A story explaining the relationship between Wahaha and Danone- and their eventual falling-out due to “extra-marital affairs”- as a case study for business schools. From The Australian:
The first big question facing businesses that want to operate in China is whether they are brave enough or deep-pocketed enough to go it alone, or whether they will seek a local partner to help steer them through the many rapids they are bound to face.
There are myriad anecdotes and metaphors about the uneven history of joint ventures in China. “Same bed, different dreams” is maybe the most apposite with its presumption that such partnerships are like marriages, they work only when the partners share goals and talk to each other openly and often. [Full Text]
See also China Law Blog, which has been following the dispute.
