As the end of the semester continues to press closer, I urge all of you to make sure to keep up with your reading, and to consider beginning some of your assignments following the guidelines in the syllabus if you have time. And don't forget to get your immunizations and travel documents in order! It's been fun to read and follow your posts and see how all of you have been interacting with one another. Keep up the great work :)
My reading for this week took a turn away from what had been regularly happening throughout the book. Xiaohong had to start dealing with new pressures that she had never faced before, such as her boss offering her her own business in exchange for sexual favors. When she turned down his offer, his wife had her arrested on false accusations out of jealousy. I admire how calm, cool, and collected Xiaohong is in these situations. One thing that I have noticed is that Ah Hong (Xiaohong’s Shenzhen name) never brings terrible situations down upon herself. She always gets thrown into them without asking, and then she has to deal with the repercussions later as if she did cause the situations.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter also gave me a glimpse of how Buddhism is practiced. The characters walked up a steep hill to a Buddhist shrine to worship. When worshipping, “it was said that the pious would receive whatever they asked for” (Keyi, 81). I was also given a glimpse into how the Chinese security system operated, and how the police could arrest people without any probable or proven cause. Once arrested, the prisoners were given terrible living conditions until somebody came and bailed them out. If Xiaohong was not physically attractive, I do not think she would be doing well in the southern Chinese town of Shenzhen.
-- Ashley Blake
Wow this is very intense but also very insightful. Even though i have not been keeping up with you story i can see that it seems that Xiaohong has gone through some very challenging situations and she given her best even in a society that really appreciate it all that much. Also it gives more insight at how things work behind the scene, those systems that cannot be seen by plain sight.
Delete-Rodny Aquino
The thought of someone being sent to jail on false charges opens my eyes to the injustice nature of our world. I think Xiahong’s story is only one in a million in China—being sent to jail on false charges because she wouldn’t comply to her boss’s sexual passes makes me sick. I’m happy that she was able to face this experience with grace.
Delete- Cynthia Roman
Picking up from where i left off last post, China soon realized that its indigenous innovations were not working and that the policies that were controversial could no longer be written in plain black and white. So, they changed to verbal instructions and request for the foreigners to volunteer their technology. They implemented a Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) policy, much like the other western nations, but in the policy, they used the word volunteer to eliminate any possibility for the foreign companies to complain. The thing is that even though it held the word voluntary, China really made it mandatory through actions, because if you did not volunteer your technology it will not be certified by the National Recommended Certification Program. If you did not have this certification then china will not allow you to receive tax breaks and government procurement preference, which the certified product received. Any complain is being shut down by the statement that China is protecting the environment and responsibly regulating hazardous substances.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear to see that in this section of the book it shows that China never really got rid of its indigenous innovations they just tried to disguise it by putting the word volunteer in the new policy. So this has really shown that they were behind with all of their technology if they were really this desperate to gain more technological advances. This also helped china in a sense because the GDP became more concentrated and their were less rules to Technical Barriers to Trade because a voluntary policy is less regulated than a mandatory one.
- Rodny Aquino
It seems a little strange to hear some of this. How old is your book? Does China still operate this way?
Delete-Coby Federowski
DeleteIf China was behind on their technological advances in the past, they certainly are not now. Just from reading the news, I know that China and the U.S. are in a race to have 5G internet in their countries, and I also know that the current Chinese president Xi Jinping created a "Made in China 2025" plan that is based on technology innovation. One of the things I am most excited about seeing in China is their modern technology, especially in their cities, and how it compares to our technology here. I fully expect to have my mind blown by Chinese technology!
Delete-- Ashley Blake
Coby Federowski
ReplyDeleteThere is a process called the SAPE Cycle. Entrepreneurs and managers use the SAPE cycle as a way to traverse the unpredictable markets. SAPE stand for Sense, Anticipate, Prioritize, and Execute. Sense is the first step, where the person builds a sense of current circumstances in order to build a model in there mind of the overall situation. Anticipate is the anticipation of threats and opportunities to stay a step ahead of competition. Prioritize is where they narrow their sights into a small number of strategic plans for the business. The final step is Execute where they fulfill their goals by turning them into physical or tangible things. In the US we have business cycles based on our faith in the market, for example the Expansion, Peak, Recession, Trough, Recovery Cycle is helpful because it defines the natural market path in long-term. The Chinese market doesn't work this way so when planning for business strategy they do it on the immediate basis.
Isaac Fernandez
DeleteThat very interesting specially how you said that the Chinese don't have a cycle like how we do. Other than a certain "faith" in the market, why do you think that that simple idea effects China's economical cycles?
My previous chapters have covered how to acquire the startup money and how to win the necessary government to launch your business, after all that the next goal for most foreign entrepreneurs in China would be to start bringing in revenue. This chapter I am currently reading covers a few strategies about finding the right customers and getting your customers to pay you. Strategy #1 is to export your products or services back home because you might have more professional insight and connections and is a plus if someone uses their foreignness as an advantage over Chinese competitors. Strategy #2 is to target foreigners in China by understanding their needs, and developing products/services aimed at meeting them. Strategy #3 is to target Chinese customers, the easiest most logical target market for a foreign entrepreneur in China is buyers in your home country, or other overseas markets, or fellow expats in China. Also, another advice from the book is to not jump into the Chin market without fully understanding the customer base you are targeting. Look for products and services that are still new to the China market. In the other hand, there are several payment tactics that the book mentions. Payment tactic #1 is to insist on cash only, don’t tolerate delays. The alternative can be a serious cash flow problem for your business. If a customer isn’t going to pay a reasonable amount a pay upfront, don’t deal with them. Payment tactic #2 is to choose tour customers carefully. Also don’t give up when a client defaults on payment. Be persistent until they pay. In the end, if future entrepreneurs want to get revenue these steps would be totally helpful for them.
ReplyDelete-Manelkis Javier Garcia
Isaac Fernandez
ReplyDeleteMy reading for this week was about business context in China. One very funny thing that the author started off with was about comparing western and Chinese culture is like comparing Apples to Carrots. The author said that it's more complicated than comparing apples to oranges because when doing that comparison they at least have fruit in common.
The chapter continues to build on concepts that were studied in the previous section, regarding individual, social, and systemic interactions. It talks about how in Chinese culture health is prioritized over everything else and how that is the opposite in Western culture.
As this short chapter continues a really good quote comes up and it states: " Those with a high sense of self-efficacy tend to be entrepreneurial. Believing in self, they take on more challenging tasks, resulting in greater learning and growth regardless of the outcomes". Based from this, this chapter section concludes with the idea that in Chinese culture success is far more complicated than financial success. For Chinese success involves family, relationships, as well as financial wealth.
I think it is nice how the Chinese culture focuses on health. It makes it seem a little more personal and reminds us that we are all first and foremost human beings with feelings.
DeleteThis week's reading talked about the Miaofengshan pilgrimage. It starts on the first day of the fourth lunar month. Families would come and visit their shines. One such shrine had a combination of Daoist and Buddhist deities. Other people come to who do not have shrines. To the Chinese, this is their culture. It is not related to religion or politics in any way. It was a very beautiful chapter because it showed how the old still remember these old traditions before all the disruption. At the end of the chapter, a girl wants to pray but does not know how. So an old lady helps her out, showing her how to pray.
ReplyDelete- Becky OXentenko
DeleteI love how this tradition is part of the culture and not necessarily tied to any religion or politics. It sounds like a great way to come together as country without letting differences get in the way.
-Becky Oxentenko
ReplyDeleteThis week's reading discussed the U.S. Computer Industry and how it compares to the rest of the world. At the time of this book's publication the computer industry in the U.S. was doing relatively well in comparison with the rest of the world and China. Part of that success has been in keeping costs down whereas China had not figured that out yet. The largest threat to U.S. market share in the computer industry from China was Lenovo and they could not figure out how to cut costs and keep up. The author feels that there is a downside to all of this success because the U.S. outsources most of the labor for its computer industry to other countries. The U.S. looses jobs. So far this has worked out because while these Tech giants have taken jobs away they have produced enough to do their part in balancing U.S. trade. However, the author does not feel that this will last forever and feels that countries like China will find a way to pass us up. He feels that China and the U.S. will be engaged in a struggle over various types of technology for decades to come.
It is very important to know the differences between two very influential countries, I'm very interested on how your book is going!
DeleteLike we saw in my last chapter, having a sixth sense for business opportunities is a great skill the innovators can have to succeed, but Talent is becoming a very critical to perform specially in the IT department. Every year, talents are being needed in a more specific way. People want rare and unique talents that are very unpredictable. Talents would be developed faster in the companies with a huge need of a good IT sector. In the chapter I saw very clearly how some of the business entrepreneurial have a very delicate and thoughtful but practical method to manage people and the outcomes of their projects success. It is very interesting to read how the way you manage people plays a big part in the success of project. A study of high-technology was made by a very important leading executive search firm, they found that in China, their biggest asset and the best way to grow is-people. In this chapter they give some details of the skills they used to develop people and answers a lot of questions on how to treat people. It is very important for the innovators to hire people with talents as unique as knowing how to manage people. The business people like when these types of skills are showed in the interviews and when they are showed what they need. Many times, I focused in how I'm going to reach the market with money, new products, etc., but it's really on how I treat people and how good networking is for future plans.
ReplyDelete-Allison Barreto