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2011 GEP Field Visit to Fotile Group
2012-03-22

On March 16, 2012, we visited Fotile Group with Professor CHEN Ling.


We were first taken to the Confucius hall, which was the first to be built in the company. The hall was constructed to promoting Confucianism and a unique management model derived from Confucian culture.


A two-minute film took us through the history and evolution of kitchenware in China. We then visited Fotiles exhibition hall. The hall was more than 2,000 square meters, and could be divided into three parts: culture, management, and product respectively. During the visit, all of us were deeply impressed by the research and development, innovation and a clear position of Fotiles high-end products.


After visiting the exhibition hall, the founder and chairman of Fotile Group Mr. MAO Lixiang introduced his entrepreneurial experience of three cycles. The visit was brought to a climax during a heated Q&A session. We learnt and developed a comprehensive understanding of Fotile’s history, management, its brand strategy, and its succession model. As a typical family business, Fotile has been taken over by the second generation. During that period, MAO has developed his ownership theory, named "Pocket Theory", and a nine-year gradual model to cultivate his successor. In this case, Mao Familys successful succession greatly contributed to the theoretical research in Chinese family business. The model also meant a lot for other Chinese private corporations of the type.


During the meeting, we were amazed by MAOs innovative spirit and strong sense of social responsibility. Mr. MAO, at his 72, could have enjoyed his retired life, but he said that he always felt innovative cells in his body and that innovation made him feel that he was still a young man. He began his third entrepreneurial career in the pursuit of achieving his values and contributing to the society and country. As a result, a school was established in Cixi, Ningbo to foster the second generation to become excellent successors.


Time always flies so quickly. At the end of our meeting, Professor CHEN, on behalf of the School, expressed sincere gratitude to Mr. MAO Lixiang. During this on-site visit, all of us learnt a lot about current situation and challenges faced by Chinese family business.


XU Chengcheng, GEP student 11



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