’s Republic of China as one of the very first Western countries to do so. The establishment of formal diplomatic ties followed on 11 May. Denmark is the only country to have unbroken diplomatic presence in China since 1908.

During the anniversary year 2015 there will be several events in both China and Denmark commemorating theses ties.

“We have many exciting events coming up this spring, including many more activities from the Danish Cultural Season,” said Friis Arne Petersen, Danish Ambassador to China.

On 21 March the ambassador opened an art exhibition at the Royal Danish Embassy featuring two Chinese contemporary artists: Mr. Hu Qinwu, one of the most prominent artists in China; and Ms. Wu, a young artist.

Following on this, a spectacular DanishViking exhibition was launched on 27 March in Suzhou (open until 28 June), displaying a number of Vikings artefacts and relics; including a real size Viking ship, weapons, jewellery and ornaments.

Danish Viking re-enactors will also be present at the Suzhou Museum to demonstrate how Danish Vikings lived and worked during the Viking Age. “Today the relationship between Denmark and China is at an all-time high. Politically, economically and culturally we see an increased growth in both depth and width of the Sino-Danish bonds,” the ambassador pointed out. “I am thrilled to see that the past year has witnessed frequent high-level exchanges between China and Denmark.”

A record high number of official visits took place in 2014; the most prominent being the State Visit by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II to China on invitation by Chinese President Xi Jiping. Also, PM Helle ThorningSchmidt visited China for the second time during her tenure. Several highlevel visits from China to Denmark also took place.

“2015 is a special year and crucial milestone in the history of our bilateral relations. We are ready to work harder with our Danish friends from all walks of life for a future-oriented Sino-Danish relationship,” wrote China’s Ambassador H.E. Mr. Liu Biwei.

“We will deepen mutually-beneficial win-win cooperation. China and Denmark are both at critical stages of development. China is deepening reform and advancing the rule of law in a comprehensive manner. The Danish government is vigorously committed to vitalising economy, enlarging employment and improving people’s livelihood. Our two countries can make full use of our respective advantages, complement and learn from each other, and achieve common development.”

relations marked with events

he importance of children and youth, and people-to-people exchanges will be emphasized for the development of relations as the Republic of Finland highlights 65 years of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (established on 28 Oct 1950, as one of the first Western countries recognizing the

republic.)

Today, the relations cover numerous fields of cooperation and the two countries are seeking to conclude a new partnership agreement that will pave a way for the future development of the relations; where children and youth, and people-to-people exchanges have been recognized especially important. Looking to the future, the countries will further develop the partnership and collaboration in order to achieve new progress with joint efforts.

Thus, children and youth will be a special guest group in many of the anniversary years’ events and there will be a variety of cultural events organized both in China and in Finland.

Examples: Finnish orchestras, led by Lahti Symphony Orchestra, will play the music of Jean Sibelius, the national composer of Finland, in China during this year (the 150th anniversary of his birth.) Also, the biggest ever presentation of Chinese culture in Finland, China Focus, will take place in August at Helsinki Festival.

A special 65 years logo has been created and will mark the related events and communications. Its elements reflect that despite a far distance Finland and China are linked by mountains and rivers, and the friendship between the two nations goes back for generations.

key anniversary events in China: • The 150th anniver sar y of Jean Sibelius concer ts by Lahti Symphony Orchestra in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Harbin. 7-20 May. • The 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Finland and the People’s Republic of China, 28 October.

• The 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai, 1 November.

April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 9

CHINESE

CLOUDS Due to China’s internet explosion there is a growing demand for efficient online services. Swedish company eBuilder, focusing on cloud based service platforms, established its Beijing office in 2011. A new contract with a domestic company will add 20 million users to eBuilder’s services this year.

By Jojje Olsson

10 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

U

pon my first visit last winter to eBuilder’s office in the midst of Beijing’s commercial district, Ulf Persson, Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific, was talking with excitement about the prospects on the Chinese market. The company established an office in the Chinese capital already 2011, and soon companies like Nokia, (now Microsoft Mobile) and Sony Mobile started using eBuilder’s cloud based platform to handle logistics like customer returns and guarantee issues.

At the time though, Ulf Persson was still waiting for a breakthrough in the shape of a large deal with a big domestic customer. When I visit the same office again in March this year, such a contract had just been signed. On Christmas eve, eBuilder came to terms with Qingdao Haier, one of the world’s largest producer of electric appliances, with about 200 million customers.

Haier will from this year on use eBuilder’s platform to streamline their customer care process.

Haier’s sales executives will also be provided with a broad picture of customer behavior, and the company can also take advantage of the application for marketing and sales of its different products.

“Our service will help Haier and its customers to communicate more efficiently. All data will be integrated so that customer experience is the same when using the platform on the web, as well as on any mobile device,” says Ulf Persson, adding that the negotiations went smoother then expected. Haier is expanding very fast indeed, and needs a flexible solution to handle its more than 100,000 daily customer errands.

Ultimately, Haier is aiming to strengthen its own brand by improving the customer service and create a close relation to customers in general. ”Brand loyalty is an important upcoming trend in China. Customers are getting increasingly aware of brands, and the companies themselves are responding by building a good brand and customer loyalty, rather than just focusing on low price as before,” says Ulf Persson.

Online revolution This customer loyalty and branding trend is particularly important online, as the number of internet users in China has been growing from 100 million to 700 million during the last decade.

Even more stunning is the growth for mobile internet; with a tenfold growth since 2007, to 557 million users in the beginning of this year. China’s e-commerce is now the largest in the world, after a 20 percent growth last year. Online payments also grew with 17 percent.

This rapid development creates a strong specific demand for open, scalable and flexible online services. A service fit for today could be outgrown by the market tomorrow. eBuilder is

still an unconventional company on the Chinese IT market, as it sells not a physical product but a service, be it that it helps companies to save both time and money. ”For many potential customers we are sometimes seen as a threat rather than an asset to the IT department we try to help with our services,” says Ulf Persson. Many Chinese IT depar tments wants to develop everything by themselves, and can be reluctant to use external services as to not lose job opportunities.

That is why eBuilder began to work primary with already existing Western customers like Nokia (now Microsoft Mobile) and Sony Mobile.

Ulf Persson says that the younger generation is more positive and open to new solutions, than the older generation. They are slowly being replaced, and you can notice how the market here is maturing as a result: “Chinese companies are realizing that they don’t have to do everything by themselves. They are now open for external solutions and have other thoughts about service and customer care than before. The customers are also starting to appreciate personal items and are ready to move forward on their own.”

Domestic companies can see how foreign brands like Apple is enjoying customer loyalty in China, thanks to its generous guarantee policy and its ambition to even educate users in its stores on how to use the products.

“The next for many Chinese companies is now to go global, and to achieve that they have to improve after sales services, rather than just launch new products as fast and cheap as possible,” says Ulf Persson.

Tech challenges eBuilder has grasped this newly developing trend and ambitions, and last year approached several domestic companies with a new and customized service, based on the earlier “after sales process” but extended to include the entire sell and product life cycle. Ulf Persson describes the deal with Haier as “the first huge contract in China,” which will multiply the users of eBuilder’s platform several times, by adding 5 million users already this summer, and at least 20 million before year’s end. The Beijing office will hence be recruiting during the spring.

A big challenge, obviously, is China’s slow, censored and monitored internet.

“This prolongs the process of establishing an office in China, particularly in our field of business.

But that’s not just for us, but for all companies in our sector, and we have to accept the situation,” says Ulf Persson.

Another aspect is that there are no smooth solutions for server hosting in China - many IT companies have to build and use their own hosting centers locally - but eBuilder has so far been able to avoid a lot of problems by having

April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 11

the lion share of its technical infrastructure at the head office in Sweden. One of the first actions when establishing the Beijing office was to install an own corporate virtual private network (VPN) due to the lack of security and privacy on the Chinese Internet.

Ulf Persson was based in China 1996-98 with Frontec AMT - an early forerunner to eBuilder - and hence was prepared for the odd challenges, that often comes with the Chinese market: “The most common mistakes done in China, we already did in the mid-90’s,” he laughs. On the contrary, with an old set of contacts eBuilder has been able to establish in China quicker than many other Western companies.

FACTS // eBuilder • eBuilder was founded 2003 and its headquarters is located in Kista, Stockholm, where about 50 of the 220 employees are based. The Beijing and Sydney office got about 10 employees each, and the remaining staff are based in Sri Lanka.

• eBuilder offer s a cloud based, open and scalable platform for companies to streamline customer process. The platform integrates processes, back end solutions and service eco systems to simplify the customer experience.

12 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

• eBuilder got hundreds of customers in over 70 countries and altogether more than a half million users to its platforms. Among the customers are the Swedish government, Volvo, Saab, DHL, Nokia and Sony Mobile.

FACTS // Ulf Persson • 48 years old, eBuilder’s Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific. His wife Sara is also living in Beijing, as well as their 10 year old daughter and 12 year old son.

• Educational background of systems science and programming.

• Working experience from China 1996-98 with Frontec AMT, later based in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong 1998-2004, before moving West to France (2004-07) and USA (2007-11). Now based in China since 2011.

• Like with Beijing: The rapid, exciting development in all aspects of society. At the same time he also finds the old culture fascinating, as it results in many interesting cultural clashes.

• Dislike with Beijing: The often too slow and inefficient way to handle the air pollution, especially since he is also into running and skiing.

Handelsbanken opens Representative Office in Jakarta

T

he Swedish bank Handelsbanken’s new Representative Office in Jakarta was inaugurated on Mach 12 by Sweden’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Johanna Brismar Skoog.

Handelsbanken is the first Scandinavian Bank to open in Indonesia, taking its worldwide network of offices to 25, more than any other Nordic bank.

“We are obliged to follow our customers to different markets in order to always meet their requirements for financial ser vices, and we are very excited to now establish presence in the largest economy in Southeast Asia,” said Mr. Jan B. Djerf, Head of South Asia Pacific at Handelsbanken.

Mr. Erik Milfors, former Trade Commissioner for Sweden to Indonesia, is the new Chief Representative giving Handelsbanken a broad knowledge and insight of Indonesian business and economy.

“Foreign investments in Indonesia continue to

Mr. Erik Milfors, Chief Representative, Handelsbanken Jakarta

grow from our home markets. Handelsbanken’s new office in Jakarta confirms the importance of Indonesia for Nordic companies as well as businesses in UK and the Netherlands.” said Mr Milfors.

Handelsbanken is a full-service bank with a nationwide branch network in Sweden, UK, Denmark, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.

The Bank regards these six countries as its home markets.

Since the early 1970s, Handelsbanken’s organisation has been strongly decentralised and operations are always based on the customer’s requirements. This means that all business decisions regarding individual customers’ relationships with the bank are taken close to the customer.

Handelsbanken is one of the most costeffective listed full-service banks in Europe and every year during the past 42 years has had higher return on equity than the average of peer banks.

So, what’s the new

smart phone case from Krusell like?

W

hile I was waiting for the new smartphone case from the Swedish company Krusell to arrive at my mailbox, I wondered what I could possibly write about it that hasn’t already been said about this type of phone case; it protects the phone, it’s practical that it also fits my credit card, and of cause you have to get used to your phone taking up a bit more space in the pocket or purse.

But then I received the case and opened it.

I’ve never used this type of phone case before so I investigated it and its possibilities with a great curiosity. To be honest, my first thought was that how odd it was that there is no hole in the top corner for the camera. Well, I thought to my self, maybe this is just not a case for the fanatic photographer. But of cause, I just hadn’t thought about looking at the box before I tried it out.

Because when I placed my iPhone on the (very) sticky, rectangular square, which makes sure that your phone won’t drop off, I realized that you can slide this square up and down. Up, so you can take a picture. Down, so your whole phone is protected. Clever.

The Malmö FlipWallet Slide edition from Krusell walks a fine line between being simple

and advanced. On one hand, you can just open it, check your phone, pick up your credit card and close it again. That’s not rocket science, and the case is pretty slim so your phone doesn’t have to turn into a monstrous brick. On the other hand, it has another feature, probably inspired by most iPad cases. You can flip the case further up, fold it like a triangular tent, and there, you have yourself the iPhone version of a bookend so you can watch Netflix or a Youtube clip without having to hold it yourself. Clever.

This case proves to me that the protective function of the case has drifted to becoming a minor detail. With this product, Krusell has exploited what the smar tphone has become . We use our smartphone for so many things that it has almost become more impor tant to us than our wallet. Many manufacturers know that - including Krusell - and many manufacturers have exploited that by combining wallet and smartphone and made it into one piece. But with this slim fit, handmade Malmö FlipWallet Slide, Krusell shows that you can always make it smarter and more

user friendly. I’m sure that this iPhone case is not the solution for everybody, but I think you should try it out. It convinced me.

The Malmö Flip Wallet Slide is yet not available on the market. But if you cannot wait to get a hold of it, simply just visit www.kruselleshop.com to make a purchase for only $30. Also visit www.krusell.se for more information about their other products.

April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 13

14 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

How to pick a school

By Louise Bihl Frandsen

H

ow do you pick the perfect school for your children, when you move to another country? It might not be as easy as it sounds. During the years, more and more schools are established, and each institution offers different courses and has different ways of teaching. Many parents use social platforms like Facebook to get advices from other parents. But there will probably be no way around making your own inquiry into each avaible option.

Local vs international Are you looking for a local or an international school? In most countries in Asia, it is possible to sign your child into a local school – but it can be a challenge, if your child does not have Asian roots.

Local schools provide your child with a local environment and another benefit is that most of the local schools are more affordable than the international schools. One thing to be aware of though, is that psysical punishment has not been abolished in many Asian school systems.

If you go for an international school, consider that international students grow up in an environment that is much different to that of your own. Known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), they often develop a different attitude. They will develop other ways of thinking that might be very different from their schoolmates at home.

Once this is said, many expat families decide to go for the international school – at least through primary school up to grade 9.

A few suggestions As said before, many parents seek advices from other parents. But in the end, it is your choice and only you know what needs your child has.

First: Observe Visit the schools you are interested in during a regular school day. Ask to observe teachers in class so you can get a feel for how the adults treat the children, parents and one another. You don’t have to be an expert to get a good sense of what is - or is not - happening in a classroom when you visit.

Second: Distance Make sure the school is not too far away from your home. Have in mind that in most big cities, it is travelling time between your house and the school that matters. Will you be driving your

child to school yourself or how will your child be going there?

Especially in cities like Bangkok, the traffic is hectic and you can easily use hours stuck between cars, taxies and tuk-tuks.

Third: Reputation Use your network in the city. Ask as many as possible, what their experience with this school is. Do not listen to people, who have no children at the school themselves. And remember that the age of the school is no sure indication either.

Nothing guarantees that the reputation of a hundred year old school is better than a oneyear-old school.

Fourth: Courses The school’s courses and programs will most likely be listed in the school’s informations packages or on their website. They will talk about British Curriculum and American Curriculum and what most Scandinavians go for these days is the IB Curriculum.

The IB Curriculum is an educational programme managed by the International Baccalaureate for students aged 3 to 12. Students are required to learn a second language during the programme.

Fifth: Supplementary courses More and more parents find it important that their children are receiving lessons in their mother tongue language. On some of the international schools, the different Scandinavian communities have organized mother tounge language lessons as a supplementary course.

It all depends on the needs of your child.

Many children already have a long day in school with lessons in Thai, English and other courses, so if the lessons are not included on the schedule, a normal day in school can all the sudden become very long and exhausting.

Stay involved As a parent you might wish there were some secret education-analyst methodology. No matter how hard you do your homework, stay involved with your child’s everyday life. Is your child happy and motivated or tired and introver ted? Talk with your child about how school is and spend more time together in the beginning. First period will probably be as exhausting for your child as for you – starting up your lives in a completely different country.

Copyright: Igor Yaruta / 123RF Stock Photo

April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 15

Nyborg Gymnasium has stx, hf, IB and boarding school

International School of Bergen

Danish upper-secondary school environment with an international agenda.

Nyborg Gymnasium addresses the growing internationalisation with programmes, study streams and a boarding school, which makes the ‘international’ the order of the day.

The students at Nyborg Gymnasium have an eye open onto the world, and they are fully capable of exploring this in school. This happens, for example, if stay at the boarding school with other young people from all over the world, or if they are students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, where all subjects are taught in English.

Over recent years, Nyborg Gymnasium has expanded and rebuilt school facilities to ensure that the framework for the tuition is updated and inspiring. The latest addition to the school is a new building for the sciences, and a special ‘language’ zone. At the boarding school the students have their own rooms, a strong community, and a kitchen, with focus on organic cooking, providing the meals of the day.

Nyborg Gymnasium ….en route to the world

nternational School of Bergen (ISB) is situated on the west coast of Norway and offers an English language learning environment to students between the ages of 3 and 16. Our mission is to provide an internationally accredited education serving the business and Bergen communities.

The educational programme of the International School of Bergen (ISB) has been developed to help prepare its students for a successful future. ISB is accredited by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in addition to being authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer their Primary Years and Middle Years programmes.

A

NYBORG GYMNASIUM - an alternative to the Danish ‘Studentereksamen’

International School of Bergen Vilhelm Bjerknesvei 15, 5081 Bergen, Norway Phone: +4755306330 Fax: +4755306331 Website: www.isob.no E-mail: post@isob.no

• internationally recognized • gives admission to universities all over the world • taught in English You can stay at Nyborg Gymnasium’s boarding school.

Contact us for more information about theprogramme and the boarding school.

www.nyborg-gym.dk Tlf +45 65 31 02 17

ENGELSKSPRÅKLIG PRIVATSKOLE FOR BARN OG UNGDOM MELLOM 3 OG 16 Få elever i hver klasse Trygt læringsmiljø med god individuell oppfølging God kontakt med foreldre Internasjonalt godkjente og utfordrende læreplaner Utmerkede resultater i internasjonale og norske nasjonalprøver Sentral beliggenhet med bybanestopp rett utenfor døren Contact us for more information: www.isob.no eller post@isob.no 16 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

Our students and staff All teacher s hold univer sity degrees and appropriate teaching qualifications. Classes are small, and with students and staff representing more than thir ty different nationalities, we pride ourselves in having a welcoming and including community.

ISB was founded in 1975, giving us nearly 40 years of experience as an educational institution.

International Baccalaureate

• • • • • •

I

Saniya More

7 Reasons to ‘IB’ it Up

By Saniya More, Grade 12 at KIS International School in Bangkok, Thailand, Class of 2015

A

KIS Students at a glance: • KIS students score on average 34-35 points on their IB Diploma, compared to the global average score of 29.8.

• On average 91% percent of KIS students taking the IB Diploma pass, compared to 78-79% worldwide.

• KIS students are accepted at excellent universities around the world, often with substantial scholarships.

s I come closer and closer to the end of senior year and graduation, I can’t help but look back on the last (almost) 8 years of my life- into the education system that I’ve been a part of since the fourth grade: the IB program.Two years ago, I began the IB Diploma Program- one of the most respected, most difficult programs in the world. We can all, as IB students, agree that the IB is no joke, because pulling all-nighters and finishing essays the day before they were due are just some of the skills we have. But honestly what are the benefits of this hellish program? Well, it’s me so here’s another list (once again).

It’s a challenge- making it through the IB program is no easy task because it is a very well rounded curriculum. To do well in the IB doesn’t mean just memorising a textbook of content or being able to list all the facts- you have to be able to apply what you know to new situations.

It helps you to develop excellent critical thinking skills- from the beginning of the IB program, we are pushed to have our own opinion on what is happening in the world, as well as attempt to understand the perspectives of the people around us. IB pushes us to question the world around us, and try to make sense of why everything is the way it is.

It transforms you into an independent learner- by carrying out independent research, writing many investigative essays, completing a personal project and writing an Extended Essay, IB helps you develop the skills you need to understand the world around you without

depending on anyone else.

It gives you your first taste of the real worldthree words: Creativity, Action, Service- for me, some of the best, more memorable parts of the DP program have come from my CAS activities.

Whether it be volunteering at a local shelter, or helping to host a yoga workshop for street children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (best spring break EVER!), CAS shows you that the world isn’t a perfect place, and there is a lot that we as individuals can do to help society move forward.

It impels you to be a well-rounded person with a wide variety of interests- throughout the program, we are encouraged to develop our talents, be able to express ourselves, but also write good essays and learn theories. We are exposed to a variety of subjects, and thus can discover our own individual interests.

It helps you to develop a holistic, accepting state of mind- most IB communities are international, and being open and appreciating about other cultures besides your own is definitely an IB value.

It makes you a part of a global elite (and very small) group of highly intelligent, talented individuals- Globally, there are only about 1 million IB students- it’s one of the smallest educational minorities. IB is tough, and it’s definitely not a program for the faint-hearted. But I’ve been a part of it for 8 years, and yes although at times it has been a real challenge, I definitely do not regret being an IB student.

For more information please contact: admissions@kis.ac.th, www.kis.ac.th April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 17

Stenhus Kostskole Sports Academy Stenhus Kostskole Boarding School and Gymnasium is the right place if interested in sports, the Sports Academy is based on both ambitious training and education and all students are receiving customized training programs.

Different options Football College Coaches at the Football College are the former major league players Morten Hamm and Morten Rutkjær.They both have UEFA A coach license and coaches at Northwest FC Sports College (elementary education). Both have worked with various Danish football elite teams.

• Football College from 8th to 10th class (boys) Students live at Stenhus Boarding School where education and training are combined in a professional and ambitious environment.

• Football College at Stenhus High School (boys and girls) Students live at Stenhus Boarding School and study at the high school.

Basketball College Coaches are Trine Tims and Jesper Sørensen who are both former national team players and now coaches at Stenhus Basketball College. Trine Tims was between Nov 2007 and Dec 2009 the coach of the women's national team in basketball.

• Basketball College (boys and girls and high school students only) Students live at Stenhus Boarding School and study at the high school.

Badminton College Christian Møller Madsen, former elite player, is one of the coaches at the Badminton College.

• Badminton College (boys and girls and high school students only) Students live at Stenhus Boarding School and study at the high school.

Stenhus Kostskole DK-4300 Holbæk Phone: +45 59 43 02 69 E-mail: admin@stenhus.dk Website: www.stenhus.dk

18 ScandAsia.China • April 2015

Dropping interest in the Far East among Danes Through the last 30 years, Asia has become more and more popular among Danes who wish to emigrate.

But the rising trend has stagnated and in the last couple of years, the number has been dropping.

By Søren Engelbrecht

T

he number of Danes who emigrate to Asia has dropped over the last few years and from a rising trend over the past 30 years, the figures are now dropping. In 2014, Danes and other people with a Danish passport that moved to Asia were down to 2.257 for the whole year, while in 2006 the number was 2.789 people. The year 2006 was a record breaking year, according to the figures from Danish Statistics.

For many yers, the number of Danes moving to Asia was growing steadily. From 1980 to 2006 the number has almost tripled.

From a mere 997 people in 1980, it peaked at 2789 in 2006.

But then the following year, it dropped to 2321 - a drop of almost 20 per cent. The following years, the number rose a bit, but the bottom line is that the number of Danish emigrants to Asia was last year in 2014 is the lowest in ten years.

Still the most popular continent Despite this development, Asia is still the number one most popular continent to emigrate to outside of Europe among the Danes. Nor th America used to lead as the most popular destination, but Asia knocked Nor th America of the throne in 2005 and has lead on ever since with in some years a significant margin. Except for last year where Asia only beat Nor th America by 130 people. If this current trend continues, Nor th America will in a few years again become the number one destination for Danish emigrants.

Together, the two continents are far more interesting among Danish people than the rest of the world outside of Europe.

Africa as a destination has seen the exact opposite development compared to Asia since 1980. At that time, 35 years ago, the two continents had almost equally many Danish immigrants per year, but while the number of people moving to Asia almost tripled, Africa saw a reduction of nearly 50 per cent in Danish immigrants.

16 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2015

April 2015 • ScandAsia.China 19

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