sholto in china
DESCRIPTION
Exchange and internship in ChinaTRANSCRIPT
“GUANXI” ( 关系 ), AND MORE…
SHOLTO’S ( 会 小明 ) CHINESE EXPERIENCE
Outline
Introduction – My ExperienceCultureUniversityInternshipConclusion –
What I learned
NEW FRIENDS
NEW EXPERIENCES
NEW LANGUAGE
NEW FOOD
1 INTERNSHIP AND 1 TEAM BUILDING CHINESE STYLE
New Culture
Definition
Culture is a shared system of meanings Norms, values, traditions… It is learned Can have many layers =
National, Regional, Generation…
Cultural Observations
Chinese Complexity Multiple philosophies, systems and religions over
thousands of years – Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism… The last 100 years
End of 2,000+ years of dynasties Civil war during Japanese invasion Birth of a new communist nation (50+ years old) Great Leap frog Cultural revolution Black and white cats, whichever catches the mice
- Capitalistic Communism Now “Harmonious Development”
Cultural Observations
Guanxi 关系 Social Networking
Know your business partner’s/ school mate’s personal life
Collectivism Importance of relationships
Something for Something I can help you!
Building favors/contacts Talking to classmates Giving gifts
Cultural Observations
Face 2 Faces in China
Public (including the family), and private Confucius roots
expectations and moral order Codes of behaviour are very different
Social appearance is very important – be careful Power Distance High
Don’t criticize your boss. Don’t ask difficult questions and risk losing face
“Impolite foreigners” Same job level meetings, men and women
Cultural Observations
Monochronic Culture Time is something that can be spent in China On-time means 5/10 minutes early
Hard-Working/Non-Questioning -why? You would never call an average Chinese person lazy,
due in part to the education system – diligence Arriving late, working hard, or leaving early shows a
lack of respect, losing face
Cultural Observations
Generation Differences Older generation – revolutions, hardship (famine…)
high uncertainty avoidance with the older generations = savings high collectivist culture = respecting centralized government Higher power distance relationships
Younger Generation - economic growth, modernization… Lower uncertainty avoidance = spending a lot more than parents Less/different collectivism= smaller nuclear family groups, more
individual choices, but still collectivist Lower power distance = “little emperors” Less masculinity than older generation
Other observations
Growing disparity between cities and the countryside Class differences expanding as millions of upper and
middle-class become rich while poverty remains a reality for millions more and may even be worsening for some
Differences between traditional values and emerging “Western” values
Strong sense of nationalism Many similarities to industrialization in the West over
a hundred years ago and to the development of Japan and South Korea as economic heavyweights (low-cost imitation, innovation, leadership…)
University
Zhong Shan Daxue 中山大学
Courses Chinese Language - basic necessities Chinese Business - issues affecting China Negotiations - accomodation for partnerships Operations Management - streamlining, planning, and
control Strategic Management -Sustainable Competitive Advantage
University
Zhong Shan Daxue 中山大学
Observations Talking to classmates during courses
(guangxi) Not talking to the teacher (textbooks…) Listening – few gestures and indirect Working hard, but sometimes not smart Much less group conflict and arguing
Internship
TEXT 100 PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations and consultancy for technology firms such as IBM, Siemens, Nokia, Intel, Cisco, Phillips, Texas Instruments, and many more
Text 100 is truly global and has 30 offices worldwide covering EMEA, APAC and the Americas.
In essence they are internationalized by necessity, in that their clients are global
Internship
SHANGHAI – my responsibilities Generating corporate communications materials for
Chinese companies during the Olympic Games Training my Chinese colleagues on the differences
between Western and Chinese media reporting styles and how to approach them
Compiling a database of foreign media Marketing of Text 100 Intercultural adaption
Internship
PARIS – my responsibilities Office organisation Copying Contact details Translating and summarising French coverage into
English for monthly reports
Internship
Shanghaio Very Seriouso Layout, relatively closedo Email and MSN, meeting rooms and gestureso Don’t contradict the bosso Socializing outside work rare, or organizedo Staying at work until after 10:00pm or even midnight
not uncommono Arrive early, leave lateo Returning promptly from luncho Working hard for sometimes few results (lack of
initial questioning)
Internship
Pariso Seemingly less seriouso Open layouto Communicating face-to-face, even if everybody else
could here and the conversation was not seriouso Contradict the boss in front of everyone, all issueso Much more informal socializingo Arriving late, or often not at all, and leaving early or
on-time commonplace o Less urgency to get back to worko Working less hard
.
Internship
Evaluation
o National culture plays a huge role in the working environment
o The company is run in a relatively polycentric manner… Global offices are managed by and comprise of locals
o It becomes evident that different expectations exist
.
Conclusion - What I learned
Cultural Sensitivity,
Greater Awareness of my Strengths and Weaknesses
Patience, Preparation and Review
The importance of Networking and Relationships
QUESTIONS
谢谢XieXie
THANK YOU
Bibliography
Harford, T. 2006, The Undercover Economist, Abacus, Great Britain Foreign reserves growing, inflation: Patalon, 2008,
http://www.moneymorning.com/2008/04/14/with-its-jump-to-a-record-1.68-trillion-chinas-foreign-currency-reserves-spawn-major-inflationary-fears/
The Return to Capital in China/Comments and Discussion, Chong-En Bai; Chang-Tai Hsieh; Yingyi Qian; Olivier Blanchard; Richard N Cooper, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity; 2006; 2; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 61
China in the World Trading System, John Whalley, CESifo Economic Studies; Jun 2006; 52, 2; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 215
Financial Liberalization and Regulation in East Asia: Lessons from Financial ... Jiangyu Wang, Journal of World Trade; Feb 2007; 41, 1; ABI/INFORM Global pg. 211
The Chinese Conundrum: External Financial Strength, Domestic Financial Weakness, Brad Setser, CESifo Economic Studies; Jun 2006; 52, 2; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 364
FDI soars, Anonymous, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD Observer; Jul 2006; 256; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 12
Exploring Subsidiary Strategic Roles in a Transitional Economy: Evidence from... Fan Liang; Stephen Nicholas, Journal of Global Business Issues; Summer 2007; 1, 2; ABI/INFORM Global pg. 101
Shpak-Lissak, R. 2007, The Chinese Superpower-Historical Background, http://www.omedia.org/Show_Article.asp?DynamicContentID=2180&MenuID=719&ThreadID=1014008
The Exchange Rate Exposure of Chinese and Taiwanese Multinational Corporations
Bibliography
Luke Lin; David So-De Shyu; Chau-Jung Kuo, Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Sep 2007; 12, 1; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 173
MADE IN CHINA, Anonymous, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD Observer; Oct 2006; 257; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 24
An Opportunistic Ally, David H Shinn, Harvard International Review; Summer 2007; 29, 2; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 52
Farndon J, 2007, China Rises, Virgin Books, London, UK China human development index by the UN:
http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_CHN.html The Chinese Conundrum: External Financial Strength, Domestic Financial Weakness,
Brad Setser, CESifo Economic Studies; Jun 2006; 52, 2; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 364 Costs Rising, China to Export Inflation, David Barboza, International Herald Tribune,
February 1, 2008, http://www.iht.com/ articles/2008/01/31/business/inflate.php Lowell. J, 2006, The Great Wall – China against the world 1000bc to AD2000, Atlantic
Books, London Thubrou, C, 2001, Behind the wall, Vintage Books, London Studwell, J. 2002, The China dream : The elusive quest for the greatest untapped market
on earth, Profile Books, London