MIH 514 - Cross Cultural Health Perspectives (Mod 1 CBT) Essay

MIH 514 - Cross Cultural Health Perspectives (Mod 1 CBT) - Essay Example From the cultural standpoint, one cannot but helping that Sharia laws are being used in this country to subvert all kinds of cultures except Islamic ones. Moreover, only selective laws to address professed activities against the culture are being used. For instance, action against corruption which is banned under Sharia is not enforced by the government. This could get exasperated if they were enforce Shariah laws not only for local population but also for other â€Å"non-Muslims† the expatriates and foreign visitors to this country. â€Å"The laws should be extended to non-Muslims, too, he said, a move that would place Aceh in the same ranks as Saudi Arabia† (Asia pacific: Indonesian province embraces Islamic law, 2006, para.4). The main external force, to my mind is the exertion of the dominant culture in the evolutionary pattern of this culture, and perhaps the low tolerance to cultures not akin to the reigning Islamic culture and Sharia laws. While it is necessary for local governments to enforce law and order to maintain the cultural identify and moral integrity of Islamic precepts, it is also necessary that the cultural aspects of other religions need also be respected, especially if does not do any harm to the administration. Besides the aspects of having a global multicultural work force of illegal and legal expatriates, refugees, asylum seekers, employment (multinational corporations and migrant workers) are also contributing, in no small measure, to the enforcement of laws that stem from external forces, mainly law enforcement. It would be injudicious to believe that one’s group is superior to others, especially in multi cultural settings such as the one witnessed in the Acehian context. While country specific laws are needed to keep the place safe, it should not be overstretched to accommodate and enforce corporeal punishment at the slightest non material offence. Drinking may be an offence under Islamic laws, and this could be kept within

Issues Faced by Honda Essay Example for Free

Issues Faced by Honda Essay The 3 issues that are faced by Honda is the conflict between Toyota. Honda is the 1st company developed hybrid not the Toyota but by stubbornly sticking to a bare-bones system, it long a go lost its leadership to its number one Japanese rival. Honda is suffering at the very moment when its two main Japanese rivals are thriving. Toyota is getting a jolt of energy from Aiko Toyoda, scion of the founding family, while the ever-energetic Carlos Ghosn has made Nissan the leader in electric cars. Which perhaps illustrates another part of Honda’s problem is Honda is lack of genius and they need to find more engineers to help them figure out the new model or engine to solve the problem. Second the issue that faced by Honda is supply resources from other country. Honda do needs supplyment resources from other country such as Thailand, Japan and so on. Due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and flooding in Thailand, it had made Honda lack of resources to do their accesoory and requirement from engine. This make their enemy company such as Nissan, Toyota, BMW to have a chance to sell more cars compare to Honda. Honda do needs to wait for the supplier to give them the resources hence make the sales from honda drop. Lastly the issue that faced by Honda is Honda lack of funds. They did not go and find other company to help them. Honda has spent months struggling with shortages of most of its products- nortably including the all-new Civic it launched earlier in the year, just before a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan and seriously damaged that nation’s automative infrastructure. It will be very difficult for Honda to make the sales increase.

Love Food, Hate Waste Campaign

Love Food, Hate Waste Campaign Food waste is a serious environmental, social and economic concern not only to United Kingdom but also to the whole world. Even though Food waste was recognized as a considerable problem, it was not identified as a serious concern to the environment till recently. Among environmentally significant activities, the production, trade, and consumption of food products have been identified as crucial contributors to numerous environmental problems One of the greatest threats of the century is Global Warming and Climate change. The need of the hour is to effectively tackle the climate change issue and GHG emission. According to Waste and resources action program (WRAP), about 20% of climate change emissions are related to the production, processing, transportation and storage of food. Agriculture contributes significantly to GHG emissions The domestic household in uk produces around 8,300,000 tons of food waste and is the single largest producer of food waste. Local authorities spend 1 billion pound a year disposing food waste. The foods we throw out to the landfill gets broken down to carbon dioxide and methane gas (green house gases) and are the prime reasons for global warming. If UK has to meet the international targets on climate change and GHG emissions, it is important to reduce the amount of food waste going to the landfill. Spaces for land filling of wastes are rapidly diminishing, alongside European Union legislation that demands large amounts of waste be diverted from landfill over the next 15 years* Food waste puts a large burden on the finances of each household and local councils in the UK; Local authorities spend 1 billion pound a year disposing food waste. Wasted food is estimated to cost each British household  £250- £400 per year, accumulating to  £15,000- £24,000 over a lifetime.. Objectives and Methadology Love Food Hate Waste is a social campaign, launched by WRAP, in 2007,with the aim of reducing the amount of food waste in UK. The campaign is focused on raising consumer awareness about the various problems caused by food waste. WRAP calculated that preventing good food going to waste could reduce the annual emission of carbon dioxide by 18 million tones, the same effect as taking one in 5 cars off the road. Love Food Hate Waste campaign is supported by the government and is backed by celebrity chefs. Love food Hate waste also has a website which provides practical advice and tips on how to use most of the food they buy. The objective of the campaign is to raise awareness of easy, practical, everyday ways that households can reduce food waste. Everyone including local authorities, community groups, retailers, food manufactures and consumers are part of this campaign. For example, Resource Futures recruited and managed two embedded Outreach Workers to support the North London Waste Authoritys, WRAP funded, Love Food Hate Waste campaign. During the seven month period, the Outreach Workers organized and delivered over sixty road shows in supermarkets, businesses, libraries and at community groups, across NLWAs seven constituent boroughs, to engage more than 3,500 people with the campaign. It focuses on consumers strong desire to reduce wastefulness by sending positive messages about the rewards and benefits that can be achieved through specific behavioral change. The campaign benefits the consumer and the environment by reducing budgets and minimizing land fill and carbon emissions. Some of the methods which can be used to reduce waste in an house hold are: Reduce your proportion size: Love Food Hate Waste website has a tool to help you calculate appropriate portion sizes. The portion planner removes the guesswork by suggesting how much to cook, depending on whos coming for dinner, and ways to measure it Plan ahead: By planning the meal for a week and by shopping accordingly can save you a lot of money and prevents good food going to the waste bin. Tips on storage: Gives you easy tips on how to store things and encourage you to make effective use of fridge and freezers if necessary. Special Recipes: which makes use of use of all the odds and ends that invariably get leftover from previous meals or forgotten in the fruit bowl or the back of the fridge If nothing above works, recycling can be done. Composting is one good option. Only Those waste which nothing can be done is dumped in to landfill The Love food Hate waste Organize Door stepping campaigns providing information packs and Advice, targeted at reducing household waste. They also organize road shows, surveys and do advertising through radio and printed Medias. It owns a website love food hate waste.com where you can find many useful tips to reduce food waste. Analysis of the Sustainable Consumption approach One of the main cause for environmental degradation is the over consumption by the developed countries and a switch towards sustainable consumption pattern is very essential. The definition proposed by the 1994 Oslo Symposium on Sustainable Consumption defines it as the use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations. The two approaches towards sustainable consumption are the Main Stream approach and an alternative New Economics approach. The strategy of UK government in 2003 was continuous economic growth and social progress that respects the limits of earths eco systems to have a better quality of life. The concept of mainstream approach is of a strong stable and sustainable economy and include initiatives like initiatives for product labeling, consumer education and environmental taxation. mainstream economics is deeply embedded in modernitys vision of progress and growth. The critics of this approach claims that this method is quite ineffective and doesnt address the fundamental problem of consumption. Based on several factors on the environment and society, the critics of main stream model proposed a new model collectively known as New Economics. They argue that economics cannot be separated from its understructures in environmental and social contexts. The Love food hate waste is one such campaign which follows the alternative approach of sustainable consumption. The diagram below shows how the campaigns approach towards sustainable consumption. ECO-EFFICIENCY more productive use of materials and energy INCREASED . PRODUCT LIFE SPANS SLOW CONSUMPTION reduced throughput of products and services The campaign aims to reduce the amount of waste by consuming less by reducing your portion size and shopping less. In other words sufficiency is achieved by reduced consumption of products. The approach also defines green economics which means to increase the efficiency by more productive use of materials and energy. The model defines efficiency and sufficiency as the key towards sustainable consumption. The greater focus on sufficiency alone may lead to economic instability on a wider focus. Increased product life spans, may enable such problems to be overcome by providing for both efficiency and sufficiency. The efficiency can be increased by using the left overs and reusing and recycling. Theories Linked to LFHW Campaign. LFHW is basically a social marketing campaign aiming for a behavioral change by consuming more sensibly and thereby producing less waste. To understand the theories it is important to understand the driving forces to the same. Some of the forces influenced are: Knowledge, information, fashions beliefs (education, media, marketing) Price / affordabilit Tastes and Habits Demographic changes: ageing population, single person society, wealth Culture, social family expectations, norms, aspirations Availability Time and Season The campaign does its focus on the utilitarian theory and more importantly on social and psychological theories. The campaign targets the people who behave unsustainable because they lack information and help them to overcome the problems by rendering information to the needy. The utilitarian approach says that consumers seek to spend money on goods which gives greatest satisfaction or in other words consumers behave as utility maximizers. The LFHW campaign helps and encourage in cognitive thinking before you shop. It spread the importance of prior planning before shopping. By planning your meals for the whole week, you know what to buy and from where to buy. In the present scenario, people get tempted and buy things with offers like buy 1 get 1 free, even though they really dont need that. Its found that one in every 3 shopping bags goes directly to the waste bin. The campaign educates people how the value of food can be increased if the left over can be used to make new dishes. Human behavior is formed and routinized by social structure Apart from the conventionally acknowledged constraints like price and information, campaign also negotiates social, psychological and structural constraints. LFHW organizes public campaigns with celebrity chefs and attracts the whole society for a behavioral change. As a social marketing campaign, the main themes of the campaign are 4Es (Engage, Encourage, Enable and Exemplify). Engaging consumers and households to rethink their behavior is one of the main ways in which waste prevention can be progressed. Enabling households to take action or overcome barriers, through the provision of services like reduce reuse and recycling. Policy measures -Encouraging households to rethink their behavior so as to reduce their waste generation. The most frequently applied suite or package of waste prevention policy measures Appears to include most or all of the following activities. Collaboration between public, private and third sectors. Producer and responsibility. Variable rate charging (pay as you throw) systems (generally applied to householders residual waste). Public sector funding for pilot projects. Exemplified by means of monitoring and evaluation; Measuring and evaluation of waste prevention is challenging. The data collected should be true and of high quality. Some of the methods adopted are self-weighing Surveys done before and after the campaign, focusing on attitudes and behaviours and/or on participation rates Tracking the amount of waste from collection data and/or compositional nalysis estimation/modelling. Strength and weakness of Love food hate waste campaign Love food hate waste campaign claims that it has already prevented 1,37000 tonnes of waste goin to waste bin and have helped close on two million households reduce their food waste, amounting to savings of almost  £300 million. A persons willingness to change along with action and appropriate policies from the local authorities is essential to bring a social change. The campaign is funded and supported by the governmentand almost every county council has given its support to the campaign. Retailers and food manufacturers also support to reduce food waste and they are the official sponsors of the campaign. Unlike Other campaigns, consumer is also economically benefited and hence more people are willing take part in the campaign. It also helps in reducing the so called Value Action Gap. The campaign is both focused at individual and social aspects and hence is more effective. a large body of studies asserts that personal factors are necessary and essential to foster behavioral changes, even though the correspondence between attitudinal variables and behavior is often moderate {reference*(2} The website lovefoodhatewaste.com gives you a lot of information and makes it easily accessible at any point of time. A lot of people gives their experience and valuable opinion which encourage other people to minimize waste. Some of the weaknesses of the campaign are: The campaign is too focused on using left overs and freezing, whereas shopping storage and portion control are effective strategies. The campaign deals with utilitarian concept and socio-psychological theories where as doesnt consider Infrastructure of provision approach. The campaign doesnt focus on the production part of food. food that goes to waste during Production and distribution accounts for 5 percentage of the GHG emissions. Globally 15-50% of food produced is wasted post harvest and no action is taken prevent those waste. The campaign is more concentrated on the food after consumption and doesnt look in to the broader aspects of food. Food has different utility and meanings when it comes to Entertainment, pleasure satisfaction, love status, comfort, time pass, bribery, religious significance, social glue, power, habbit, need, guilt, culture and so on. The amount of waste generated differs for each case and no effort has been taken to realy understand this complex system. Oxfordshire council-tax payers have saved over  £50,000 in waste disposal costs by throwing away less food since Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP) launched its Love Food Hate Waste campaign last March Love Food Hate waste Campaign is still in its early stage and has long way to go. The measurement of success of the campaign can be found by looking the amount of waste reduced as a result of this campaign. In the very first year, the campaign is successful in reducing 1,37000 tones of household waste. The initial statistics of the campaign sounds too intresting and shows how successful it has been. The campaign is successful in attaining attention of the large public. Even though the results are impressive, when compared to the true scale of the problem, it is just a mere drop in the ocean. To address the big issue like climate change we need to do a lot more to reduce the amount of waste produced. Some of the limitations are Lack of interest of certain individuals can be setback to the campaign. Some people consider that the protection of environment is governments job and are not concerned about the same. Some people think that their contribution is just marginal and hence dont do anything. Reduction of waste is moreover a private thing and since its not public there is no social pressure to do it. The lack of strong policies is certainly a limitation to the campaign Measuring and monitoring is a tough task to perform. The reliability on survey is questioned. Conclusion The sustainable consumption doesnt always means consuming less but It certainly should in the case of developed countries and in underdeveloped countries sustainable consumption means consuming more. Thus the aim of sustainable consumption is a high quality of life for every one- brought about by everyone consuming in ways that reduce the impacts of production and consumption. (UNESCO) Some of the challenges in achieving sustainable consumption are: Reccomendations The amount of waste produced by the supermarkets should be controlled and policy should be made to publish the waste generated by the supermarkets. The Whole concept of supermarket should change. The people should make some list for shopping and hand it over to the shopkeeper/salesman so that he will hand over the things you need. By doing so you wont be tempted by the offers like buy one get one free. The online shopping should be encouraged by avoiding tax. Refrigerant leakage accounts for 30 percentage of supermarkets direct GGHG emissions.( Environment investigation agency 2010). There should be some measure to control this pollution. Government should make strong policies and should introduce certain limits to the amount of waste that can be produced by each house. The threshold can be based on the total number of people living in the house. The waste above threshold limit should be fined. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ http://apps.oxfordshire.gov.uk 2) Promoting sustainable consumption: Determinants of green purchases by Swiss consumers Carmen Tanner1,*, Sybille Wà ¶lfing Kast2 Article first published online: 12 SEP 2003 DOI: 10.1002/mar.10101

Ghosts †Seeing is Believing :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Ghosts – Seeing is Believing   Ã‚  Ã‚  I live in a ghost hallway. They come and go whenever they want, like the transparent, blow-away wings of bees. Their spirits hover inside this house on Mechanic Street like a twilight hue filling a wine glass. I live more or less inside their moods, which they carry behind them in traces of light that flood the panes one window at a time and the creaky flutes of rusty hinges. The ghosts don't say â€Å"boo† and they don't swing chains. They're good ghosts as far as I can tell, calm as a cup of tea, considerate and watchful and able to pay attention to the least thing for many hours. I like how they watch me read without telling me what to think; I like how they touch my mind with ghost memories, laughing and smoking on the porch with their neighbors. I like how they stared out these same windows serious and alone in their own thoughts, unable to share with each other the deepest parts of themselves because the inner commotion was too great to put into words. I s ee how after a fight or death in the family they sat by themselves in the living room, wanting things to be good again, wanting to be healed but not being able to do anything but wait.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What they have left behind is shorn of all eventfulness as if what happened here long ago in this quasi-dilapidated shotgun house still lingers on as after-tone slowly turning into something else, the echo of their memories which I navigate now with a cup of coffee and a three-day beard. I'm doing a soft-shoe in my slippers through their long recollections, the fog that hangs in the trees between dreams. They heard the same front door whine and clatter and the soft thudding of footfalls on the sidewalk: they heard the wind in the trees and the wash of rain tearing through them on its way to another season carrying a hundred small deaths in its wake. Their senses are alive in mine, just as mine are remade in the memory of theirs. It's a mysterious transference that I do not understand. I don't necessarily like to feel the pangs of sorrow the woman felt that beetled up and down her spine like a slug of mercury, finding her defenseless in her own house at different times in her life, like a painful sickness that keeps coming back. Ghosts – Seeing is Believing :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay Ghosts – Seeing is Believing   Ã‚  Ã‚  I live in a ghost hallway. They come and go whenever they want, like the transparent, blow-away wings of bees. Their spirits hover inside this house on Mechanic Street like a twilight hue filling a wine glass. I live more or less inside their moods, which they carry behind them in traces of light that flood the panes one window at a time and the creaky flutes of rusty hinges. The ghosts don't say â€Å"boo† and they don't swing chains. They're good ghosts as far as I can tell, calm as a cup of tea, considerate and watchful and able to pay attention to the least thing for many hours. I like how they watch me read without telling me what to think; I like how they touch my mind with ghost memories, laughing and smoking on the porch with their neighbors. I like how they stared out these same windows serious and alone in their own thoughts, unable to share with each other the deepest parts of themselves because the inner commotion was too great to put into words. I s ee how after a fight or death in the family they sat by themselves in the living room, wanting things to be good again, wanting to be healed but not being able to do anything but wait.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What they have left behind is shorn of all eventfulness as if what happened here long ago in this quasi-dilapidated shotgun house still lingers on as after-tone slowly turning into something else, the echo of their memories which I navigate now with a cup of coffee and a three-day beard. I'm doing a soft-shoe in my slippers through their long recollections, the fog that hangs in the trees between dreams. They heard the same front door whine and clatter and the soft thudding of footfalls on the sidewalk: they heard the wind in the trees and the wash of rain tearing through them on its way to another season carrying a hundred small deaths in its wake. Their senses are alive in mine, just as mine are remade in the memory of theirs. It's a mysterious transference that I do not understand. I don't necessarily like to feel the pangs of sorrow the woman felt that beetled up and down her spine like a slug of mercury, finding her defenseless in her own house at different times in her life, like a painful sickness that keeps coming back.

Persuasive communication

Persuasive communication is at the heart of the selling process, and the sales presentation/demonstration is the critical center stage or Showtime† for salespeople. After asking the customer qualifying questions to uncover specific needs, the salesperson presents the products and services that will best satisfy those needs; highlights their features, advantages, and benefits; and stimulates desire for the offerings with a skillful demonstration. Prospects are primarily interested in the benefits being offered them.Product features and advantages are important only if hey can be tied directly to a specific benefit the prospect is seeking. For instance, pointing out a flat-screen monitor feature when demonstrating a new desktop computer does not mean much to a prospect unless the salesperson explains the related benefits of taking up less desk space, reducing eye strain, and increasing employee productivity. Success in this stage requires development of carefully tailored and pra cticed strategies, including a convincing product demonstration.It's been said that a picture Is worth a thousand words, and a demonstration Is worth a thousand pictures. One successful sales representative always carried a hammer ND a plate of his company's unbreakable glass with him to demonstrate Its strength. One day, Instead of hitting the glass with the hammer himself, he let the prospect do it. From then on, his sales soared as he continued letting customers swing the hammer. Salespeople should always try to get their prospects involved in demonstrating the product or â€Å"trying it out,† so they can gain confidence in using it.A dog-and-pony show, no matter how elaborate, seldom succeeds because prospects usually see its focus as selling the product instead of solving their problems. Salespeople who use skillful questioning and reactive listening while prospects scribe their needs can often adjust their sales presentation and demonstration on the fly to provide the b est customer solutions. Various sales presentation strategies are presented In Table 4. 6, but most professional BIB salespeople find the consultative professional strategy to be most effective, along with tactics that anticipate likely Interactions between buyer and seller.Like an actor or athlete, the salesperson needs to diligently practice the sales presentation with a sales associate or friend. Some salespeople enroll in sales presentation training programs offered by impasses like Empowerment Group (www. Empowerment's. Com/ presentation_training. HTML) as a way to further develop their proficiency (Figure 4. 3). Adaptive versus Canned Sales Presentations. Traditional salespeople tend to make relatively standard sales presentations that don't vary much from one prospect to another.Top-performing salespeople try instead to adapt each presentation to the particular prospect and selling situation. 16 Salespeople who modify their presentations according to specific prospect or cust omer needs and behaviors are more effective than those who do not. 7 This point may seem obvious, but only salespeople who are Inclined to adjust their sales presentation to the customer are likely to do so during the sales call-1 8 Successful salespeople regularly practice adapting their sales presentation to different customer feedback during the presentation.For example, if the purchasing manager for Hertz (womb. Hertz. Com) shows more interest in safety than in gas mileage, then an observant salesperson for General Motors (womb. GM. Com) can quickly adapt the sales presentation by emphasizing the safety benefits of GM cars. Although adaptive ailing is generally best, canned (or programmed) selling can be appropriate for some types of prospects, selling situations, and salespeople.In fact, the most effective sales presentations often blend the canned and adaptive approaches. 19 Many professional salespeople use programmed multimedia to present general information efficiently and effectively and to enliven their sales presentations. During the multimedia presentation, salespeople are able to closely observe the prospect's reaction and accordingly better adapt later stages of the sales presentation. To gauge how adaptive you are as a salesperson, take the test in Table 4. 7.

Cultural profile of China The WritePass Journal

Cultural profile of China Cultural profile of China Chapter 11.0 Introduction1.1 Cross-cultural management1.2 Definition of culture1.3 Characteristics of cultureChapter 22.0 Cultural profile of China 2.1 Geert Hofstedes five cultural dimensions2.1.1 Power distance2.1.2 Individualism2.1.3 Masculinity2.1.4 Uncertainty avoidance2.1.5 Long-term orientation in ChinaChapter 33.0 Challenges and recommendations expand business to ChinaChallengeRecommendation3.2 Differences of business cultureChallengeRecommendation3.3 Guan Xi (Relationship)Recommendation3.4 Government RegulationChallengeRecommendation3.5 Legal EnvironmentChallengeRecommendation3.6 Local CompetitorsChallengeRecommendationChallengeRecommendation3.8 Business PartnerChallengeRecommendation  Chapter 44.0 ConclusionRelated Chapter 1 1.0 Introduction As an American Chinese, the cultural profile of a country that I am going to choose is China in this assignment. This is because the rate of GDP growth was strong in China in 2010 with an estimated 10% year-on-year growth. This means that it is benefits to the investors who are going to invest or expand business in China. Before U.S. companies decided to expand business into China, they must understanding the cultural profile of China in order to make profit on their business. To be clear about the Chinas cultural profile, Hofstedes five dimensions of culture are being applied into this assignment. Every country has their cultures. Therefore, here are the explanation about subject of cross-cultural management, explanation of culture, and characteristics of culture to provide a theoretical background for this report. 1.1 Cross-cultural management Basically human races came with different background. Cultural background. When people from one cultural background, meet, understand, interact and deal with people from other cultural background. That is a cross-cultural management. In recent years, with the increase in globalization and diversity in the workplace, cross cultural management has become an important element of organizational life. Cross-cultural management is the study of the behavior of the people in organization located in cultures and nations around the world. It focuses on the description of organizational behavior within countries and cultures, on the comparison of organizational behavior across countries and cultures, and, perhaps most importantly, in the interaction of peoples from different countries working within the same organization or within the same work environment (Nancy J. Adler, 1983). 1.2 Definition of culture Culture has been defined in a number of ways, but most simply, as the learned and shared behavior of a community of interacting human beings(J., Useem, R,1963). According to English Anthropologist Edward B Taylor, culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Culture gives us an identity which makes us unique and different from people of other cultures. The culture of the society becomes the dominant culture and those of the immigrants from the subculture of the community, when people with different cultures migrate and settle in another society. People usually settle in other nations imbibe the new culture; while at the same time strive to preserve their own. (Deepa Kartha, 2000-2011). 1.3 Characteristics of culture There are different characteristics or qualities of cultures throughout the world. First characteristic of culture is that culture is learned. Culture is not inherited; it is acquired through learning and experience. People can learn behavior patterns including language and many other attributes if they grow up with that particular culture. The second characteristic of culture is that culture is shared by a group of people. We can consider a thought or an action as a culture if it is commonly shared and believed or practiced by a group of people. It can be considered as their culture when a group of individual share and believe with each others. The third characteristic of culture is that culture is cumulative. The knowledge of culture can be passed from one generation to another generation. As time passed by, more and more knowledge is added in the particular culture. It may work out solutions of problems in the life as the particular culture goes with time. The fourth characteristic of culture is that culture is dynamic. This is the characteristic of culture that stems from the cultures cumulative quality. As there is no culture remains on the permanent state, culture is considered as changing frequently as added in new ideas and new techniques to change the old ways. The fifth characteristic of culture is that culture gives us a range of permissible behavior patterns. Culture has structure and is integrated as a change in one part will bring changes in another. It tells us how to dress based on gender, statue, occasions, and many more. Chapter 2 2.0 Cultural profile of China China is located in eastern Asia. China is formally known as ‘The People’s Republic of China’ (PRC). As the worlds population is approximately 6.7 billion, China represents a full 20% of the worlds population so one in every five people on the planet is a resident of China. Chinas population growth has been somewhat slowed by the one child policy, in effect since 1979 (Matt Rosenberg, 2010). Confucianism is a system of behaviors and ethics that stress the obligations of people towards one another based upon their relationship. The basic tenets are based on five different relationships in China which are ruler and subject, husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, finally, friend and friend. Confucianism indicated the duty, sincerity, loyalty, honor, filial piety, respect for age and seniority (Mandarin Today, 2005). 2.1 Geert Hofstedes five cultural dimensions In this part, Geert Hofstedes cultural dimensions have been used to introduce cultural profile of China. He had analyzed about the way of culture influence working relationships in a multicultural environment along five dimensions which are power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation in China. Below is the diagram of USA vs China by hofstedes five dimensions. Figure 1: USA vs China by Hofstedes five dimensions Source: geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php?culture1=95culture2=18#compare According to figure 1, China has long-term orientation in the highest ranking factor and lowest individualism than United States. And also, it has high in masculinity, power distance and low in uncertainty avoidance culture compared to United States. 2.1.1 Power distance Power distance refers to the level of acceptance by a society of unequal distribution of power in institutions. The extent to which subordinates accept unequal power is socially determined. United States scores around 40 with low ranking power distance in figure 1. It indicates that there is a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families in United States. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment (Geert Hofstede,1967-2009). However, the power distance remains high in China which scores around 80 in the diagram above. This means that the Chinese society is characterized by a very high level of inequalities in power and wealth, and that these are accepted by the individuals (Carletti Mathilde, 2008). Also, the individual representing the authority in any organization (family, undertaking, etc.) is highly respected, because that individual has the dec ision-making power. In China, there is a strong differentiation of roles, competences and respect due, according to the individual’s position on the hierarchic scale. In China, individuals with power enjoy greater status and privilege than those without power, and subordinates are less likely to challenge or express disagreement with superiors (Matthew Earnhardt, 2009). In other words, the rank structure is clearly delineated between management and subordinates, and disagreement with management is frowned upon. Information control is one of the predominant sources of power in China. Critical information in China is selectively preserved instead of being distributed widely. It is quite obvious in e-government practices in China where branches of government purposely hold back some information and obstruct large-scale information sharing in order to keep their power and interests (Lucian E. Marin, 2010). 2.1.2 Individualism Individualism describes the relationship between the individual and the immediate community. The high individualism ranking for the United States (88) indicates a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others (Kimberley Roberts Stephen Taylor, 1998-2008). However, low individualism is important for learning the Chinese way of thinking which scores 20 in figure 1. Interpersonal relationships and group affiliation are focused in China (Matthew Earnhardt, 2009). They will act with good manner at all the times and will not do anything that caused other people embarrassment in the public. It can be observed by the use of silence in structure meetings. A person will remain quite although a person   disagrees with what another person says, rather than disagree publicly,   This is giving respect to the other person, while speaking up would make both parties lost reputation. In China, a collectivistic culture, individuals are willing to sacrifice personal goals for the good of the group (Matthew Earnhardt, 2009). This loyalty is promoted across all aspects of Chinese culture, including the workplace. Loyalty is a highly regarded trait in a society where relationships are strong and is, therefore, it is importance to most of the Chinese people (Simon Kriss, 2006). This links back to their high long term orientation above. The collectivist thinking of a culture, China tends to be extremely parochial, with people and businesses not changing suppliers lightly for fear of the impact on relationships (Simon Kriss, 2006). So, it is a good idea to select a good strong partnership that has potential to last a long time when doing business with others. 2.1.3 Masculinity Masculinity refers to the role share between men and women, and the differences of equality that exist between the two genders. The highest the score the more assertive and competitive the culture (Masculine), the lowest the score the more modestly and caring (Feminine). The United States has score around 72.5 and China has score around 75 in the figure1. Therefore, China has high masculinity in their culture and has a strong role differentiation between men and women. Men hold most of the responsibility and power positions. The role of women in China is very limited, even though it seems to be taking more importance in the cities and more developed regions (Carletti Mathilde, 2008). Especially in the rural areas their status is inferior. The country is far from setting up men-women parity. This is the one dimension in which China most aligns itself to the rest of the world, and yet, it is often totally missed by businessman of United States, who think that the women in China are, fo r the most part, ignored (Piseth 2009). 2.1.4 Uncertainty avoidance Uncertainty avoidance refers to the extent to which people in a society feel threatened by ambiguous situations. Uncertainty avoidance has many implications for leadership characteristics and leadership traits such as habitual, formal, cautious, and orderly is perceived as an outstanding form of leadership in some countries while a negative form in others (Matthew Earnhardt, 2009). A high ranking of uncertainty avoidance dimension in United States (45) is indicate that society has fewer rules and does not attempt to control all outcomes and results while doing business. It also has a greater level of tolerance for a variety of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs (Simon Kriss, 2006). But, China presents a low degree of acceptance of uncertainty which scored 30 is a characteristic of a society that does not try to take control of the future, and that is not afraid of unforeseen situations. It is also characteristic of a society that is more tolerant towards opinions, behaviors that are differ ent from its own, and changes (Carletti Mathilde, 2008). It is a more meditative society which does not feel the need of controlling its environment. 2.1.5 Long-term orientation in China The fifth dimension, long-term orientation specify the extent to which a culture is devoted or not devoted to â€Å"traditional, forward thinking values† (Hofstede, 2001). High or short-term orientation predispose countries to resist it or accept to change. In countries in which people display high long-term orientation suggests that the country has long-term commitments to tradition and fosters a strong work ethic as a plan for future rewards outweigh the need for rapid change. Cultures with a short term orientation focus on values such as ‘saving face’ and respecting tradition while cultures that focus on the longer term tend to focus on thrift and perseverance. The US has a scored around 29 in this dimension. China has the highest ranking for long-term orientation which scored around 110 in figure 2.1. China slow and steady wins the race for business deals compare with United States. China is having a building strong, reliable, lasting relationship which is the key for the Chinese (Eric Yee, 2008). A certain amount of trust must be gained before any decision is met. The Chinese prefer to deal with people they knew and trusted before starting to conduct business with others (Vincent Lo, 2011). It may take three to four times the length of time to finish the business deal after finish meeting. So if do not come to a fast agreement, dont be discouraged, make the client feel comfortable and show patience to Chinese. The Chinese never like to rush into things. The company has to maintain the relationship if want to do more business with Chinese. Chapter 3 3.0 Challenges and recommendations expand business to China To be successful in the Chinas market, the United States companies need to have an understanding of major practical challenges they may face in China. China has a different culture because the way they implement their business tends to differ from US. China market is a complicated filed to those companies that are familiar to the Chinese culture would be able to move around in the market. Hence, cultural differences are always the barriers between foreign companies and the locals. For a successful partnership, both parties need to learn more about each other culturally and their business styles (Starmass International 2001-2011). Below are the challenges that foreign company may face in China. 3.1 Communication Challenge There will be a failure business if misunderstanding happened when communicate with Chinas companies. Therefore, language barrier is the biggest challenges for many U.S. companies when they want to enter into the China market. Although there are an increasing number of Chinas people learning English, but there still have majority of locals are unable to communicate in English and also many foreigners are unable to speak Chinese. The way they written and verbal English spoken is totally different with Western countries. Recommendation Individuals need to understand what the other party wants before start to conduct business with Chinese people. By this, they have needed to spend money for hiring person who can carry the responsibility to interpret and as an effective translator to communicate with the locals. Individuals are required to provide their interpreter the relevant information which can effectively execute their task in work. It is better to spend some time to discuss with the interpreter what an individual want to achieve out before each of the meeting to avoid any negotiations. 3.2 Differences of business culture Challenge Foreign investors unfamiliar with the business culture in China are the second major reasons that they failed to enter the China market. To be succeeded in the China, the U.S. investors cannot simply apply their own business models into China market. Due to the culture difference, many of them do not always adapt to accept Chinas standard. As Chinese are very respectful to others, they tend to carry out their business according their beliefs and values. Chinese would like to seek others opinions and advices before making any decision but that take longer time. If the investors do not respect Chinese, there will not have deal between both parties. Hence, U.S. investors need to respect them while talking or having meeting with Chinese. Recommendation The U.S. companies should take more time to do research on the Chinas business culture with fully understanding it. This action may help them to do business with Chinese people in the long-run. The investors have to understand that the Chinese are not indecisive but rather respecting the view of others in doing business. Hence, they must be more patient when dealing business with Chinese. But once they decide to move ahead, the investors must get ready for it because Chinese may expected to proceed it immediately. 3.3 Guan Xi (Relationship) Challenge China likes to build strong relationship in their business compare to United States. It is an important element in achieving successful business in China. However, many U.S. investors may think that it is wasting time in socializing but to the Chinese, it is all the part of the business. Chinese more prefer to work with someone who more familiar with them to reduce disagreement and conflict. Thus, they need to develop wide interpersonal relationship with Chinese. Recommendation The company would benefit in many different ways with buildup good relationship in China. First, a trust would be able to establish between U.S companies and locals. Thus, they would be very comfortable working with each other. Second, good relationship may helps to resolve any problems if a company would to encounter any problems in any field. The investors must learn how to socialize like sing karaoke, having drinks and so on. It is important when entertain or having fun with Chinese. It does not matter whether you are a gifted singer or not. Besides that, the investors must learn how to drink. If you hear ganbei that means Chinese expected you to empty your cup and have fun with them. There are a good places and better ways to build up relationship with them. 3.4 Government Regulation Challenge Chinas government placed heavy restriction on foreign investment in the retail sector. Under the restriction, investors must make concessions on the size and independence of their business to access Chinas market. However, the investors must go through stricter licensing procedures compared to other domestic competitors. They could apply approval only from the government to establish business in China. The investors must first obtain a business license from MOFCOM and then registration approval from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC). The licensing process is also opaque and can be slow and inconsistent, adding extra costs and burdens for the investor. In recent years, pushed by foreign business communities and governments, MOFCOM and SAIC have delegated certain approval authorities to local governments and streamlined the licensing processes for foreign retail investors (US-China Business Council (2010). Recommendation A strong government relationship remains an important factor to do business successfully in China as Chinas government plays an important role in influencing market movement and administering foreign investments. There are unnecessary procedures and delays if the foreign companies have good relationship with the government officials. This is because China is not a free-market economy and it has an authoritarian communist government. While they employ some of the same terms and strategies as full-fledged capitalist markets, political control is everywhere (Ehow, 2011). 3.5 Legal Environment Challenge Before enter into China market, U.S. investors have to be familiar with the China market laws. The china laws may be frustrating as they seem to be very complicated. In China, the wording of contract may look relatively vague compared to what you are used to. If any dispute arises, consider the contract as a guide, but do not expect it to offer much protection legally. Recommendation Interacting with the locals would allow a better understanding of the Chinese culture and laws and it will be useful in doing business. Hence, a lot of foreign companies would undertake a local company as partner to help them with the registration process and negotiation with the Chinese. 3.6 Local Competitors Challenge One of the challenges that U.S. investors need to be faced are the local competitors. However, one must not overlook small local companies in the China market as the Chinese have a very strong national pride thus they tend to be more supportive towards their local products. Recommendation U.S. companies would really need to do a detailed market and consumer research if they want not only enter the China market but also market their products to the local market. The investors can also seek for the outside help when trying to get into the China market. The Chinese culture would help tremendously when approaching familiar with the China market as they would know the tactic on how to handle any problems. 3.7 Local Pride Challenge In addition, U.S companies do not really know what are the preferences and needs of the Chinese consumers in China. Chinese consumers often prefer to deal with local, Chinese-run companies rather than western enterprises. This also extends to favored treatment from political officials, and it can influence bids on projects and other ventures. Carrying out a consumer research may not be very useful as the information collected may not truly reflect the true responses as the Chinese may not be comfortable giving out information to foreign researches. Recommendation There are normally more reliable if companies engage a local research company to carry out the market analysis research. As low cost of material and labour in China, the products that the U.S. companies offers must at the cheaper level to compare with the local products. 3.8 Business Partner Challenge It is not an easy task for foreign investors to find a good business partner to build up business. A good business partner shares your vision and enthusiasm, bringing expertise in the areas in which you are inexperienced. Its someone who understands the legal and financial responsibilities endemic to sharing a business. Most importantly, its someone with whom you get along. Recommendation Most of the U.S. companies are not well in network of China because they are unable to find reliable business partners in China markets and meet a lot of bureaucratic problems as they are unfamiliar with the laws of China. Therefore, it is important to choose a right business partner. He or she as a business partner in China must be able to speak well in both English and Mandarin. Having enthusiasm for the companys products, strong relationship with import and export agencies and also appropriate storage of the companys products are the factors as a reference for the foreign company to choose a good business partner. In addition, a strong and stable financial background is the most important factor for the company to make sure individuals are able to be a responsible business partner with them.   Chapter 4 4.0 Conclusion In this section, I would like to conclude that it is important to understand others cultural profile before start doing business with them. Geert Hofstede five cultural dimensions in China which are long-term orientation, individualism, masculinity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance are important elements for the foreign investors to understand cultural profile of China. Once they started to understand the Chinese culture, the foreign investors can have a good cooperation with the locals and succeed to develop their enterprise in China. Maintaining good relationships in China is very important to help foreign investors to success in the China market. Chinese are making business deal depend on how much they see your personal relationship with them. Being respectful and do not make others lose their reputation in the public are the ways to build relationship with Chinese. Besides that, collectivist dimension of Chinese culture where the group is more important than the individual. From this assignment, I learned how it is essential to understand the different culture in an unfamiliar country. And also, I had understand to the Chinese culture or ways to doing things in their business dealing. Besides that, communication tools and skills to face the challenges are learned through this assignment.