*その街でビジネスをするということ
中国蘇州で海外子会社の設立に携わったことがある。日本本社の管理部門の責任者として、海外子会社設立に関わる事務手続き全般が私の仕事だった。銀行や会計事務所との打ち合わせのため、設立のタイミングで社長の出張に私も同行した。社長は私よりもかなり年上で、グローバルな販売網を自身で構築してきた海外経験豊富な方だった。
「街を一回りしてくれ」「この辺で有名な観光地に連れて行ってくれ」。社長は現地社員に指示をして私もそれに同行をした。蘇州は上海の西に位置し東洋のベニスとも言われる美しい街だ。同時に日系企業も多く、人口も1000万人を越えていて経済的に発展した街でもある。歴史的にも経済的にも魅力的な場所だった。
私達は現地社員の案内で世界遺産である寺院や歴史ある運河の街並みを散策した。夜も蘇州の名物料理である魚料理が有名な店に入った。松鼠桂魚という名物料理を注文したが、社長は甘味系しか食べない人だったので、注文はしたが自身は口を付けずに私や現地社員でそれを食べていた。
海外拠点を設立する前には当然事前にリサーチを行い、色々なことを考慮して拠点を置く地域は決めている。しかし、そこでビジネスをするということは、その街のこと、そこに住む人々のことを深く知らねばならない。だから、社長の一連の行動は、自身の目でその街をしっかりと見なさい、ということだったのだと思う。観光とは違う視点で「その街を知る」ということを学んだ経験であり、とても貴重な機会を与えて頂いたと思う。
*Experiencing Business in the City
I once participated in the establishment of an overseas subsidiary in Suzhou, China. As the head of the management department at the Japanese headquarters, handling all the administrative procedures for setting up the foreign subsidiary was my responsibility. During the establishment process, I accompanied the company president on his business trip for meetings with banks and accounting firms. The president was much older than me and had extensive international experience, having built a global sales network on his own.
"Take me around the city," he said, "Show me some famous tourist spots around here." The president instructed the local employees, and I joined them. Suzhou is a beautiful city often referred to as the "Venice of the East," located west of Shanghai. It is home to numerous Japanese companies and has a population of over 10 million, making it an economically thriving city with both historical and economic appeal.
With the guidance of the local employees, we explored the city's UNESCO-listed temples and historical canal-side streets. At night, we dined at a renowned restaurant known for its famous local fish dishes. We ordered a specialty called "Songshu Guiyu," but since the president only preferred sweet flavors, he didn't touch it, leaving me and the local employees to enjoy it.
Before establishing an overseas base, thorough research and consideration go into choosing the location. However, doing business there requires a deep understanding of the city and its people. Therefore, I believe the president's actions were a way of saying, "See the city with your own eyes and learn about it." It was a valuable opportunity to learn about "knowing the city" from a different perspective than tourism, and I feel grateful for having been given such an experience.
