In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Ho Sin Hang's tenure as chairman of Bank of East Asia did indeed bring huge public opinion to Bank of East Asia and also plunged Hui Feng Bank into an unprecedented crisis.

At this moment, Shen Bi was full of worries, and even felt that he was following in the footsteps of the former head of Jardine Matheson.

The similarity between the two situations is simply staggering.

At first, Jardine Matheson launched an offensive against Lin Haoran's companies, but was unexpectedly counterattacked by Lin Haoran, and the two sides then fell into a commercial war of unprecedented scale.

Eventually, Jardine Matheson's market share was gradually eroded, and it even faced the crisis of being secretly acquired by Lin Haoran.

Although Jardine Matheson tried its best to use various means to force Lin Haoran to abandon his acquisition intention, it still lost core industries such as the Hong Kong Land Group.

The market collapse made Jardine Matheson & Co. disheartened and no longer interested in staying in Hong Kong, so it chose to withdraw from Hong Kong completely and moved its headquarters back to London, England.

The former boss Niu Bijian unfortunately became the scapegoat for this defeat, took the greatest responsibility and was directly kicked out of the management of Jardine Matheson.

Today, Huifeng Bank is so similar to the original Jardine Matheson!
First, Huifeng Bank attacked the Bank of East Asia, which was recently acquired by Lin Haoran, but was counterattacked by Lin Haoran, which led to a large-scale commercial war between the two sides.

Ultimately, Huifeng Bank's market share was continuously eroded and it suffered extremely heavy losses.

At present, although Huifeng Bank has only come this far, who can assert that its subsequent fate will not repeat the mistakes of Jardine Matheson?

The most important thing is that although both Bank of England and Jardine Matheson are British-owned enterprises, their essential differences are significant.

Jardine Matheson started its overseas expansion more than a decade or even decades ago. After years of development, the scale of its overseas assets has long exceeded that of Hong Kong.

Because of this, even if Jardine Matheson chooses to withdraw from the Hong Kong market, it will suffer a heavy blow, but its foundation will not be shaken.

However, the situation of Huifeng Bank is completely different.

Although Huifeng Bank has been seeking to expand its overseas markets in recent years, it has spared no expense in looking for acquisition opportunities overseas in an attempt to reduce its dependence on the Hong Kong market.

However, Huifeng Bank's overseas expansion has not been smooth.

Despite the huge amount of capital invested, the acquired overseas assets did not bring rich returns as expected. On the contrary, due to poor management, cultural differences and unfamiliarity with the market environment, these large investments did not make a profit. Instead, they required continuous capital injection from the parent company, which became a heavy burden for Huifeng Bank.

The most typical example among them is the American Bank of Haifeng.

This makes Huifeng Bank's layout in overseas markets seem inadequate and difficult to become its new growth point.

Up to now, the Hong Kong market is still the core business of Huifeng Bank. Once the Hong Kong market is lost, it will be a devastating blow to Huifeng Bank.

Therefore, Bank of Hong Kong could not withdraw from Hong Kong as easily as Jardine Matheson.

At least it is absolutely impossible at the moment.

After comparing the conditions of the two companies, Shen Bi became more and more annoyed.

If this continues, not to mention the fate of Huifeng Bank, he himself will sooner or later follow in Niu Bijian's footsteps and become a victim of this crisis, being ruthlessly kicked out of the management and becoming infamous in the industry.

When he thought of this, Shen Bi felt a chill on his back and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

However, faced with competitors like Bank of East Asia, he had no idea where to start and didn't know how to deal with it.

After all, it was indeed because of his mistakes in strategic decision-making as the head of Huifeng Bank that led the bank step by step into its current difficult situation.

When they rashly attacked the Bank of East Asia after Lin Haoran's acquisition, they originally wanted to take the opportunity to suppress their rivals and expand the market, but they did not expect to hit a wall, which triggered this commercial war that was difficult to end.

However, if no action had been taken at the beginning, Huifeng Bank would have been in a state of slow death.

As Lin Haoran continues to integrate resources and expand his business territory, Bank of East Asia, as an important chess piece in his hands, is bound to become a powerful force that stirs up Hong Kong's financial landscape.

As Bank of East Asia gradually grows under Lin Haoran's leadership, its business scope will continue to erode the market share of Bank of East Asia and cannibalize Bank of East Asia's customer base.

By then, even if Huifeng Bank could survive, it would gradually lose its advantages in the day-to-day competition and eventually be ruthlessly eliminated by the market.

As his market share continued to be eroded by Bank of East Asia, he was no longer confident that Bank of Hong Kong would always be the dominant force in Hong Kong's financial industry.

After all, it’s not that Shen Bi is incompetent, but that Lin Haoran is too strong.

Complaining and regretting will be of no use at this moment. The most urgent task is to find a way out of the impasse.

Shen Bi locked himself in his office. His desk was piled with various documents and reports. In the smoke, his eyes were sometimes confused and sometimes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness.

……

At the same time, on the 19th floor of a commercial building in Causeway Bay, there is an office.

The office is not very spacious, only about 200 square meters, and there are only a few dozen people working in it.

However, the company is well-known in the industry.

It is the well-known Global Research Company in Hong Kong, whose main business focuses on market research, market surveys, marketing research and satisfaction surveys.

According to the definition of the Global Market Researchers Association, market research companies undertake the needs of clients and carry out a series of professional research activities to achieve the information goals required for decision-making.

These activities include specifying the information needed for the problem, designing methods for collecting information, managing and executing the data collection process, analyzing the research results, and drawing conclusions and clarifying their significance.

And World Research is such a company.

However, in the 80s, Hong Kong's research industry ushered in an unprecedented wave of change.

With the rapid development of the economy and increasingly fierce market competition, companies have higher and higher requirements for the accuracy and timeliness of market information, and traditional research methods are gradually unable to meet the needs.

Although Global Research is well-known in the industry, it also feels tremendous pressure.

On the one hand, emerging research technologies have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and computer technology, data analysis software, etc. have begun to be widely used in the field of market research.

Some small but innovative research companies have quickly emerged in the market by quickly mastering and applying new technologies, and have seized some of the customer resources that originally belonged to the world.

These small companies are able to provide research reports at a lower cost and faster speed, gradually weakening Huanyu’s traditional advantages.

On the other hand, Hong Kong's business environment is becoming increasingly complex, and companies in different industries and sizes have very different needs for research.

Large enterprises require comprehensive and in-depth macro-market analysis and strategic planning research, while small and medium-sized enterprises are more concerned with market segment dynamics and consumer behavior research.

In dealing with these diverse demands, Huanyu seemed somewhat overwhelmed, and its business model gradually exposed its rigid drawbacks.

Therefore, their most urgent task now is to regain their market share.

How to get it back? The easiest way is to become famous!

In the business competition between Bank of East Asia and Huifeng Bank in the past few days, Yu Zhize, the owner of Universal Research Company, saw a good opportunity to become famous.

These days, when Yu Zhize went out, he could always hear citizens sitting around discussing, and the common topic they frequently mentioned was the current situation of Bank of East Asia.

Many citizens have speculated about how much market share Bank of East Asia currently holds in Hong Kong's banking industry?
Compared with Huifeng Bank, to what extent has the gap between the two narrowed?
Some people even boldly speculate whether it is possible for Bank of East Asia to surpass Bank of East Asia in the future?

These issues have become the focus of heated discussion.

Citizens were concerned, but did not get an answer.

It's very simple, because these market shares can only be presented with more accurate data at the beginning of each year when each company releases its annual report.

So now, even major media companies, even if they want to dig out key information such as the market share of Bank of East Asia and Bank of East Asia as soon as possible, can only wait for the annual report at the beginning of the year.

After all, these media companies are not professional research companies, and it is difficult for them to judge the market trends and the specific share dynamics of the two banks based on known data.

However, this information lag creates an excellent opportunity for Global Research.

Yu Zhize keenly realized that there was a huge business opportunity hidden behind this.

If Universal Research can conduct an in-depth study of the market share changes, competitive situation and future trends of these two banks in advance and publish an authoritative and forward-looking report, it will surely cause a sensation in Hong Kong's financial circles and even the entire business field, thereby making Universal Research famous and regaining lost market share.

Therefore, Yu Zhize started taking action two days ago.

With their company's layout in Hong Kong over the years, it is not difficult to obtain some key data, and then analyze the existing data to finally come up with a rough trend of market share changes.

At this moment, the company's research and analysis team consisting of more than 30 people is racing against time to analyze the data collected by the investigation team, and this busy work takes an entire afternoon.

The atmosphere in the research and analysis team's office was so tense that it seemed to ignite the air, and at the same time, it was filled with a fiery enthusiasm. The keyboards were typing quickly and crisply, the papers were rustling, and the members were discussing in low voices, interweaving into a unique "symphony of struggle."

Everyone was concentrating, their eyes fixed on the simple Apple II computer screen, or carefully flipping through the reports in their hands, not missing any details, trying to dig out valuable information that could determine the fate of the company from the dense jungle of data.

As the boss, Yu Zhize has long lost count of how many times he has paced back and forth in the corridor outside his office. His footsteps echo in the silent corridor, and each step carries with it the expectation and anxiety of the outcome.

Finally, the head of the research and analysis team appeared excited, holding an analysis form in his hand. He hurriedly opened the door and walked quickly to Yu Zhize.

He excitedly reported: "Boss, the analysis results are fresh out! According to the data and model calculations we currently have, the market share of Bank of East Asia has increased extremely dramatically in the fierce business wars over the past month or so.

In just two months, Bank of East Asia has soared from 3% to 32% today. As for Huifeng Bank, if its market share is added together with that of its subsidiary Hengsheng Bank, it has dropped from 61% last year to 43.6%, and the gap between the two has narrowed to 11.6%.

If we ignore the market share of Hengsheng Bank and only compare the market share of Huifeng Bank with that of Bank of East Asia, the gap between the two is even smaller, only a few percentage points.

In-depth analysis of the current trend shows that the market share of Bank of East Asia is still rising steadily, especially after Mr. Ho Sin Hang took over as the chairman of Bank of East Asia, the momentum has become stronger;
On the other hand, the market share of Huifeng Bank and its subsidiaries is showing the risk of further decline. If the situation continues, as long as Bank of East Asia can continue to grab more market share from Huifeng Bank, it is absolutely certain that it will surpass Huifeng Bank in the future!"

Hearing this, Yu Zhize took the analysis sheet with trembling hands. As he read it, a look of surprise couldn't be suppressed on his face. The corners of his mouth gradually rose, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

He quickly glanced at the data and conclusions on the analysis sheet, his fingers gently stroking the key numbers, as if he wanted to engrave all this information into his mind.

"Great! Great!" Yu Zhize raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of excitement and excitement, "This is the opportunity we have been waiting for! Once this report is released, it will definitely set off a storm in the Hong Kong financial community, and the name of Universal Research will once again resound throughout the industry!"

The head of the research and analysis team smiled proudly upon hearing his boss's affirmation. He quickly said, "Boss, in order to ensure the accuracy and authority of this report, our team has repeatedly checked the data and conducted multiple simulations.

Next, we can further refine the analysis based on this report and produce more intuitive and convincing charts and cases, so that the outside world can see the competitive situation between Bank of East Asia and Huifeng Bank at a glance.”

Yu Zhize nodded approvingly and patted the person in charge on the shoulder: "You have done a great job! Next, we will do as you said and complete the report content as soon as possible. At the same time, contact major media and release some news in advance to attract their attention. We want to create the biggest sensation when the report is released!"

"Understood, boss! I'll arrange it right away." The person in charge took the order and left.

Looking at the figure of the head of the analysis and research team, Yu Zhize's smile became more intense.

In every industry, there are giants in the industry.

Research companies are considered a small sector in the business world.

When Yu Zhize returned from overseas, he didn't like the overly competitive industry. It was because he saw this inconspicuous small track that he resolutely devoted himself to it and founded the Global Research Company.

With full of passion and ambition, he was determined to carve out a niche for himself in this seemingly insignificant field and make Huanyu a leader in the research industry in Hong Kong and even the world.

However, the road to entrepreneurship is never smooth.

In the early stages of its development, Global Research faced many difficulties and challenges.

Shortage of funds and lack of talent, each problem was like a mountain, weighing down Yu Zhize to the point where he felt a little breathless.

But with his unyielding perseverance and keen market insight, he led the company forward step by step.

From the initial small-scale business to gradually emerging in the industry, Universal Research has put in countless efforts and sweat.

Today, faced with the impact of emerging research companies and a complex and ever-changing business environment, Universal Research has once again come to a crossroads of destiny.

This exciting business war between Bank of East Asia and Huifeng Bank undoubtedly provided Huanyu with an excellent opportunity to turn things around.

Yu Zhize could already imagine that this report on the market share and competitive situation of the two banks would be the key to the resurgence of Global Research.

Although Universal Research is not the top company in Hong Kong’s research industry, it is at least a first-class company in the industry.

However, he is far from satisfied with the status quo and has a grander vision in his heart.

As long as we take advantage of this opportunity to fully promote the reputation of Universal Research Company, the subsequent business will surely come in like a continuous flood.

By then, Global Research will not only be able to consolidate its position in the Hong Kong market, but will also be able to expand its business to the whole of Asia and even the world, becoming an internationally renowned research giant.

Compared with the two giants in the financial industry, Bank of East Asia and Bank of East Asia, Global Research is just a mayfly among the giants, so small that it can almost be ignored.

But this could not stop Yu Zhize's determination. He was keenly aware that the business war between the two giants was like a storm.

If Global Research can cleverly take advantage of the situation, it will be able to ride out the storm.

He planned to take advantage of the fact that Huifeng Bank had suffered heavy losses in this business war to make Universal Research Company famous.

Take this opportunity to find more development opportunities and carve out a place for yourself in the business world.

Under Yu Zhize's deployment, the entire Global Research Company took quick action.

The research and analysis department worked overnight to perfect the report content, presenting data such as the market share changes and competitive situation of Bank of East Asia and HSBC Bank with intuitive charts and detailed cases, striving to ensure that every detail can stand up to scrutiny and every conclusion is irrefutable and authoritative.

At the same time, the company's marketing team was also busy.

They communicated frequently with major media outlets, skillfully releasing news about this upcoming blockbuster report, which attracted widespread attention and speculation from the media community.

For a time, Hong Kong's financial and business circles were filled with anticipation, with everyone speculating on what astonishing information Universal Research had obtained.

Even Lin Haoran, the richest man in Hong Kong, heard about this and became very interested.

"This Universal Research Company is really brave. They actually dared to interfere in the business war between the two financial giants. I want to see what tricks they can come up with."

Lin Haoran sat in the spacious and bright office in Kangle Building, tapping the desk lightly with his fingers at a steady pace, his eyes revealing a bit of curiosity and amusement.

Come to think of it, this World Research Company has a close connection with him.

The Universal Investment Company he founded and started himself, and the Universal Research Company, although with different characters in their names, are homophones, and both contain the grand meaning of "the world" and "the entire world", as if there is some subtle connection between them.

This incident will not have any impact on him, but will instead bring greater influence to Bank of East Asia.

So although Lin Haoran was curious about the global research company that was about to release a report, he did not take it too seriously and just regarded it as a small episode in this business war.

He is more concerned about Bank of East Asia's future strategic layout and how to further consolidate and expand Bank of East Asia's position in Hong Kong's financial market.

Since He Shanheng joined the company, Lin Haoran has frequently and secretly visited many people.

This includes the Lisi Shen family, one of the four major families, and the Hexi family.

The purpose, of course, is to steal Huifeng Bank's business.

In fact, most of the financial groups in Hong Kong cooperate with Bank of Hong Kong, otherwise it would not have been possible for Bank of Hong Kong to obtain more than 60% of the market share in Hong Kong.

The financial business of a large conglomerate is enough to support countless ordinary customers.

Lin Haoran naturally understood the huge influence of these consortiums in the Hong Kong financial market. As long as he could persuade a few of them to cooperate with Bank of East Asia, Bank of East Asia's market share would surely usher in a new leap.

The bad news is that some financial groups rejected Lin Haoran’s invitation. After all, Huifeng Bank has a deep historical foundation in Hong Kong for more than 100 years and has long-term and stable cooperative relations with many financial groups.

Out of trust in their traditional partners and concerns about the risks that may arise from changing partners, these consortiums chose to continue working with Huifeng Bank.

However, for Lin Haoran's sake, they all promised not to disclose the matter.

The good news is that many Chinese financial groups have shown great interest in Lin Haoran’s proposal and are willing to further explore the possibility of cooperation with Bank of East Asia.

Most of these consortiums have good relations with Lin Haoran, such as Li Mingze, the head of the Li Xishen family, Liu Luanxiong and so on.

In particular, Liu Luanxiong, his younger brother, expressed his willingness to fully support the Bank of East Asia without hesitation after learning about Lin Haoran's purpose.

Today, Liu Luanxiong has more than one billion Hong Kong dollars in cash and is no longer just a consortium that only owns fixed assets.

With the support of these people, Bank of East Asia will be able to raise its prices again in the future, and it is just around the corner for its market share to surpass that of Bank of East Asia!
On the other side, Shen Bi, the chairman of Huifeng Bank, was in a state of panic at the moment.

He naturally understood that the report that Universal Research Company was about to release would definitely have a great negative impact on Huifeng Bank.

Once the content of the report is unfavorable to Huifeng Bank, market confidence will inevitably suffer a severe blow, and a series of chain reactions such as customer loss and stock price decline will follow.

Especially the stock price. Over the past period of time, the stock price of Huifeng Bank has either been rising slightly or falling sharply.

Its market value has fallen from more than HK$260 billion to less than HK$140 billion today.

If the decline continues, Huifeng Bank will sooner or later fall to less than half of its glory days. (End of this chapter)