Monday, February 25, 2019
Week 3 Posts Due March 1
Hey everybody, some interesting points so far. It's fun to see some conversation going on about the various topics you're encountering in your reading. I'm still missing some posts or comments from some of you, though, so try not to get too behind. Happy reading this week, and enjoy a break from blogging over the spring holiday!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Isaac Fernandez
ReplyDeleteThis section of the second chapter in my book was introducing the author’s thoughts about content and context. One of the thoughts that the author brought up regarding western habits is that many businesses spend a lot of money on content training for employees. However, the author seemed to be against this because he stated that if those training actually worked then there would be no need to redo them every year.
Some of the key points in this section of chapter 2 were that it is not the same to be reading a book about doing business in an Eastern country. There is no actual value for the experience that you would get from actually embracing the culture first handed.
When it comes to the business aspect of Chinese culture there are many norms that are usually remembered by westerners; however, it is a lot more practical to read the context of the situation of a situation rather than trying to remember the content of every different situation.
Communication is one of the greatest issues in westerns countries because there is content, but the context is not being picked up.
Here are some quotes that I liked from the section of the chapter:
- “The secret meaning of communication is how the message is delivered “(specially in China)
- “Managers work with Content. While, Leaders work with Context.”
I think this is an interesting concept that Western businesses should focus more on. Last summer, I worked as a sales rep selling kitchen knives and cookware. Before I actually was a sales rep however, I went through a two-day training course which taught facts about the products I was selling, and sales lines and responses to commonly asked questions from the customers. However, I quickly figured out that that training course taught me nothing about context. They had taught me content, like you mentioned, but when I was actually in the field selling my products, I had to learn for myself how to deal with and understand different types of people in the context that I was in. Do these people already own good cookware? Can they afford the products I am trying to sell them? Do they enjoy cooking? etc. I completely agree that the best training we can ever receive happens from experiencing the context firsthand.
Delete-- Ashley Blake
That is a very interesting and important point. Communication is very complicated and hard to master, trying to pick up subtle cues that change with different cultures must be even harder. It is important to understand the context of a situation and that can be hard to learn if you do not fully immerse yourself in the culture.
DeleteChapter two of my book took the main characters to a new location, the outskirts of Shenzhen. In the first chapter, Xiaohong and her friend Sijiang had grand ideas of what Shenzhen would be like. They had imagined blue skies (as if a city could determine the color of the sky-- I would actually think a city meant more pollution, therefore a darker colored sky), and tall buildings. Instead, they got shacks and dusty roads. The girls also thought that jobs were lined up for them upon arrival, but they had to find their own. Looking at this new location from a business perspective, it seems very corrupt. The men in charge of the businesses do not make their decisions based on moral codes, but rather on their greediness and lust. “Whoever has the money is in control” is a concept that young Sijiang grasped very quickly upon arrival (29). Another concept that was grasped very quickly was that virgin girls had a lot more appeal, and they could use their virginity to get what they wanted. I found it ironic that Xiaohong was so disgusted by that fact, yet she herself had committed some questionable acts in her hometown. By the end of the chapter, I realized that although Xiaohong acted disgusted, she was ok with the concept if it helped her get what she wanted. Every character in this story acts like they are not selfish, but they actually are. They all have hidden self-serving motives for being in Shenzhen, and all of their actions are centered around those motives. It will be interesting to see if Xiaohong will go through any character development, or if she will stay selfish throughout the book.
ReplyDelete-- Ashley Blake
Wow thats fascinating. I agree with you, I think that a city normally means more pollution rather than clear skies. I think that the idea of acting like you are not selfish is more part of human nature. A lot of people tend to act like they are not selfish just to get their ways but in reality they are very selfish.
Delete- Isaac Fernandez ^^^
DeleteIn the next chapter I read in The Souls of China, the author visited a christian church. This was very interesting to me because this is the kind of church Professor Oberholster has been talking about in our meetings. This was an unregistered church which the Chinese called "house churches" or "underground churches" because, back in the day, they would meet at a person's home or in a secret location. It is not necessary anymore to meet in such secrecy, but the government still keeps a heavy watch on the congregation. A policeman comes every week to receive a list of all the congregation members, their names, address, and contact information. The author then met a controversial blogger who had been put in prison for six months without being convicted of anything. This blogger said many things about the Christian faith and how it had influence him. The point that stuck out to me was when he mentioned that the government allows him to publish his books, but the preacher of the unregistered church is not allowed to, because the officials are more afraid of what the pastor will say and do. Anyone can look at social media and be affected by it, but they can easily turn it off and forge. The real worry is the pastor who has control of a large congregation who chooses to come out of their own freewill to hear his messages.
ReplyDeleteIt is eye opening to read about how different the world is from what we are so used to here. It is a good reminder to us to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy.
Delete-Rebecca Oxentenko
What China describes the SOEs as is very obscure and varies, and because of this it is very hard to find out how many SOEs there are and how each one affects the GDP. China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) defines a SOE as “non-corporate economic entities, where assets are owned by the states” or “state-holding enterprises.” Any company with foreign investments will not be considered an SOE. These are just two categories, the NBS has many more categories with different requirements so their number of SOE always varies from that of SASAC. SOEs dominate the major industrial sectors and they account for about 40% – 50% of GDP. There are different circumstances in which SOEs are useful; when the country is in poverty and the private entities are not wiling to commit, the SOEs will be committed and be that economic boost and basic need provider, also useful to prevent private entities from monopolizing and hiring prices. At the beginning of the book i remember reading negative things about SOEs but never did i think that it would turn out to be positive like this. I was very impressed and think that it is good and has been good for China. But i do still think that they are in need of a modification to their system.
ReplyDelete-Rodny Aquino
Coby Federowski
DeleteIt sounds like there are almost a caste system of businesses not in the sense of discrimination but by regulating what a SOE is able to invest in a keeps them under a certain cap. I'm not sure this is actually true but its interesting that SOEs are the primary backup plan for a recession.
In the next chapter that I was reading, covered how to find help with licensing, how to choose a China-savvy consultant, or how to hire a Chinese assistant to help with license application procedures in China and it also covered how to choose an appropriate legal category for your business license. Several tips that the chapter mentioned and that it caught my attention was that as an alternative to hiring expensive international law firms, it is better to consider using the services of a small-scale international or domestic consulting firm to help you establish your business. The cheapest choice is to use the free or low-cost advice offered through international chambers of commerce, embassies, and business associations. The next tip is to hire a trustworthy and competent local employee to help you with the initial navigation of the government bureaucracy that you will encounter in establishing your company. Furthermore, the book mentions several tips in choosing an appropriate legal category. One of them is to prepare in advance the necessary legal documents to protect you in case something goes wrong with your Chinese partner, also is good to be aware that China’s business regulations change frequently, and vary widely depending on industry type, size, and business scope. In conclusion, a representative office, or a Chinese firm is one of the key steps in how to correctly start a new venture in China. If you choose the wrong legal method, it can hinder the growth of your venture. The 40 China-bases international entrepreneurs that are mentioned on the book, recommended that is better to use a small consultancy firm, or to hire a street-smart staff member to help with the initial process of determining the ideal legal category and applying for a license.
ReplyDelete-Manelkis Javier
Coby Federowski
ReplyDeleteSo chapter two of my book goes even more in depth into how dynamic and unpredictable thee Chinese market is. I am honestly amazed that anyone is able to create a long-lasting and profitable business in China. Here are a few or the biggest obstacles that determine how the Chinese market changes: Rapid integration into global markets, Rapid shifting multi-level governmental regulations, uneven laws on property rights, sporadic access to financing, constant continuous technological changes, as well as all the interactions between everything mentioned. To be honest, it would be overwhelming trying to keep up with all of the change and living in a constant uncertainty. They literally call it "The Fog of the Future" because there is no way to predict anything. That all being said, it makes it even more amazing how successful China's businesses are. Taking into account how disorganized it all seems but then looking at the success of the country, definitely is cluing into that there is a more cut-throat and rapid approach to business. I am wondering that if done similarly but in the west, what sort of space would that business take in the western business market? The mindset of an acute Chinese businessman but in a much more predictable market.
In the second chapter of my book the author shares why he believes CEO's have replaced generals in the modern world. In the past the wealth of a nation depended mostly on how well the military was doing. Today, the wealth of a nation depends on the global strength of its corporations. Before I get to much deeper into my blog postings I need to make sure that I mention that my book is close to 10 years past the publication date. However, every time they share a statistic I look up the current situation to see if it has changed. Unfortunately, many of the concerns raised in the book are still very relevant today. In the old days generals and governments would pick there battles and focus on the best strategic option for victory. In today's world it is governments working along-side corporations that make these strategic decisions. Today it is the corporation who conquers territory outside of its own market that reduces the wealth potential of the defeated territory. The author shares that there is a very strong business culture in China focused on long term success. They have done a very good job of controlling large markets outside of their own for a while now as a result. Unfortunately, the Unites States has not focused so much on our international economic presence. This problem is evidenced by our trade deficits and the fact that our largest companies often pay more in international taxes than they do to us. The author stresses that the lack of government support for trade of modern technology in the USA in contrast with the extreme support of it in countries like China will hurt the United States greatly in the long run.
ReplyDeletePost by - Rebecca Oxentenko
DeleteThe second chapter of my book was extremely interesting. It introduced the city of Dongguan and gave us a feel of what life is like in it. According the Chinese government, there are 8 million of migrants living in the city limits, however that number is lowered to allow the city to pay less taxes. In reality, the city of Dongguan has 10 million migrants and roughly 1.6 million of local residents. However, no one actually knows how many people live in the city. The author describes the city as being unfinished and where everything is in the process of becoming something else—the people, the factories, the city. Everything is evolving.
ReplyDeleteThere was a saying in this chapter that said that Dongguan was a city without a memory, everyone who passes it on their way to or from Beijing don’t remember it except the factories that resemble the sea. Today, Dongguan makes around 40% of the word’s magnetic heads used in computers and it has experienced an economic growth of 15% a year in the past two decades.
Chang briefly recalls two young girls she met during her first few months of living in Dongguan named Yonxia and Dali. They had moved away from their parent’s farm in search of a high paying factory job, they were promised 700 yuan per month, but when they arrived to the city they realized it was a scam. There was no way for them to leave so they stayed. When she first interviewed them, they told her if they could write to her because they were so lonely. Chang recalled her experience of leaving home and an experience where she was almost assaulted by a male local. She used this experience to compare the feelings of what other strangers, especially, women might feel as they travel within and out of the city.
One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that like the author, I could also relate, to these girls. I also left home to study in a different country for a year, and although the situations are different, everyone feels loneliness in many similar ways. I also learned more about the history of this city and how it operates.
- Cynthia Roman
I'm very excited to hear more about your book! I like that it focuses a lot on the geography of China and the different things that are experienced.
DeleteIn the second chapter I read about the early signs and the strategies they used to start. It gave a very define description of some of the challenges the business people went through, but also it gave the solutions on how to choose the right market for their companies. It was also very interesting that they talked about the innovators organization process to discover what they are going to put out in the market. It also gave something like a "toolkit" that innovators used to start building their empires. The innovator or business people have a sixth sense, they can recognize the good and profitable business opportunities. They are very quick to adapt to the unknown and adjust their minds into a model that will help them make decisions in the new business opportunities they receive. They also adapt very fast to be the person that they are required to be to fulfill the business treaty. It was very interesting for me to learn about the different fundamental skills that the innovators have to see companies' future, what may make or break them. It's a whole process that their minds go through and I wonder if I'm going to be able to have that sixth sense in my career.
ReplyDelete-Allison Barreto
Chapter two of The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom, explains the prosperity of China. In the early nineteenth century, the richest man in the world was a Chinese man named Wu Bingjian. Wu was a merchant prince from Guangzhou and his fortune estimate was about $26 million in 1834. He acquired his money without stepping foot outside of China but with the help of his American friends.
ReplyDeleteThe book also tells an interesting story about a young man named John Perkins Cushing, that arrived in China in 1804 when he was just a teenager and was taken under the wing of Howqua a successful business man. Cushing at just age nineteen, took over Perkins & Company located in Guangzhou. Unfortunately, the Royal Navy chased American merchantmen off the seas and the trading with America decreased. Howqua and Cushings got involved with drug trafficking and things started going downhill for them because they did not do a great job in coving their tracks.