Great Ambassadors Scheme launched by UKTI to send Chinese students to companies, to help them with the China market.

The British government agency, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), together with the University of Sheffield launched a programme under which foreign students will be recruited to help UK companies better understand overseas markets. (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chinese-students-to-help-uk-businesses)

The GREAT Ambassadors scheme was announced by UK Prime Minister during his visit to China in December 2013. China has been chosen as the target country for the pilot programme that will operate for the academic year of 2014-2015.

The tasks undertaken by the Chinese interns will include:

• helping companies establish online presence on Chinese e-commerce websites and social media

• liaising with Chinese distributors

• provide advice and support on Chinese business culture and etiquette

• helping companies develop a Chinese version of their brand

• support company representatives on market visits to China

• identify ways to cater for growing numbers of Chinese tourists such as menus and signage

The scheme is to be commended for making companies focus on the Chinese market and allowing Chinese students to pick up valuable work experience. At the same time, business owners should take care to understand exactly what kind of help this will bring them and what this scheme cannot do. A Chinese student, as bright and energetic as they may be, does not have the relevant level of experience to replace the need for an expert in market entry, marketing, e-commerce development or cultural gap bridging. China is a very large and complex region. The needs and preferences of Chinese in one area of China would be quite different from those of another. A single Chinese person is not representative of the entire market in the same way that a single French person will not represent all of Europe.

Chinese marketing and business development specialists and agencies that work across all of China, bring perspective, strategic overview and experience of past cases that all benefit the company. Having a Chinese speaker in the office will be immense help for many companies in Britain. But it would be dangerous to think that this alone will be enough to succeed in China. Some of the areas where real expertise is needed are:

• E-commerce is a specialist sector and the regulations around it in China are cumbersome. Companies that do not have a registered entity in China typically cannot setup a payment gateway for RMB or receive a license to sell commercially in China.
• The setup and maintenance of social media requires long-term strategy, knowledge of the Chinese social media landscape as well as thorough knowledge of the company services. As with other markets, leaving this to an intern can be risky.
• Branding and localisation are best done by experts that have a broad overview of the market. An individual Chinese student will have his or her preferences and opinions but not a strategic approach or experience of working with other brands.

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