International Management 2

What are we trying to achieve?
Why does an international presence make sense?
What pressures are companies facing?
What are the options?

Motivations to Internationalize
Traditional Motivators

• Secure key supplies
• Aluminum - bauxite
•  
• Tire companies - rubber plantations
•  
• Oil companies - oil fields
• Chevron video 
• Market seeking
• small home markets couldn't support volume of intense manufacturing process in food, tobacco, chemicals, & auto
• Access low-cost factors of production
• Chna labor cost increase 

Emerging motivators

• Production and operations
• scale economies
• ballooning R&D investments
• shortening product life cycles
• Global scanning and learning
• Competitive positioning

Prerequisites for internationalization

• Motivation - location specific advantages
• Strategic competencies - ownership specific advantages to couteract disadvantages of unfamiliarity
• Organizational capabilities - leveraging strategic strengths

International Management

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.

It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.

When the sun comes up, you better start running.

(African proverb - from Friedman, 2007)

Luthans and Doh define globalization as "the process of social, political, economic, cultural, and technological integration of countries around the world (8)."

Examples of these include:

Chinese milk Scandal; Satyam scandal; Sony losses


What are the benefits and costs of globalization for different sectors of the society? (companies, workers, communities)

For years we have seen the benefits of globalization, what risks did we overlook?

What ramifications will the economic downturn have on the pace of globalization?

Historical foundations of globalization.

Silk Road

Trans-Saharan Crosss-Continental trade

Agreements

Trade agreements - link to information about trade agreements.
 Changing World

BRIC - what countries compose this group? What is the importance of the group?

B Brazil
R Russia
I India
C China

International management requires a working knowledge of the forces involved in global business operations.

MNC

What constitutes classifying a company as a MNC?
Substantial direct investment n foreign countries actively manage and regard those operations as integral parts of the company - strategically and organizationally.

UN def
2 or more countries; decision making centers; linked and can influence activities of others.

Top 500 MNC - 70% of world trade
85% of autos
70% computers
65% softdrinks

Fortune Global List

Chinese Tree-Planting Day

Tree-Planting Day


March 12 is Tree-Planting Day in China. In February 1979, the 5th National People's Congress of People Republic of China made a resolution that March 12th would be taken as Chinese Tree-Planting Day, requiring the whole country to carry out planting activities on this day and support the construction of forestry.


Between 1982-2003 more than 42 billion trees were planted in China and China now tops with the most "human-planted" trees on Earth.











Sources:


http://www.chinainfoonline.com/ChineseFestival/Tree-Planting_Day.htm


http://ezinearticles.com/?China-Tree-Planting-Day---A-Day-For-Trees-in-China&id=3949493


http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/news/tree-planting-day-china.html


http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-03/12/content_313964.htm

Teacher's Day

Teacher's Day

September 10th is Teacher's Day which has been celebrated by China since 1931 when it was founded at National Central University. It was suspended in the 1950's but was revived again in 1985 by the National People's Congress in honor of teachers for their hard work and to reverse the anti-intellectual sentiment that was nurtured during the Cultural Revolution. It is one of three holidays for professionals.








http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/festival/national.htm


http://chineseculture.about.com/b/2010/09/10/happy-teachers-day.htm


http://www.1on1mandarin.com/blog/chinese-teachers-day/

China's Agriculture

China is increasing its involvement in global markets. Agricultural exports are are allowing the farmers to create more jobs and increase their income, however their returns are not always as high as they should be. Farmers receive high prices from vegetables and not as much from the likes grain (as shown below).

Imports of soybean, cotton, animal hides, rubber, and vegetable oils have boomed, but Chinese policy makers have a growing concern that the country is relying to much on imports. China has a goal to limit grain imports to no more than 5% of the countries total consumption by 2020. They also want to expand their exports on things like livestock, soybeans, cotton, sugar, apples, and citrus over the next 5 years.

World's leading producer of cotton and leading exporter of wheat and oilseeds. China is almost self sufficient in wheat and corn. It is the world's top consumer of meat and grain.

China's agricultural exports have slowed because of the raising concerns with food safety, tighter enforcement of environmental regulations, rising labor costs and other major concerns about the Chinese economy.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June09/Features/ChinaMarket.htm

Check out the link below for more information on China's major Agricultural sectors.
http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=345&catid=9&subcatid=63

Other Television Shows

China's "The Apprentice" (Reality)

Reality shows are very popular in China. Ying Zai Zhongguo (“Win in China”) is a reality show inspired by Donald Trump’s The Apprentice which features fledgling entrepreneurs presenting ideas to a panels of judges that has included some of the best known names in Chinese business such as Jack Ma of Alibaba.com.. The winner at the end of th run of the show is awarded $1.3 million in seed money from a venture capitalist to start the business and he presented it.

The judges on Ying Zai Zhongguo grill the entrepreneurs on their ideas and evaluate them as they compete in teams and perform tasks such as rasing money for a charity or coming up with a solution to a business problem. Contestants on winning teams come back for the next show. Those on the losing team go through various other trials to decide who comes back and who goes home. In the “PK,” or “Player Kill”, segment two contestants face off against one another issuing questions, challenges and taunts under a timing and buzzer system with the audience at the end determining which player gets “killed.”

Dating Shows:

One of the most popular television shows in China is a matchmaking program called We Meet Tonight, which is sort of a cross between the Dating Gameand a talent show. "We receive very few applications from young women who are willing to appear as contestants," the host of the show told the New York Times. "The men are much more bold about agreeing to appear. And they are bold because they have to be."

Viewers are encouraged to write in for a date with contestant. "Maybe a man who appears on the show will get 30 letters," Ms. Yang said. "But a woman will get over 50, sometimes 60. Sometime many more. Our record holder is a 24-year-old woman who got more than 500 letters." The show’s host claims he has set up several hundred marriages.

China's "American Idol"

The Chinese version of American Idol--Supergirl Idol--has been enormously popular, attracting up to 400 million viewers, nearly a third of the population of China, with many of them voting for their favorites with text messages. The winner of the contest, Li Yuchan, who received 3.5 million text message votes ahead of 3.2 million for her nearest rival, became so popular she took the No. 6 spot on the Forbes list of China’s hottest and richest celebrities.

The sponsor of Supergirl Idol, the milk company Mengniu, saw it sales increase fivefold while the show was aired. Supergirl Idol, which originated on a Hunan satellite channel, was so successful that in August 2007 the Chinese government labeled the show “coarse” and shut it down. The crack down, Beijing said, was part its campaign against the declining quality of television programming but many think that it was really shut down over worries by the government that viewers being allowed to vote for favorites on a television show could lead to demands for democracy

Miniseries

Miniseries in China are arguably one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Actors and singers on a successful miniseries can easily be sprung into stardom. Even the less popular shows can draw well over a million viewers.

A Dream of Red Mansions, based on a classic Chinese novel set in 16th century, was a hugely popular television series in mid 2000s. The first popular miniseries was Plainclothes Police, a 12-part series that appeared in the mid 1980s. River Elegy, a 1988 miniseries is said to have been as influential as Roots was in America.

Chinese miniseries tend to be long. Yangzheng Dynasty, a popular docu-drama shown in the late 1990s about a cruel but reform-minded Qing dynasty emperor, had 44 parts. Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, shown on the weekends in the early 2000s, had 46 parts. Other popular miniseries have included the 28-part Kelan P.I., the 35-party X-Files-like Strange Man, Strange Case and 20-part medical drama Loving Care. Advertisers like long miniseries because they often pay per miniseries rather than per episode. If a ministries runs a long time, more people see their ads.

The popular Communist-party-endorsed miniseries Awaken From a Dream in Five Willow Village was about a beautiful peasant girl who married a rich man but doesn't know that he is having an affair with her best friend. As the story develops the best friend gets pregnant, the husband goes bankrupt and the peasant girl finds happiness raising geese, falling in love with a good peasant man who has adored her secretly for years.

One of the most popular miniseries writers is Hai Yan, a former police officer who draws on his experience to produce police dramas such as Jade Goddess of Mercy, a police story that centers around a policewoman who finds out her lover is a drug dealer.

In Focus

In Focus is a popular 60-Minutes style muckraking show that is on every evening for 15 minutes at 7:38pm. Watched by 300 million viewers and launched in 1994, it features reporters sticking microphones into the faces of corrupt officials and investigates controversial topics such as domestic violence and the flouting of pollution laws by factories. Although many controversial topic are addressed some topics such as forced abortion and the status of dissidents are still off limits. I'm not sure if it Is still on.

Former Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongi said he watched In Focus every night and sometimes showed taped segments from it during his meetings. The show gained such a reputation that many people said, "If you have a problem, don’t go to the police or the Communist party, go to In Focus."

In Focus and other news magazine shows like Oriental Horizon, Probe and Beijing Express use hidden cameras and in-your-face interview tactics. They walk a dangerous line of investigating corruption and scandals, often involving Communist party members, but not digging up anything that might offend Communist party leaders.

News Programs

The CCTV evening news is the world's most watched news program. Watched by around 200 million viewers every night, its a boring affair featuring scenes of Chinese leaders shown in descending rank and seniority meeting foreign dignitaries and visiting factories and party meeting around the country. There is very little international news or anything that could be described as interesting.

- When U.S. President Bill Clinton visited China a news conference and friendly debate between him and Jiang Zemin was shown live and uncensored on CCTV. Chinese audiences had never seen anything like that before and liked what they saw.

- The anchors on Chinese television news programs have traditionally been grim-faced, and stoic and lacking in style. But this is less the case today. In the mid 2000s, CCTV began featuring half-smiling pretty women and slick-looking men as anchors. An informal poll taken by Sina.com found that many Chinese favored the change, with many agreeing with the statement that the new anchors are “fresh, lively and not lecturing.”

Traditional vs. Official Holidays

The Chinese, like other peoples, observe two sets of holidays, official and traditional.

New Year's Day (January 1)

Not as much celebrated as it is in other parts of the world because it is overshadowed by the upcoming Chinese New Year somewhere a month away. However, employees will enjoy a paid day-off. And there will be parties everywhere, in parks, dancing halls and universities where students will leave for the winter vacation.

International Women's Day (March 8)

Interestingly, women employees will get a whole or an half paid day-off on the day while the men are at the mercy of their employers.

Tree-Planting Day (April 1)

Highly promoted since the late 70's by the reformist government and yet to become established. It marks the beginning of a greening campaign all over the country during the month each year.

International Labor Day (May 1)

No less celebrated than the New Year's Day. Employees will enjoy a paid day-off. Celebration parties in parks took the place of parades today.

Youth Day (May 4)

A day in memory of the first mass student movement in 1919, a movement touched off by the then Chinese government that gave in to the Japanese government's attempt to colonize Shandong Province. It is also an anti-Confucius movement as well as one that promoted the western scientific and democratic ideas. Government organized youth activities everywhere in the country today characterizes the celebration of this day.

Children's Day (June 1)

It is the most memorable day of Chinese kids all over the country. Almost all entertainment places such as cinemas, parks and children museums and palaces are open free to them. Elementary schools throw celebration parties while parents shower them with presents.

The CCP's Birthday (July 1)

It marked the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 in Shanghai. It is usually characterized by front page editorials from major government newspapers.

Army's Day (August 1)

A communist-led nationalist army staged the first armed uprising in Chinese communist history against the Nationalists on August 1, 1927. It was regarded as the beginning of the Red Army (later the People's Liberation Army). Now the anniversary is often used to promote better relationships between the army and civilians, a tradition believed to have helped it beat the Nationalists during the civil war in 1949.

Teacher's Day (September 1)

It was started in the early eighties as an effort to reverse the anti-intellectual sentiment nurtured by the "Cultural Revolution". It is yet to become an established holiday.

National Day (October 1)

It is the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 in the wake of routing the Nationalists who have since taken refuge in Taiwan. There used to be grand parades squares of major cities of the country. Now celebrations usually take the form of parties in amusement parks by day and fire-works and grand TV ensembles during the evening. Employees enjoy two paid days-off. It is also a good occasion for many people to take a short excursion to enjoy the beauty of the golden Fall.

The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a lunar holiday, occurring on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

There are few sites more spectacular than a fleet of boats decorated to look like dragons racing to the finish line, paddlers moving their oars in one fluid motion while the drummer thumps out a steady rhythm.

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is a significant holiday celebrated in China, and the one with the longest history. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by boat races in the shape of dragons. Competing teams row their boats forward to a drumbeat racing to reach the finish end first.
The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs to attempts to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings.
The celebration's is a time for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year. It is done so by different practices such as hanging healthy herbs on the front door, drinking nutritious concoctions, and displaying portraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei. If one manages to stand an egg on it's end at exactly 12:00 noon, the following year will be a lucky one.

New Year Video

http://www.history.com/videos/history-of-the-holidays-chinese-new-year

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year that is celebrated for about fifteen days is one moment in the year when the whole nation feels united as they can imagine each other's enjoyment. The Chinese New Year gets determined by the Chinese New Year calendar

Being a country where majority of the peoples' occupation is related to agriculture, the movement of the solar system and its effect is of great importance in China. Most of the major activities of day-to-day life are guided by the agricultural season. The ploughing of the field, sowing of seeds and even reaping of the crops are regulated by the cycle of the season.

The Chinese lunar calendar is said to be the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600 BC. Emperor Huang Ti is believed to have introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. The most important aspect of the calendar, the celebration of the New Year festival, is based on the cyclical dating that is based on the track record of the new moon. The moon varies from year to year, the beginning of the year falls anywhere between late January and the middle of February of the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese New Year for the Gregorian year of 2010 falls on February 14th. A complete cycle, according to the Chinese calendar, takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each.

As every one is aware of its significance, the working people in china can take weeks of holidays so that they can join the company of their near and dear ones and a feast with their family members on the Chinese new year eve or Lunar New Year's Eve. Although with the changing times and increasing mobility of the people the celebration of Chinese New Year Festival has undergone some changes, everybody still very fervently follow all the customs that their elders have taught them.

A Monkey and a Tiger

There were once two rulers on a mountain, a smart Monkey and a fierce Tiger. They were blood brothers. One day, Tiger said to Monkey, “It’s true that you and I are the kings of the mountain, and we are living a leisurely life, you on wild fruits and I on wild animals. But I begin to find them boring. So what’s your take?”

“I think they are boring, too” Monkey answered, “but what else can we find that is interesting?”

“How about going to the villages down the mountain and seeing what food humans eat?” sug- gested Tiger.

“A great idea!” Monkey jumped with joy.

Evening came, and it began to snow. Tiger and Monkey waited until it was pitch-dark. Then they went down the mountain and arrived in a village at its foot. It was the New Year season, and the entire village was permeated with delicious, meaty aromas. It was customary for Chinese villagers to slaughter their pigs and goats at this time of year and prepare big feasts to celebrate the New Year.

“It smells so good,” said Tiger, sniffing with its big nose, “Domestic animals must taste good, too.” They began to search for pigs and goats in the village, but all they could find were cattle. Chi- nese farmers did not kill their best helpers in their farm work unless they became useless.

“Let’s steal a cow. Beef must taste better than pork and mutton!” said Monkey.

“Yes, let’s get a cow for our supper tonight,” Tiger said, smacking its watering mouth.

As they slipped into a courtyard in the darkness, a human thief had just sneaked into it and was lurking on the roof of the house. They did not hear each other because both parties tried to be very quiet. In the house there lived an old couple. They had built a big fire to warm themselves. However, they did not realize that the heat would melt the snow on the thin roof above them, and the roof began to leak. The old couple could not go to sleep and started chatting. Their conversation was loud enough for the animal and human thieves to hear.

“We’ve had a good year and are looking forward to another. We have nothing to worry about but the leak,” said the old woman to her husband.

“Sure, I really fear what the leak would do to us on a dark night like this,” responded the husband.

Tiger and Monkey pondered, “We are the most fearful creatures in the world as kings of the mountain. Why does the old couple fear ‘Leak’? Who in the world is this ‘Leak’?” Monkey pressed its mouth to the big ear of Tiger and whispered, “We’d better leave here and find another residence. Or we’ll be losing our lives when Leak knows we are here.”

The human thief was also asking himself the same question on the roof and decided to leave. He jumped off the roof and, as it happened, fell on the back of Tiger. Believing that Leak was on the of- fensive, Tiger began to run like mad, followed blindly by Monkey. When Tiger reached the moun- tain, it was almost daybreak. Tiger was so tired that it could not even pull itself up.

The human thief was terrified when he realized what he was riding on. As if he had a guardian angel, a branch of a tree happened to brush him as the tiger hobbled beneath it and stopped to rest. Wasting no time, the human thief jumped onto the tree and climbed to the top. When they found out what had been riding on Tiger’s back and had ruined their “night out,” both Tiger and Monkey were exasperated. They wanted to tear the human thief to pieces. However, Tiger had never learned to climb trees. Its teacher, a cat, had stopped short of teaching Tiger the skill when it found the beast of prey starting to threaten its life. Therefore, Tiger turned to its nimble partner Monkey for help. It asked Monkey to go up and drive the human thief down so that it could catch him. Then, we’ll share his flesh!” Tiger said with clenched teeth.

“That’s easy!” said Monkey. However, halfway up the tree it balked, thinking, “What if I fail to get the man, but instead, he gets me?”

Monkey came down and said to Tiger, Find us a rope. Tie one end to my waist and the other to your tail. Start running when I wave my hand.”

“That’s a marvelous idea,” said Tiger. It then found a rope and did as Monkey suggested. Mon- key began to approach the human thief. The thief was so nervous and scared that he sweated pro- fusely. His sweat fell like rain on the face of Monkey, approaching from below. Monkey had to rub his face and shake the perspiration off its hand. When Tiger saw Monkey shaking its hand, it thought that Monkey was signaling it to run. Tiger scampered off wildly, thinking that the human thief was even more frightening than Leak! Tiger ran and ran until it reached its den, totally forgetting its pri- mate friend, which had been dragged to its death.

The moral of this story is to not be overconfident to the point where mistakes can be fatal

A Tiger that First Sees a Donkey

Long, long ago, in a remote place called Qian, there were no donkeys. A merchant who had seen donkeys elsewhere wanted to import one. One day he bought a donkey a few hundred miles away and shipped it back to Qian. However, after he returned to Qian he found that he had no use for the beast, so he set it free in the wilderness.

A tiger prowling in the wilderness spotted the donkey. The sudden appearance of a strange beast in the territory puzzled the animal king. Deer and hogs were the biggest animals he had ever tackled, but this one was much bigger than anything he had seen before. He said to himself under his breath, “It must be a supernatural being that has landed here to prey on us.” Terrified at the thought, the tiger sped away without looking back.

The tiger stopped after scampering a few hundred yards. “Whom am I running from?” He asked himself. “I am the king of the wilderness, and being a king, I should fear nobody. I need to know for sure what that creature is before I show it respect.” So thinking, the tiger returned. He stalked toward the donkey with great caution. Then he hid behind a big tree and peeked around it. Seeing the beast doing nothing unusual, the tiger gained some confidence. He even began to feel the urge of his hunting instincts. He leaped out from behind the tree and crept toward the donkey. The strange beast seemed to have heard something stir, for it stiffened its long ears, blew its white nose, and stomped its black hooves on the grass. Startled, the tiger scurried away, uncertain what the don- key would do.

The next day the tiger went to look at the donkey again and was about to approach it when, all of a sudden, the donkey brayed, “Heehaw, heehaw, heehaw . . . .” The previously unheard bellow frightened the tiger out of his wits. He wished that his legs could be longer as he dashed into the thick- ness of the woods.

A few days passed. Curiosity took hold of the tiger once again. He went to watch the donkey, but there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about it. The strange animal was grazing peace- fully, swiveling its long ears and wagging its tail from time to time. The tiger became bold enough to move closer. He tried teasing the donkey, but the donkey responded merely with a few brays and kicks. The tiger leaped back a few yards to dodge the attack. Eager to know what else the donkey could do, the tiger decided not to run. Instead, he tried provoking it a second time. Again, the don- key responded with the same braying and kicking.

“Hah, hah! That’s all the donkey can do!” the tiger chuckled. With that happy realization, he pounced on the donkey and ate it up.

This story indicates that revealing weakness too early can have dire consequences

Growing Pop Industry

With the rapid grow in China the music industry has seen a new sensation erupt. The pop music scene is now divided into two divisions- Cantopop and Mandopop. Cantopop is pop music sung in Cantonese dialect found in southern China, while Mandopop is pop music that is performed in Mandarin the most widely spoken dialect. As Cantopop is declining Mandopop continues to excel and grow in popularity. Boy bands dominate the current pop market. The fans are young girls that are compared to fans of Beatlemania. The Chinese market is vastly growing as top record labels are targeting the 1.4 billion potential fans. Moving into China comes with caution, as the country is infamous for pirating the latest song and destroying record sales of top performers. Another hurdle that faces musicians is China is that the government still controls the broadcast media and strictly filters what content is played on the air. Rock musicn is popual in China and has been a steady market in the country since the mid 80s. Many rock bands perform in underground concerts and are forced to be secretive because of their views. Classic rock and rock or punk music are both seen as popular within different circles of the population.

http://factsanddetails.com/

A Fox and A Tiger. Who is the real king of the jungle?

Once upon a time, a hungry tiger was prowling in a forest looking for food, that is, other animals. He could eat them because he was their king. The tiger had not eaten anything for the part two days, because animals like deer, boars, wolves, rabbits, and certainly foxes all seemed to have become smarter than ever before. Each time he came out hunting, they would scatter in all directions and disappear before he could reach them. How ironic it was to be a king! Tiger was the supreme leader of the jungle, but his subjects feared him so much that they all shunned his presence, and their fear of him almost deprived him of his food source. "I would give up my throne for a bunny," he would sometimes say to himself sullenness. However, if an animal should challenge his authority, that would be the end of it. he never really wanted to give up his throne.

At the same time, a conceited fox, taking advantage of the hubbub and commotion of the fleeing animals, caught a big bunny and gobbled it up. Smart as she was, the fox hadn't anticipated that her bulging belly would weigh her down so much that she could not run as fast as she usually did. She became the hungry tiger's easy prey. This fox, however, was no ordinary beast. She thought she was the smartest animal in the entire animal kingdom, and she would prove it.

"Hold it," the fox blurted out at the top of her voice, as the tiger snarled, arched his hips and opened his watering mouth. "You think you are still the King of the Jungle?" the fox asked, pressing her forefinger on the wet nose of the tiger. If the tiger had concentrated his sense of feeling on that part of his body at the moment, he could have felt the fox's slender finger quivering. The strange question, however, simply bewildered him. Besides, he had never known a fox to talk to him in such a blod and arrogant manner. He asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean you are not the King of the Jungle anymore!" responded the fox categorically.

The tiger dropped his big jaw at the fox's shocking remark. Completely baffled, he asked, his tone still carrying some contempt, "How do you know?"

"Haven't you heard that the Jade Emperor of Heaven has made me the new King of the Jungle?" the fox cocked up her head and said, "His Majesty ruled that all animals, including your, should submit to me. He said that if you disobey, he will punish you without mercy!"

The tiger sized up the fox with mixed feelings of disbelief and dread. The fox's entire body was no bigger than the tiger's foreleg. A mere flap of his paw would smash her skull and break her backbone. Emboldened by these thoughts, the tiger demanded that the fox show him proof.

The fox was relieved to find that the tiger might be taken in. she had to act before the tiger saw through her trick. The tiger's demand prompted her to come up with an idea quickly: She was going to challenge him to a test. she said to the tiger with great confidence, "The Heavenly Emperor's decree is on its way, but I can show you who the king really is if you can't wait".

"Sure, show me," the tiger roared with impatience, because he was too hungry to wait. He was ready to pounce on the little fox as soon as she failed to produce the evidence. The fox invited the tiger to inspect the jungle with her, and see whether the animals ran for their lives at the sight of her. "Follow me and watch," the fox commanded.

While the tiger and the fox were in the heat of this test of intellect, the other animals had resumed their daily routine, thinking that the tiger had eaten the fox and would call it a day. They had never expected to see the tiger come their way again, chasing the fox in an unhurried manner. No matter what, a tiger was a tiger. The animals took to their heels at the very sight of him.

The tiger's astonishment was beyond description. He could not figure out why in the world all the animals, big or small, ran for their lives at the mere sight of the fox. The thought of being dethroned and the prospect of submitting to the fox and, what was worse, becoming her food, struck the deepest fear into him. He shuddered. When the strutting fox ahead of him paused and turned, he leapt back a few steps, startled.

"What do you think?" asked the fox proudly.

The tiger was speechless, shivering all over. He wanted to run from this small but fierce animal as soon as his shaky legs could carry them.

"Let me tell you what more the Heavenly Emperor told me before I returned to rule this jungle: he wanted me to tear you into pieces before I gobble you up!"

At this, the already terrified tiger ran for dear life, leafing the fox chukling at the success of ther deception. but knowing that lies can't last forever, the fox wasted no time and scampered away to safety.

The idiom is often used to analogize with those who take advantage of somebody else's power to bully people.

Early Music in China

Western music was introduced to China in 1601 by Matteo Ricci. Ricci introducted the music to Emperor Wanli during the Ming dynasty in return for allowing the Jesuits to open a mission. While this was the first introduction to wester music, the Chinese had been making music before this. Records show that music began in China around 2700 B.C. Recently, flutes that were made in 1100 out of the bones of birds were uncovered in the 1980s. Jazz music is liked in China but it is hard to find. In the early 1900 jazz was labeled as unhealthy and pornographic and became banned. Today in China it is estimated that between 30 to 100 million children study piano and violin. It is more likely that kids will be practicing piano than playing outside in most neightborhoods. Of these student musicians, the promising ones are admitted into top universities and are treated like promising athletes in the U.S.

http://factsanddetails.com/

Top Box Office Movies in China

Here are some of the most popular watched movies in China during the week of September 20-26.

1) Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
Gross Profits of $12,230,591
2) Inception
Gross Profits of $9,993,288
3) The Love of the Hawthorne Tree
Gross Profits of $7,159,371
4) The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Gross Profits of $1,566,112
5) Hu Wang Gui Lai
Gross Profits of $313,222
6) Track Aduowan
Gross Profits of $238,646
7) Shrek Forever After
Gross Profits of $96,950
8) The Expendables
Gross Profits of $68,611
9) Taste of Spring
Gross Profits of $53,695


http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/china/?yr=2010&wk=39&p=.htm

Hofstede and Confucius

In the cultural dimensions of the United States we can see that individualism is incredibly high, with the power distance index considerably moderate, and long term orientation somewhat low.

In China, individualism is barely on the chart, showing that the Chinese place much more importance on collectivism. This fits in with the Confucian virtue of rén, which is the balance between individual interests and communal interests.

The long term orientation dimension in China is astronomically high, meaning that this is a society that is willing to wait out trials and obstacles.

The high power distance index shows a high level of inequality of power and wealth within the society. This condition is not necessarily forced upon the population, but rather accepted by the society as their cultural heritage. This would coincide with the importance placed on respect and duty to relationships in Confucianism. For example, an employee exhibiting xiào would have a strong sense of duty toward his boss, and therefore may be unconcerned if there is a considerable gap in power between himself and his employer.

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_china.shtml

Atheist, but Influenced by Confucius

China’s religion is officially designated as Atheist by the State, although the concepts and teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (500BC) are woven into the society at large.

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_china.shtml

Some Confucian Virtues

Rén (Chinese: 仁) - Although the precise meaning of rén is not easily explained, it can be described as a balance between individual interests and communal interests. It is sometimes translated as "benevolence" or "humanity." Rén can only be applied as a virtue within the context of relationships, and is sometimes compared to the "Golden Rule" of Western thought: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Lǐ (Chinese: 禮) - Lǐ is the concept of ritual, and was expressed in the form of proper ceremonies, music, etiquette and rites. This virtue of ritual in Confucianism serves mostly as an exterior gauge for measuring moral excellence.

Yi (Chinese: 義) - Yi is the virtue of righteousness or appropriateness, which can be understood as the act of following lǐ, or of following customs or norms.

Xiào (Chinese: 孝) - Xiào is the virtue of filial piety, meaning loyalty and duty to one's family. Xiào can also be duty or loyalty to any relationship. Confucius discusses five main relationships, ruler/subject, parent/child, husband/wife, elder sibling/younger sibling, and friend/friend.

This information was gathered from: http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/kurtis.hagen/keyterms_yi.html and Striking a Balance by Michael C. Brannigan

Steve Jobs vs. Confucius

This video contrasts the Western ideal of individualism with the Chinese ideal of harmony.

Leisure and Recreation Activities

Chinese people are not very outdoors oriented. According to this survey only 39 percent of Chinese people spend some of their time in parks and other natural places. Among those who do like the outdoors enjoy walking or doing other forms of activity to pass the time. Many people also exercise in the mornings before work. Some other outdoor activities that they enjoy are golf, skateboarding, skiing, hiking, surfing, and horseback riding.

They also enjoy indoor activities such as bowling, billiards, snooker, pool, roller disco, pole dancing, and exercising at health clubs.

They also enjoy activities such as Chinese Yo-Yo which is a toy from China consisting of two equally-sized discs connected with a long axle. The Chinese yo-yo is kept spinning on a string tied to two sticks at its ends. Each stick is held in one hand. In modern times, it is used as a children's toy and as a performance tool in juggling and sometimes in Chinese ethnic dance. It is possible to perform a large variety of tricks with the Chinese yo-yo which can be as easy as throwing the yo-yo up into the air or tossing it around the user's back. It was founded during the Ming dynasty; roughly 1386-1644 A.D.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2470054064363278213#

Entertainment: Chinese Film

Film Industry in China
There are three different types of movies that China makes. These types are commercial, propaganda, and art movies. In 2009, Chinese films made about $908 million. Chinese movies are very popular at international film festivals. People in China are watching Chinese film less and less everyday. This is because they are watching movies made in the U.S and TV. In addition, the revenues for seeing movies in the theater have decreased because of the increase in pirated movies.Chinese movies have less sex than the movies in the U.S but have more fighting.

The first film to ever be played in China was in 1896 in Shanghai. The first Chinese made film was produced in 1905. In the 1930's, the most popular type of film made was emotional dramas. In the 1940's, the majority of films made were war movies. Many politically inspired movies appeared during the 1950's and 1960's.

Today, the most popular movies watched are action movies. In 2006, there were only 4,600 movie theaters in China while the U.S had 36,000. The price of a ticket to go and see a movie in the theaters is about $7 which is really expensive for the average Chinese worker. Since pirating movies has become such a big deal in China, most people stay in their own homes to watch movies.

http://factsanddetails.com

Entertainment: Chinese Theater

Chinese Opera
There are several different styles of opera in China. Many of the different regions of China all have their own style of opera. One type of opera is Peking Opera. The actors in this style of opera wear a lot of make up. In the Peking style of Chinese opera all of the actors are men, even if they are playing a woman character and the stories come from Chinese history and legends. Some people have a hard time watching this type of opera because of the very high pitched singing. This type of opera consists of singing, dialogue, acrobatics, and martial arts.

The Chinese opera actors don't actually deliver lines but they act out the lines by using their facial expressions and body movements. Most of the time the actors come from a long line of family actors. At about the age of 8, children begin to train to be an actor for the opera. Actor Jackie Chan was entered into the Chinese Drama Academy at the age of 7. His parents signed a contract with the school where he studied martial arts, gymnastics, acrobatics, singing, and dancing. Jackie Chan remembers being beaten almost everyday, only sleeping for 5 hours a night and not given much to eat.

Interest in the Chinese opera is declining especially the Peking style of opera. The main audience for the opera is the elderly, tourists, and visiting officials. Other forms of entertainment like TV, movies, and music have become the more popular entertainment in China.

http://factsanddetails.com

Confucianism Overview

Some say Confucianism is not a religion, since there are no Confucian deities and no teachings about the afterlife. Confucius himself was a staunch supporter of ritual, however, and for many centuries there were state rituals associated with Confucianism. Most importantly, the Confucian tradition was instrumental in shaping Chinese social relationships and moral thought. Thus even without deities and a vision of salvation, Confucianism plays much the same role as religion does in other cultural contexts. The founder of Confucianism was Kong Qiu (K'ung Ch'iu), who was born around 552 B.C.E. in the small state of Lu and died in 479 B.C.E. The Latinized name Confucius, based on the honorific title Kong Fuzi (K'ung Fu-tzu), was created by sixteenth century Jesuit missionaries in China. Confucius was not particularly famous during his lifetime, and even considered himself to be a failure. He longed to be the advisor to a powerful ruler, and he believed that such a ruler, with the right advice, could bring about an ideal world. The earliest records from his students indicate that he did not provide many moral precepts; rather he taught an attitude towards one's fellow humans of respect, particularly respect for one's parents, teachers, and elders. He also encouraged his students to learn from everyone they encountered and to honor others' cultural norms. Later, his teachings would be translated by authoritarian political philosophers into strict guidelines, and for much of Chinese history Confucianism would be associated with an immutable hierarchy of authority and unquestioning obedience.

This info was gathered from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Confucianism