The Great Wheel is set to become a fixture on the Beijing skyline.
It will be a London Eye style ferris wheel used as a mov
ing observation tower.
The makers claim you will see views of the city and on a good day, you may be lucky to catch a glimpse of the Great Wall.
Great Timing
The opening of the Great Wheel is timed to take advantage of world press and the crowds of locals and visitors for the Beijing Olympics in late 2008.
Rapid Growth
China has come a long way from my first visit in 1984, when people paid to have their photo taken with a car. In those days it was beyond most people's wildest dreams to own their own car, or even their own business.
Now, it is a very different story. China, along with India is one of the world's fastest growing economies. Along with this rapid growth has come poor workplace health and safety standards and major pollution problems.
Research & Action Plan
On my most recent visit to China 2 years ago, I spoke to a Dutch scientist who had been tasked with advising administrators and planners in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics.
Realistic Time Frame
He said the infrastructure was way ahead of any other Olympics Games efforts, in terms of a timeline. Pollution, he said was a major issue which had not been adequately addressed. He was not convinced it could be overcome in time.
Expats I've spoken to are very doubtful the Great Wheel will offer much of a view of anything of interest, given visibility severely limited by pollution.
Small Business Parallels
The issues surrounding the Great Wheel and the Olympics also apply to starting up and growing a small business.
Good timing, being able to handle growth, address challenges, research and implement realistic time frames are all factors that the small business owner needs to anticipate and have a contingency plan for, to faciliate manageable growth.
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