PRIME MOVERS
Entity Dossier
entity

China Mobile

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Cornerstone MoveAbandon the Model That Doesn't Work Mid-Flight
Cornerstone MoveSpot the Supply Gap Then Build the Category
Identity & CultureThree-Year Crucible for Company Character
Signature MoveTest in the Weakest Market First
Strategic PatternBig Market Before Big Company
Signature Move120% Speed Then 95% Quality
Competitive AdvantageInternet DNA in Brick-and-Mortar Hotels
Cornerstone MoveSerial Founding Then Hand Off the Baton
Signature MoveMeditation Before Major Decisions
Signature MoveFounder Majority Equity as Stability Anchor
Strategic PatternCrises as Competitive Elimination Events
Risk DoctrineSong Dynasty Fragility Warning
Capital StrategyBubble Financing as Survival Capital
Operating PrincipleMoon and Sixpence Equally Important
Signature MoveRooftop-to-Street Site Inspection
Operating PrincipleRevPAR Plus Ten, Costs Minus Ten
Signature MoveThirteen-Hour Meeting as Onboarding Ritual
Relationship LeverageFoxconn's Loss-Leader-to-Lock-In Playbook
Risk DoctrineTacit Knowledge as Accidental Export
Competitive AdvantageApple Squeeze: Invaluable Experience Over Margin
Identity & CultureVerbal Jujitsu Procurement Culture
Signature MoveDesign the Impossible Then Manufacture the Impossible
Signature MoveFifty Business Class Seats Daily to Shenzhen
Operating PrincipleZero Inventory as Theological Doctrine
Strategic PatternUnconstrained Design Not Cost Arbitrage
Cornerstone MoveSecret $275 Billion Kowtow to Keep the Machine Running
Signature MoveSilk Tie Competitions to Train Negotiators
Cornerstone MoveScrew It, iTunes for Windows
Cornerstone MoveBuy the Machines, Own the Factory Floor Without Owning a Factory
Signature MoveDrive Off the Cliff to Prove the Brakes Don't Work
Cornerstone MoveTrain Everyone Then Pit Them Against Each Other
Risk DoctrineRule By Law as Corporate Leash
Decision FrameworkBig Potato Small Potato: Positional Power Over Fairness
Risk DoctrineCourage to Retreat Over Reckless Advance
Competitive AdvantageAsia's Digital Gravity as Location Advantage
Cornerstone MoveSmall Fish Swallows Big Fish at Timing Inflection
Risk DoctrineSeventy Percent Victory Threshold
Relationship LeverageTen Generals Who Would Give an Arm
Signature MoveTwenty-Five Characters Before Every Decision
Signature MoveMeter-High Research Stacks Before Commitment
Cornerstone MoveNine-Filter Gauntlet Before Any Business
Strategic PatternInfrastructure Toll Booth Over Hit Products
Signature MoveFifty-Year Life Plan as Operating Calendar
Operating PrincipleThree-Hundred-Year Company Horizon
Decision FrameworkAspiration Before Vision Before Strategy
Strategic PatternNinety Percent Won Before Battle Begins
Capital StrategyBankrupt Audacity in Early Fundraising
Signature MoveTen-Person Teams with Daily Profit Closing
Signature MoveInstall Winning Habit Then Compound It
Cornerstone MoveInvention as Capital Creation Machine
Risk DoctrineLifebuoy Group Strategy Against Single-Point Failure

Primary Evidence

"Fifth, is the huge population of China. It’s the largest consumer market in the world. And the largest consumer market will produce the world’s largest businesses. China Mobile, the ICBC, Tencent and Alibaba are already global scale businesses. This will spread to other fields of the service sector: e-commerce, the video game industry, the online travel industry, apparel, food and beverages … and, of course, hotels. My rough estimate is that the key players in the future hotel industry in China will have over ten thousand hotels, of which the driving force will be budget hotels. That scale will make it a world leader in future."

Source:The Founder's Notes

"But the situation continued to deteriorate. China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier, sent Apple two requests to stop shipments. Apple had delivered 254,000 XR units to the carrier, over and above the 241,000 requested—which counted as additional revenue—but customer demand was low, and the carrier didn’t want to be stuck with inventory. “Partner explicitly said if Apple cannot keep our practice to maintain healthy channel inventory, [China Mobile] will consider hold payment to future shipment,” internal emails said. China Unicom also had too many units and told Apple it “will consider not accepting shipment and hold future payment.”"

Source:Apple in China

"Currently (mid-May 2014), SoftBank is actively pursuing various initiatives to acquire T-Mobile US, the fourth-largest US mobile provider. If this acquisition occurs, SoftBank would become the world’s second-largest mobile communications company after China Mobile."

Source:Son's Square Law (translated)

Appears In Volumes

The Founder's NotesApple in ChinaSon's Square Law (translated)