Thesis on "Global Business Cultural Analysis of China"

Thesis 16 pages (5751 words) Sources: 12 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Global Business Culture Analysis: (China)

Consumer buying behavior plays the most important element in the marketing of a product, and if the marketing is in a specific country only, or if the business is coming in from another country, the behaviors, dimensions, and cultures of that country have to be considered. This is largely due to the fact that the buying behavior of consumers, in general, is not as deeply concerned with price, distribution, or any other factor. Instead, there are many various and separate influences when it comes to the buying behavior of the consumer, and because so many issues can affect whether a consumer buys a product or not, this behavior is considered to be the most important issue for businesses to look at. Businesses that do well are very aware of the idea of the importance of consumer behavior, no matter what country they are in. If a business has taken the time to learn about the market in China the business has a much better chance to succeed.

Businesses that do not take the time to learn about their consumers often fail because they do not know how to handle what their consumers need and want, and that is especially true if a different culture is involved. Instead, they take what they have done in other countries and they bring it to a new place, but they do not stop to take into account that consumers in one country are different from consumers in another country. Businesses that pay attention to this are fortunate enough to be aware of it early on, and they follow good marketing strategies and learn about who they will be selling to and what kinds of problems they are up against. This is often the biggest reason for success in a mostly new and somewhat resistant market.

Major Elements and Dimensions of Culture in China

Size and Competition

There are millions of individuals in China, but the country is good at finding ways to deal with overcrowding and it is also good at dealing with all of the issues that its citizens face. China is one of the oldest civilizations, as well, dating back some 550,000 years (Peterson, 2002). Most of the individuals there speak Chinese, but many also learn English and other languages as well, especially if they are going to be involved in the business world. It was ruled by dynasties for thousands of years and still has a strict ruling system today, although it is now officially a republic (Peterson, 2002). Because China is such a vast and varied country, there are all types of geographical features and climates there, and the demographics of the individuals encompass all age ranges and skill levels. The fact that China has so much space and so many different types of individuals -- but yet remains largely unified by government, religion, and values -- gives business that move into China or open branches there a unique opportunity for growth and development of their businesses and on an individualal level.

China is very competitive in the international market, but it is only relatively recently in history that China has begun more trade with other nations and therefore has become somewhat of a competitive power. However, since the United States has been involved in international trade for many years longer than China it is largely assumed that the United States is the stronger power. This is broadly true, but China does have some specialized interests in various countries which make it relatively strong when it comes to international trade. Even in the United States there are many items that are made in China and imported. Some of these are made by United States businesses that have moved their various operations to China for cheaper labor and less expense. Other items come from Chinese businesses or businesses in other countries that have also moved much of their labor facilities to China.

Wages and Economy

Much of this has to do with the fact that a lot of China is rather oppressed and the wages that are paid over there are often much less than are paid in larger Western countries (Mansfield, & Bronson, 1997). This does not mean that China is weak when it comes to trade agreements. China often does not fare as well as some of the larger countries that have been dealing with international trade for a longer period of time, but it does relatively well in the fact that so many of the products that are made there are exported to various other countries for sale (Mansfield, & Bronson, 1997). In general, the United States imports more goods from other countries than it exports to countries around the world (Mansfield, & Bronson, 1997). In other words, there are more labels in the United States bearing the marks of being made in China or other countries than there are labels in other countries on products which have been made in the United States. That means that China is a good place for investment.

The economy of China, for example, would not collapse if the country was not able to export anything to the United States, because there are many other countries that it can export goods to. The economy of the United States would not collapse if it was no longer able to import anything from China, but the economy would be injured severely because so much comes from China to the United States for retailers and others to sell and make a profit. International trade is a very complex issue that is difficult to understand because there are many various agreements between the different countries and there are many subtleties that come into play where trade is concerned (Mansfield, & Bronson, 1997).

Government

As most everyone knows, the United States is a democratic country, and democratic governments tend to run things somewhat differently than other countries (Gowa, 1994). China is more of an autocratic country, and much of how well the political party in that country does depends on how happy the consumers in that country are and how well the economy is doing at that point in time (Gowa, 1994). This is largely true of the United States as well, but since the whole governmental system is set up differently, there are many differences in the importance placed on international trade and the economy (Gowa, 1994).

Because of this, China is more concerned about the economy and how happy the citizens are than the United States is (Gowa, 1994). This may sound harsh but it is important to consider that the United States must change presidents every eight years, and often changes presidents every four years. This means that if the economy is not doing overly well under one president he will likely be voted out of office and a change will be offered. This is something that the United States citizens have come to expect and it is not something that causes particular difficulties for most individuals. However, China has an autocratic form of government and therefore the individual who is in political power in China is more interested in the economy and the happiness of the citizens because political unrest and upheaval in a country such as China would be more common and more severe than it would be in the United States (Gowa, 1994).

In China it is not as simple as voting someone out and voting someone else in every four years (Gowa, 1994). The policies that are dealt with when it comes to international trade often directly relate to how happy consumers are and what type of state the economy is in, and the leader in China takes a specific interest in international trade issues (Gowa, 1994). Where the composition of trade is concerned, the United States imports much more from China than China imports from the United States (Krugman, 1997). Both are very competitive and their trade is relatively well-balanced, but this balance only comes from the fact that the United States and China appear to be on relatively good terms with each other when it comes to international trade agreements and economic issues (Krugman, 1997).

Trading Advantages and Cultural Values

China appears to have some advantages over the United States when it comes to trading with other Asian countries, as well (Deardorff, 1998). Even though China and Japan do not share the same culture they do share similarities when it comes to cultural beliefs and ideas (Deardorff, 1998). These similarities account for the ability that China has to trade with Japan quite easily where the United States must work harder to perform the same task (Deardorff, 1998). Another area that is vital for investment in China, though, is the understanding of cultural values.

The cultural values that the Chinese individuals have, especially that of the fraternal respect that is seen among siblings, comes largely from the religious beliefs that the Chinese individuals hold and the way that they are schooled (Elam, Lowell, &… READ MORE

How to Reference "Global Business Cultural Analysis of China" Thesis in a Bibliography

Related Thesis Papers:

Global Business Cultural Analysis India Term Paper

Global Business Analysis - India

Global Business Cultural Analysis:

India

During the past few decades, global trade agreements have opened up one of the most important international markets: India. Due… read more

Term Paper 16 pages (4108 words) Sources: 14 Topic: Asian History / Asia

---

Comparison Between Russian and US Culture Annotated Bibliography

Global Business Cultural Analysis - Russia

abn amro, (2007). Russia, a promising and exciting business environment. ABN AMRO.

The research and economics department of ABN AMRO has conducted an overall… read more

Annotated Bibliography 12 pages (3930 words) Sources: 24 Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

Global Business Strategy for a Fictional United Thesis

global business strategy for a fictional United States-Based firm desiring to expand into Europe and Asia

Global Business Strategy

The Situation

The forces of globalization are generally credited with the… read more

Thesis 12 pages (3537 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

Global Business International Reserves, in This Table Essay

Global Business

"International reserves, in this table, refer to total reserves minus gold. According to the IMF definition, "total reserves minus gold" consist of the sum of the country's foreign… read more

Essay 10 pages (2721 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

Business Proposal in Ghana Business Proposal

Business Proposal in Ghana

Giam's Clothing:

Business Proposal in Ghana

Company Description

Giam's Clothing is an apparel manufacturer which produces clothing articles for the American middle class. The company was… read more

Business Proposal 20 pages (5365 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>