In 2007, the buzzword in marketing circles was "Olympics marketing". All major vendors competed for the opportunities provided by the Olympics to exhibit their brands. Along with the 2008 Olympic Games comes the opportunity for rebuilding China's brands.

The favorable "price/performance ratio" of the Olympic Games is attracting attention from consumers worldwide. The essence of Olympics marketing lies on the use of the Olympics platform to maximize communications. The Olympics is not only a "carnival" for enterprise marketing but also a rare opportunity for national brand marketing. Currently, as entering into the international market, the Chinese enterprises have no lack of world-class products. However, they currently have no international brand that sweeping the global market off its feet.

The relationship between corporate brands and national brands is interdependent. National brands are the foundation for corporate brands, while corporate brands are a representative of national brands. A good image of national brands will provide a platform for corporate brands to take off and enter the world stage. China should support several corporate brands with strength to become well-known international brands acting as spearheads to raise the whole national brand. In the face of the new opportunity of the 2008 Olympics, fostering awareness of China's national brand and looking for good marketing strategies is an urgent task.

Chinese Enterprises Play the Leading Role on the World M&As Stage

In the first half of 2007, global enterprises were greetd with a high tide of M&As (Mergers and Acquisitions) and restructuring. However, in the second half of the year, the credit market was in crisis and M&A activities were stagnant. The total amount of global M&As this year is level with that of last year.
Affected by the US sub-prime loan crisis, global liquidity shrank significantly. By comparison, multinational M&As in China are certain to increase, due in part to the strong vitality of the Chinese economy.

Looking at the global M&A market in 2008, CCID Consulting thinks that with the easing of the US sub-prime loan crisis, the market will start to resume normal operations. After the short dormancy in the second half of 2007, private funds that control rich resources are likely to make major M&As in the new year. There will be a rebound in enterprises’ M&As worldwide and a new record high will be set.

China’s M&A market will continue to be the focus of attention of M&As worldwide in the new year. This will be reflected in several areas. First, M&As between home enterprises will continue to warm up and become a major event in China's M&A market. A large number of big State-owned enterprises will dominate industry-type M&As and play the lead role in M&A transactions. Second, foreign capital will continue to play an active role in China's M&A market. Third, with the rapid rise of the Chinese economy in the global market, Chinese enterprises will continue to expand market opportunities through M&As, improve their international competitiveness and acquire key resources, talents and technology to establish their global brand and lead position. Fourth, as domestic enterprises issue more stocks in the domestic and overseas securities market, more and more enterprises will adopt M&As to implement a strategic expansion strategy, thus driving forward the rapid growth of China's M&As market.

Role Change of "People-Centered" HR Management

Looking back at Chinese enterprises' HR management in 2007, we found that 2007 had been an important year for Chinese enterprises changing from personnel management to HR management. With the rapid development of technology and the continuous acceleration of global economic integration, corporate wars for talented personnel, dominated by multinational enterprises, will become more and more intense. In the face of such a grave situation, domestic enterprises' HR managers will no doubt face new pressures and challenges.

In its research on hi-tech enterprises' growth and HR management in China in 2007, CCID Consulting has respectively analyzed and compared the problem from the two different perspectives of HR management workers and enterprises' high-level management. The analytical results show that enterprises' high-level management personnel are more likely to change their HR work focus from functional management to creation of returns.

The HR management thinking is also undergoing revolutionary changes. The "affair-centered" personnel management model in the traditional industrial era will be gradually replaced by the "people-centered" HR management model in the hi-tech and knowledge economy era. Enterprise management will gradually enter a time of HR management-centered modern management.

CCID Consulting's research shows that the performance management system will be an important measure for future human resources work. The role of HR management will also gradually change from monolithic functional management to integrated management and the HR department will increasingly become a supporter of strategic implementation and a promoter of enterprise changes.

6 w to establish a hamornious labor relationship in the face of the new labor contarct law due to be effective on Janaury 1, 200How to establish a harmonious labor relationship in China in the face of the new labor contract laws due to be effective on January 1, 2008 is a huge challenge to enterprises' HR management. Seeing "being people-centered" as enterprises' core management philosophy and the implementation of that philosophy in their HR management will be a main challenge for HR management in the future.