--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Chinese are quite entrepreneurial…" description: "\"The Chinese are quite entrepreneurial. Remember when Lenovo bought IBM's PC division. It was said that China didn't need a brand name, China didn't nee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/tom-peters-967_able_the-chinese-are-quite-entrepreneurial-re_1796509.jpg" --- # The Chinese are quite entrepreneurial. Remember when… ![“The Chinese are quite entrepreneurial. Remember when Lenovo bought IBM's PC division. It was said that China didn't need a brand name, China didn't need to buy Lenovo to get into the PC business, I remember reading a one-liner somewhere which struck me as quite possibly true, it said the one thing…” quote by Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/tom-peters-967_able_the-chinese-are-quite-entrepreneurial-re_1796509.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/tom-peters-967_able_the-chinese-are-quite-entrepreneurial-re_1796509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/tom-peters-967_able_the-chinese-are-quite-entrepreneurial-re_1796509.jpg) > “The Chinese are quite entrepreneurial. Remember when Lenovo bought IBM's PC division. It was said that China didn't need a brand name, China didn't need to buy Lenovo to get into the PC business, I remember reading a one-liner somewhere which struck me as quite possibly true, it said the one thing that the Chinese had not been able to copy or figure out was the way, in terms of systems, that Americans - it probably would be true for Europeans as well - that Americans install and live by their management systems, while China is still quite half-assed. Perhaps that is a true statement.” [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that Chinese businesses excel at entrepreneurship but lag in adopting systematic management practices common in the West. **In simple terms:** China is innovative but lacks structured management. Key Takeaway Adopt robust management systems. Themes entrepreneurship management culture global business Mood analytical critical reflective Type observation analysis caution When to use this quote - expanding startups - multinational ventures - government policy - education reform - consulting projects Key Concepts systems thinking organizational design cross‑cultural comparison Questions to Reflect On - How can Chinese firms integrate effective systems without losing agility? - What aspects of Western management are truly universal? A Different Perspective Western management models may not fit Chinese contexts without adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brand names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brand-names/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Entrepreneurial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurial/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Management systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management-systems/) [One liner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-liner/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Remember when](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-when/) ## Related quotes > [In the East there is a gap between the top of a wall and underside of a roof; it acts as a screen, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gardiner/in-the-east-there-is-a-gap-between-the-top-of-a-wall-and-underside-of/) [Stephen Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gardiner/) > [We own 18 percent of just the PC business. Now that's only about 60 percent of our business today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-own-18-percent-of-just-the-pc-business-now-that-s-only-about-60/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To me, the consumer-electronics business feels a lot like the PC business in the late 1980s. It's an inefficient market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/to-me-the-consumer-electronics-business-feels-a-lot-like-the-pc/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [The PC business is not about price, it's about value, or what you can give the customer for his or her money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/the-pc-business-is-not-about-price-it-s-about-value-or-what-you-can/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [As somebody who participates in the overall PC ecosystem, it's totally great when faster wireless networks and standards come out or when graphics get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/as-somebody-who-participates-in-the-overall-pc-ecosystem-it-s-totally/) [Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/) > [“Corporate performance management systems and processes are gradually moving away from a static, unidirectional, and time-bound avatar to a more dynamic, continuous, and interactive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/corporate-performance-management-systems-and-processes-are-gradually/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“inventory-management systems, such as retailers, tend to be the developers of new approaches to inventory management. 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The commercial bank, the private bank, the retail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/jpmorgan-was-already-for-the-most-part-our-businesses-at-jpmorgan/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [Quality is free, however - the Management Systems that proliferate it are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-watson/quality-is-free-however-the-management-systems-that-proliferate-it/) [Jay Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-watson/) > [Human experience shows that people, not organizations or management systems, get things done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyman-rickover/human-experience-shows-that-people-not-organizations-or-management/) [Hyman Rickover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyman-rickover/) > [Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/management-is-efficiency-in-climbing-the-ladder-of-success/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) ## More by Tom Peters > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. 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