Founded in 1974, C. K. Yeung Worldwide Ltd. became one of the largest metal traders in Hong Kong in the 1980s. Looks at how the beliefs of its CEO, Joseph Yeung, in honest behavior and Chinese cultural philosophy influenced his management style and made him a successful business leader and entrepreneur.

The worldwide Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic could be traced back to an outbreak of atypical pneumonia in Guangdong Province, China in late 2002. In February 2003, this disease spread to Hong Kong with devastating results. Of the 1,755 people who were infected, 299 died. The senior management at Hong Kong's Queen Mary Hospital managed the SARS crisis by adopting effective infection control measures. They also implemented strategies in gaining employees' trust and co-operation amidst a growing public hysteria caused by severe hospital outbreaks and rising death tolls. They showed wisdom, integrity, and strong leadership during the crisis management.

It was estimated in 2002 that the size of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market in China would be around $5 billion. A decade of Chinese regulatory reforms, Chinese pharmaceutical industry liberalization, changing Chinese lifestyle and demographics, and the Chinese pharmaceutical research and development facilities were factors explaining the huge TCM market potential in China. Multinationals wanting to enter this market might have to deal with inadequate intellectual property protection, corruption in health insurance reimbursement, complex regulatory procedures, and underdeveloped pricing, bidding, and distribution practices.

Electronic Communications Ltd. (ECL) had decided to make China its second home and to seek common prosperity with Chinese people. The company knew that there were major gains to be made, but there were also risks and challenges. One of these was the management of cultural differences. An essential question facing the management was whether it should adapt ECL's management practice to the Chinese culture or instead implement ECL's global management policies in China.