China Data Group (CDG) is a leading business processes outsourcing company based in Beijing, China. Roc Yang, Chairman of CDG had to confront a dilemma when he discovered that one of his senior managers gave a gift to a potential client in an effort to win a large business deal. Although this practice was pervasive in the China business context characterized by heavy reliance on personal relationships or guanxi, it went against the founding principles of CDG - professionalism and service quality. Yang had to decide where to draw the line between adherence to principles of professionalism and local norms in a country caught in the midst of rapid economic transformation.

Haitao Jin, Chairman of Shenzhen Capital Group Co., Ltd. ("SCGC") and Wanshou Li, President of the SCGC must decide how to continue to grow their venture capital/private equity firm in China. SCGC is a premier VC/PE fund in China and a pioneer of the Government Sponsored Fund (GBF) structure. The firm had grown to RMB 20 billion in just ten years and had funds in 29 different cities across China. As competition for investments becomes more intense, Jin and Li must decide the growth and strategic direction that SCGC should pursue. The case highlights the important success factors for VC/PE investing in China as well as the important role that the Chinese Government plays in the financing landscape.