Certificate Course
Better Understanding Market Dynamics In China
Develop practical insights to assess market trends, identify opportunities and make better-informed business decisions in China.
Certificate Course
8 weeks
approx. 8-10 hours/ week
100% online
Open Enrollment
EUR 899
Course Overview
Over eight weeks, you will develop the knowledge and practical skills required to conduct an in-depth analysis of a market in China and produce a professional report that can be presented to senior management and used as a basis for strategic planning and decision-making.
You will examine developments across the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) dimensions at national, provincial and regional levels, assessing how these factors influence your market of interest.
The course takes a practical, hands-on approach. At the beginning of the course, you will select a Chinese market and industry that you want to understand in greater depth. Using a structured analysis template, you will document your existing knowledge and understanding as the starting point for your research. This becomes a living document, which you will progressively update and substantiate with new information and insights throughout the course.
By the end of the course, you will have completed a comprehensive analysis of your selected market and assessed the key factors influencing its development and attractiveness in China. The knowledge and analytical skills gained can be directly applied in your professional environment to support market assessment, strategic planning and business decision-making in China.
Course Structure
Nie Focused Units.
Unit 1: Introduction
The first unit provides an orientation to the course and the online learning environment. The unit does not carry credits. You are encouraged to go through the materials at their own pace to get accustomed to the online medium.
Unit 2: Essential Skills for Market Research
Market research can be conducted through various methods, including desk research, academic and business literature, surveys and expert interviews. This course focuses primarily on in-depth and structured desk research. You will be introduced to the PESTLE framework as a tool for structuring your market research. You will learn how to assess Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors and determine whether they represent short-, medium- or long-term opportunities or threats.
Unit 3: International Organizations
International organizations provide valuable research, analysis and forecasts on China’s economic development and its markets. You will explore publications from leading international organizations, identify information relevant to your selected market, and learn how to collect, structure, assess and analyze these sources to develop a broader understanding of your market environment.
Unit 4: Sino-Foreign Business Advocacy Organizations
International Chambers of Commerce and other business advocacy organizations play an important role in representing and supporting foreign businesses operating in China. You will explore their role, activities and perspectives on China’s economic and business environment. You will identify relevant research, assessments and recommendations and incorporate these insights into your analysis of the selected market.
Unit 5: PRC Organizations
Chinese government and other PRC organizations provide valuable information on the current situation and future development of China’s national, regional and local markets. This unit introduces China’s administrative structure and explores publicly available information from relevant PRC sources. You will learn how to identify and assess information that can support your understanding of the selected market.
Unit 6: Think Tanks
Think tanks provide independent research and analysis on economic, political, social, technological and other developments affecting China’s markets. You will explore publications from Chinese and international think tanks, assess their relevance and incorporate key findings into your market research to develop a deeper understanding of market developments and future trends.
Unit 7: Additional Data Sources
Having explored international organizations, business advocacy organizations, PRC organizations and think tanks, you will now expand your research to additional information sources. These include management consulting firms, management and business journals, business school publications, open-access research databases and the Digital Commons Network. You will learn how to identify, evaluate and integrate relevant information into your market analysis.
Unit 8: Regional Market Developments
Throughout the course, you have collected information on the historical, current and expected future development of your selected Chinese market and industry. In this unit, you will examine regional and municipal differences within China. Different regions and cities have distinct economic priorities and pillar industries, creating different market environments. You will use your research findings to identify locations and regional developments that may be most relevant and attractive to your business.
Unit 9: Capstone Assignment
The course concludes with a Market Analysis Report that brings together the research and insights developed throughout the course. The report should be written to a professional standard suitable for presentation to senior management and provide a sound basis for strategic planning and decision-making related to the selected Chinese market.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is designed for professionals who need to understand China’s market environment, assess market developments and identify opportunities for business growth.
- Market Entry & Strategy Professionals assessing opportunities in China
- Sales and Business Development Managers seeking to understand market conditions and identify growth opportunities
- China Country Managers and Senior Executives involved in strategic planning and decision-making
- Business Owners and Entrepreneurs evaluating opportunities in the Chinese market
- Market Intelligence and Research Professionals conducting China market research
- Consultants and Business Advisors supporting clients with China-related market assessments
- International Business and Strategy Professionals responsible for China-related activities
Practical Tools Included
This course includes the following tools that can be directly applied in real-work work environments:
- PESTLE Market Analysis Framework: Assess the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors shaping the Chinese market.
- Market Research Template: Systematically collect, organize and evaluate relevant market information.
- Opportunity & Threat Assessment Matrix: Identify and classify short-, medium- and long-term market opportunities and threats.
- China Regional Market Analysis Framework: Compare market developments across provinces, regions and major cities.
- Market Trends Assessment Tool: Identify current developments and assess their potential future impact.
- Market Attractiveness Assessment: Evaluate the overall attractiveness and development potential of the selected market.
- Market Analysis Report Template: Structure the final report for presentation to senior management.
- Strategic Planning Framework: Translate market research findings into actionable insights for China market strategy and planning.
Earn Your Credential
Upon successful completion of the masterclass and the required assessments, you will earn a digital certificate of completion from the Institute of China Studies.
Your certificate provides a formal record of your completion of the program and can be retained as part of your professional learning portfolio.
Official Recognition
Issued by the Institute for China Studies.
Digital Format
Easy to download, share and add to your profile.
Your Course Professor
Dr. Richard van Ostende, DBA
Richard van Ostende is founder of the Institute for China Studies. He combines extensive professional experience and practical expertise in corporate finance, foreign investment and business strategy.
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Target audience
Sales and Business Development Managers, Strategists, Coporate Analysis and Executives from all industries who have an interest in understanding how foreign investment into China is structured.
100% Online delivery
The course is designed to be completed fully online enabling students to continue working during the course.
Literature
The course covers all literature and materials essential to performing in-depth market analysis in China.
Duration
The standard duration of the course is 8 weeks based on an average time commitment of 8 to 10 hours per week.
Objectives
- Learn the skills and insights to perform an in-depth market analysis.
- Develop insight in how China’s market environment is structured and operated on national, provincial, and regional levels, and learn to assess the importance and interconnectivity of different market factors.
- Learn to navigate information from sources including but not limited to International Organizations, PRC Organizations, Sino-Foreign Business Advocacy Organizations, Industry Associations, Research Institutes, Business Schools and Management Consultants.
- Apply new gained knowledge and insights directly in your professional work environment.
Unit 1: Introduction
The first unit provides an orientation to the course and the online learning environment. The unit does not carry credits. You are encouraged to go through the materials at their own pace to get accustomed to the online medium.
Unit 2: Essential skills to perform market research
Market research can be performed in multiple ways which include but are not limited to desk research utilizing academic, quasi-academic and business literature, conducting surveys, expert interviews, and others. These means of research require a varied skillset. This course focuses on performing in-depth and extensive desk research.
In this unit focus goes out to the PESTLE model that will be used to structure the market research, in combination with the determination whether the factor can be considered a short-, medium- or long-term opportunity, threat or at the time of research cannot yet be decided.
Unit 3: International organizations
In this unit you will explore the analysis, views and recommendations made by globally leading international organizations on China’s economic development and underlying markets.
You will collect, structure, assess the publications by international organizations for relevancy, and analyze the found information to create a broad understanding of the respective market of your interest.
Unit 4: Sino-foreign business advocacy organizations
Chamber of Commerce are organizations established with the purpose to support the promotion and protection of the interests of its members. In mainland China multiple international Chambers of Commerce have been established supporting the foreign business community. In this unit the background of International Chambers of Commerce operating in mainland China is discussed, the business communities it aims to support, international recognition as well as the support activities provided.
In this unit you will explore the held views on China’s economic development and recommendations made by International Chambers of Commerce operating in mainland China. You will collect, structure, assess for relevancy and analyze the found information to create a broad understanding of the respective market of your interest.
Unit 5: PRC organizations
In order to support better informed decisions, in-depth insights into the development of China’s national and regional markets and industries are a prerequisite. A valuable source of information are China’s government websites as these provide information on the current situation, as well as the planned future development of China’s national, regional, and local markets and industries within these markets. In this unit the structure of China’s administrative division is discussed, followed by an exploration of the information made publicly available.
Unit 6: Think tanks
Think tanks are institutes, corporations, or groups organized for interdisciplinary research with the objective of providing advice on a diverse range of policy issues and products through the use of specialized knowledge and the activation of networks. Think tanks are distinct from government, and many are nonprofit organizations, but their work may be conducted for governmental as well as commercial clients. Projects for government clients often involve planning social policy and national defense. Commercial projects include developing and testing new technologies and new products.
In this unit you will explore the publications made by Chinese and foreign Think Tanks to support your market research. You will collect, structure, assess for relevancy and analyze the found information to create a broad understanding of the respective market of your interest.
Unit 7: Miscellaneous data sources
In the past weeks you have explored publications from major information sources International Organizations, Sino-Foreign Business Advocacy Organizations, PRC Organizations and Think Tanks to support your market analysis.
This unit is the last unit which primarily focuses on data collection and information gathering. In this unit you will explore further sources of information which include but are not limited to leading management consultancy firms, management journals, business school journals, open access journal databases and the Digital Commons Network.
Unit 8: Regional Market Developments
In the past weeks you have been collecting information on the past, current, and expected future developments from publications by International Organizations, PRC Organizations, Sino-foreign Business Advocacy Organizations and other sources regarding the Chinese market and industry of your interest.
When collecting a substantial amount of information, patterns will emerge. Regions and Municipalities in China have their own economic focus and are often developing multiple pillar industries. Having identified relevant developments, the next step is to determine which locations are of most interest.
Unit 9: Capstone assignment
The Capstone assignment of this course includes the composition of a Market Analysis report that can be presented to the senior management of your company. The Market Analysis report should be written at such a quality level that your company can develop strategic planning for developing the desired Chinese market.
Admission
No specific prior education or knowledge about market analysis related to China is required to be admitted to this course.
Assessment
Assessment is carried out through a series of written assignments to be completed at the end of each unit.
Certificate of Completion
A course certificate is issued upon the successful completion of the course.
Tuition fee
Tuition fee for the entire course is EUR 899 to be paid in advance.
The tuition fee includes all necessary literature and study materials, guidance and support during your studies, free extension of the study duration (if required), and 1:1 contact with your course professor.
Start date
Open enrollment applies to this course. You can start this course at any time of your convenience.