Business

When a company aims to excel on the global stage, one step that can't be missed is global expansion. ZTE is working hard to boost its global presence. It has established cooperation relationships with over 500 foreign telecom companies and set up 107 overseas branches. Meanwhile, its overseas revenue in the third quarter of 2010 exceeds 50 percent of the company's total revenue.

Ethiopia is an important foothold in ZTE's going-global drive. ZTE's success in the country underscores the company's secret of global success: fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and having a sincere dedication to local economic and social development.

Hiring local staff and training them is an important part of ZTE's effort to integrate into the local market. Training programs focus on improving the professional skills of employees through systematic training. After staff complete their training, ZTE offers them opportunities for promotion.

Sirak Tesfaye worked in ZTE's Ethiopia branch in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. He joined ZTE in 2003. Now he is a department head. His salary is much higher than that of his counterparts working for local telecom companies. Sirak Tesfaye said that working in ZTE gives him the feeling of trust and confidence, and the career development prospect offered by ZTE is rarely seen in other foreign companies investing in Ethiopia.

Xiao Bing, Vice President for human resources of ZTE Ethiopia, said the company is adopting the strategy of hiring local staff worldwide, not only in Africa.

"For us, this is an important way of building a talent pool for the company's long-term development in the region," said Xiao. Currently 40 percent of ZTE's overseas department managers are local employees.

Besides, ZTE has also extended its corporate social responsibility activities to local educational support programs, which includes donating a video conference system to the Ethiopian Education Ministry which enables the country to hold synchronous video teaching conferences with universities in remote areas.

ZTE's profitability in Africa rises fast. In the first half of 2010, ZTE's revenue in the continent grew more than 50 percent over the previous year, with awareness of the company's brand steadily increasing among Africans.

Daou Lah, an Ethiopian student studying in Beijing, said ZTE is a well-known brand in his country, that has made communication much more convenient than previously.

People in Ethiopia know ZTE because what ZTE did has practically improved people's lives, he said. "Two years ago I had to contact my family and friends at home via land-line phones, since the mobile phone signal there was weak and unstable. But now I can call them by mobile phone without any communication disruption."

Just as Zhang Yanmeng, CEO of ZTE's branch in Ethiopia, said, "When going abroad, it's not just about the business, you also need to care about whether social and economic benefits can be delivered to local people."

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