Authors use words to describe ideas. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if by simply putting words on a page knowledge could be transferred? In reality, learning seldom works like this. To truly grasp ideas, readers need to be engaged.
Facts and figures are engaging, but there’s only so much they can convey. To understand what’s happening in China, readers need a more visceral connection. Throughout this book the author uses stories and photographs to make this connection.
It may be the case that how operations are described in the following pages isn’t how they should be managed. It’s up to readers to think critically about the material and form their own conclusions. This level of engagement promotes learning. But it can also be exhausting. That’s why the author uses a very conversational tone in this book. That said, let’s have a conversation about operations management in China.