MOST young, well-educated Chinese want to work for foreign companies because the pay and promotion prospects are good, and they may get to go abroad. Few join so that they can hike across the stark wilds of Shaanxi Province.
So the bright young things joining Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd might have been surprised to learn that as part of their training in Western management techniques they would have to recreate the Long March.
Like the original, this Long March will end in Yanan. Physically, it will not be as demanding - 100 km in eight days - but intellectually the hurdles will be higher.
Along the way, the 50 participants will pitch camp and be set a series of demanding tests, arguing their way through sales forecasts or forward-planning exercises. It is intended, say managers, to be highly competitive, with all sorts of surprises thrownat the participants along the way to encourage them to think on their feet.
The late Chairman Mao may well turn in his grave to see the Long March become an exercise in capitalism. The president of Xian-Janssen, Mr Jerry Norskog, however, sees it as a way to ensure his future managers are physically and mentally healthy, are prepared to challenge each other, and can create team spirit at the same time.
''The Long March is the backdrop,'' he says, ''but, of course, our march is totally apolitical. The Long March is a great story about leaders and what people are capable of.'' Xian-Janssen is part of Johnson and Johnson and was officially named the fourth best joint venture in China last year.
