China

Chinese culture and its impact on its economic

In the last week, we have been studying and analysing China in economical, social and cultural factors, the richness of their culture causes me great interest on it and admiration. It´s well known around the world that Chinese culture, based on a long term orientation regarding business relationships, their sincerity and clear way of arranging business made them to achieve a lot of goals in the world economy.

Chinese society is ruled by the governmental law, its important to mention that China went through Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, fact that certainly influence behaviors and cultural patterns. Social values are derived from Confucianism and Taoism with a combination of conservatism. Reincarnation and other rebirth concept is a reminder of the connection between real-life and the next-life. Their language is very rich, written with symbols and with different dialects spoken in all regions of China, but having always the mandarin as the formal language.

Some factors might be take in count when negotiating with Chinese people, I found this info appropriate for us as students of international business, since it provides us an idea of how Chinese people do business and their behavior toward them, here some important facts:

• Long-term relationships.
• Beneficial relationship is more important.
• The collectivist way of thinking.
• High centralization.
• China is built on a strong sense of pride in their ancient history and culture.
• Punctuality.
• Trust.
• Hierarchical Structure.

Organisations in China

Google Inc case in China

1. What did Google do right in China? Why?

• Google is following China’s law of giving restricted information on the internet that include “harmful” content included material concerning democracy, religious cults or antigovernment pretests (Tiananmen Square).
• They are also contributing with the warning showed to every user that access to the internet: “internet users must comply with the law” and not let “harmful” or “threatened” information spread through the web.
• With the removal of some content in the internet they are cooperating with China’s government image that they want to give to their citizens of a good, clean and discrete government.
• Google is following one of its main principles, which is provide information to the internet users even if its filtered information.
• Google is acting in favor of the international practice because it is regulating the internet according to law. They are contributing with the blockage of some web pages that may involve pornography, terrorism… all in order to protect the Chinese people and more over Chinese government image among its citizens.
• When creating www.google.cn , Google followed Chinese exceptionalism: “China is different from everyone else” and “China will do what China does, and you can’t interfere” This means they needed to adapt China’s conditions in order to be on their market.

2. What did Google do wrong in China? Why?

• Google is removing search results on the internet among China, which is inconsistent with its mission of providing information to all of its internet users.
• Google is not following its policies when giving unreal information to Chinese internet users. In order to keep the Chinese market, is manipulating the information according to the law, and its being unethical with this citizens making them think that what Google provides its true, when it isn’t.
• Google is not letting Chinese people to have their human rights, especially when talking about free expression. Every individual in the world is free to express itself in all ways. Chinese do not have this right of express themselves or read and see whatever they want.
• Google is not communicating important news such as AIDS epidemic, safety conditions in mines, poisoning of the Songhua River, among others. With the non-providence of information, Chinese are assuming a risk of getting any illness and the government is taking away the right of information in and outside the country.
• Google betrayed Chinese when it started to manipulate www.google.com making it slower and making it stop working for 2 weeks, and then coming with this new idea of www.google.cn which was promoted as a “faster and more reliable and provided more and better search results for all but a handful of politically sensitive subjects”
• The chinese communist party has not been able to sustain the establishment of equity or equality that promises and google is trying to keep a system based on lies, leaving aside the integrity of the nation.

3. What should you have done if you were Mr. Tom MacLean?

• I had done the same, Mr. Tom maclean fought for his position in google inc. He only fulfilled with chinese law in order to participate in this market. All this in order to keep his job and be able to expand google on the international market.
He acomplished Google´s inc mission, which is mainly based on providing information around the world, and he did so, except that he had to keep some precepts from chinese law in order to achive his goal that was entering completly into the chinese market, if he didnt make it, probably other company will, as Yahoo, altavista etc… he just aimed to gain this huge market.
As i see it, Mr. Tom MacLean showed respect for Google inc, but also with the Chinese government; Chinese people must be aware that restrictions were made and asked by their government not by Google, so its up to the government to face this contradiction in their legal system in front of all Chinese population.


References

Warner, Malcolm. 2004. Human resource management in China revisited: introduction. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15(4/5): 617-34.
Case study: Google inc. in China
Arango, Maria Isabel. Organisations and Culture. Class notes. 2009

An approach to East Asian region

About East Asia

The East Asian region its currently playing an important role in the world for its well known economy development including market and production growing, all the world has been focusing on them and their model since the last few years. The class based on this represenatative geographic area was totally captivating for me, since I´ve heard so much about their economy, but not that much about their cultural approach.

This region represents a quarter of the total population of the world and its constituted mainly by:

• People's Republic of China (Including Hong Kong and Macau)
• Japan
• South Korea (Republic of Korea)
• North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
• Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Mongolia
• Siberia, Russia (considered either East Asia or North Asia)

Something important to know about their way of living, are the most practiced religions, in which we can include Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion, Shinto, Shamanism and even Christianity. And
the most predominant languages in the region are Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Mongolian.

Even though it's a big mixture of cultures and identities in this region, diversity is not so easily perceived, due to the fact that throughout history, many of these East Asian societies where part of China and its cultural sphere. That's why these cultures are at the same time similar, but also unique andso different between each other.

Japanese management model

Not so much about this model was mentioned during my classmates exposition, I found some interesting statements in the suggested document for the module: Lee, Jangho, Thomas W. Roehl, & Soonkyoo Choe. 2000. What Makes Management Style Similar and Distinct Across Borders? Growth, Experience and Culture in Korean and Japanese Firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(4): 631-52.
From which I took some main ideas of the Japanese management model, understanding that they work in a group oriented strategy guided by the corporate values.
They tend always to connect product desing and production in order to have improved products with better results. Regarding their relationships with the external persons of the company they Exchange information with customers and try to construct Cooperative Supplier relationships.


Koreas – Chaebols

A Chaebol can be defined as a business group consisting of large companies that are owned and managed by family members and relatives in many diversified business areas (Sangiin and Sang, 1987).
Inside Chaebols relationshisp between superiors and subordinates are characterized by a high degree of paternalism. This means that a supervisor or manager will assume personal responsibility for the development of his subordinates, but also that these subordinates will respond by showing proper respect and obedience.


How was the East Asian economy behavior during the last few years?

In the economical aspect i wanted to look deeper since during the exposition not so many rates o examples where given, i foun out this so intetrersting: (Rashid 2008)As one looks over the many momentous events that took place in the 20th century, such as the two World Wars and the Cold War, one lesser noted event stands out sharply for its long-term significance. It is the lesson East Asia has taught the World--7% economic growth is possible. And this growth can extend for decades. First Japan, then Taiwan and South Korea, then China, all have shown that 7% is not a one-shot event but a real possibility.
Ten years on from the 1997 financial crisis, East Asia is wealthier, poverty rates are lower and growth is faster than ever before. According to the World Bank, developing economies in East Asia grew by an average of 9.5 per cent in 2006.
Some countries with low income, such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Mongolia also grew at an impressive 8 to 10 per cent. According to World Bank estimates, in 2006 the number of people in East Asia living on less than US$2 a day fell to around 29 per cent of the population.


References

Lee, Jangho, Thomas W. Roehl, & Soonkyoo Choe. 2000. What Makes Management Style Similar and Distinct Across Borders? Growth, Experience and Culture in Korean and Japanese Firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(4): 631-52.

Salim Rashid. (2009). The Magic of 7% Per Capita Growth. Society, 46(2), 108. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from Research Library Core database. (Document ID: 1679788101).

China, Japan, South Korea to Smooth Trilateral Logistics. (2008, December 15). SinoCast China Business Daily News. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from ProQuest Asian Business and Reference database. (Document ID: 1612601351).

Hannah Beech. (2008, December). Japan Reaches Out. Time International, 172(21), 30. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from Research Library Core database. (Document ID: 1602001031).
Arango, Maria Isabel. Organisations and Culture. Class notes. 2009

Image: Source: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/music/images/east_asia.gif

Migration workers

Missing brains and labour force?

Background of international migration

The term migrant can be understood as "any person who lives temporarily or permanently in a country where he or she was not born, and has acquired some significant social ties to this country.” (1)
Migration is an actual big phenomenon that still continues to increase more and more. People started to look abroad for better opportunities in the working, economical and social field. Different reasons aimed to increase the growing rates of the worlds tendency, this are the main reasons and contexts presented on class by the responsibles of the topic:
• Invasions in their home country
• Forced Displacement
• Natural Disasters or Environmental Factors
• Medical Assistance
• Economic Purposes


Common categorisation of international migrants:

• Temporary labour migrants (also known as guest workers or overseas contract workers): people who migrate for a limited period of time in order to take up employment and send money home.
• Highly skilled and business migrants: people with qualifications as managers, executives, professionals, technicians or similar, who move within the internal labour markets of trans-national corporations and international organisations, or who seek employment through international labour markets for scarce skills. Many countries welcome such migrants and have special 'skilled and business migration' programmes to encourage them to come.
• Irregular migrants (or undocumented / illegal migrants): people who enter a country, usually in search of employment, without the necessary documents and permits.
• Forced migration: in a broader sense, this includes not only refugees and asylum seekers but also people forced to move due to external factors, such as environmental catastrophes or development projects. This form of migration has similar characteristics to displacement.
• Family members (or family reunion / family reunification migrants): people sharing family ties joining people who have already entered an immigration country under one of the above mentioned categories. Many countries recognise in principle the right to family reunion for legal migrants. Other countries, especially those with contract labour systems, deny the right to family reunion.
• Return migrants: people who return to their countries of origin after a period in another country.(2)

Labour migration and it´s management

The UN Convention on the Rights of Migrants defines a migrant worker as a "person who is to be engaged, is engaged or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which he or she is not a national.".
Labour migration is at the top of the policy agendas of many nations around the world, Countries that workers leave in search of a better life, countries they pass through, and countries they are destined for are part of a labour market made increasingly interdependent by the forces of globalization.
Social and economical consequences can be experienced when workers leave traditional livelihoods because of the lack of jobs in their home countries, the brain drain has also a big impacto on the developing world, managing labour forcé is not that easy to be controled, but certainly world countries needs to undertake actions regarding this sensible and important topic.

Is labour migration convenient for Colombia?

Labour migration has become a tendency, every day is more normal to have migrants due to labor factor,for me it has positive aspects as well as negatives, labor force is necessary for every country, in Colombia speciffically, the brain drain phenomenon afects the growing rates of the country, since other countries are taken the best human capital we have, it will not be as much well academic formed people as the country needs to keep its development process that will take it to a growing stage. It´s important that government takes actions over this issue that increases with the pass of the years.
I found this quote on the ILO´s webpage, i found it very appropiated for Colombia, since our major labour force exported is the working class for contruction and services sector, some of them that leave Colombia looking for a dream found there´s no dream, experiencing hard work schedules and sometimes explotation added to the feeling of missing everything they have in their native countries, sometimes is not worth it to hold up all this sacrifices to have more Money, but sometimes is the only way to survive and “take some food to their homes”. here the quote:
"Migrant workers are an asset to every country where they bring their labour. Let us give them the dignity they deserve as human beings and the respect they deserve as workers" - Juan Somavia, Director General of the ILO.
I have the sensation that labour migration needs more atention of the international community, international regulation must be inputed, each nation in the world needs to face the phenomenon, the idea is to get the best of it for everyone.


References

1.Migration and Integration - some basic concepts http://social.coe.int/en/cohesion/action/publi/migrants/concepts.htm#back1

2. Castles, S. 2000. International migration at the beginning of the twenty-first century. International Social Science Journal, Vol. 165

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/migrant/

Image: Source: http://icelandtalks.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/brain_drain.jpg