Intercultural Competence

Just a few more days and we will be in Beijing!

I thought it might be a good time to review why we are going on this trip. I'm sure you know a week in Beijing is not going to make you an expert on China or provide an insight into all the workings of global business. So why?

Visiting a country is important to developing what Kamazki and Kayes call intercultural competence.
Inter cultural competence is defined in terms of the ability to use appropriate interpersonal, informational, analytical, action, and adaptive skills in intercultural situations (Yamazaki & Kayes, 2004). The trip provides an opportunity to increase your awareness of the necessity of these skills and a chance for you to practice.

During the trip you should think about the importance of these skills and seek out ways to practice. Use your journal to record your progress in developing these skills.

Interpersonal. Cross cultural interpersonal skills include the ability to form and build relationships with people from other cultures. This occurs by understanding, respecting, and learning about the culture in which they live.

Informational. Cross cultural informational skills include observing the host culture and responding to new and unexpected experiences. These skills also include seeking out information prior to the visit.

Action. Cross cultural action skills include the ability to act even in ambiguous situations. This would include the ability to prepare for engaging in business actions in a foreign country.

Adaptive. Cross cultural adaptive skills include the ability to adapt to the changing circumstances experienced in foreign countries. This included developing methods for coping with stresses of interacting in a foreign culture.

Analytical. Cross cultural analytical skills include the ability to take abstract and conceptual understanding of the values and practices of a foreign country and design appropriate responses to cross cultural situations.

The week in Beijing is designed to put you in situations where you can use these skills, but you have to take the initiative to do so. Can you come back from this experience unchanged accept for a new knockoff purse/wallet and a set of chopsticks? Sure. Can you come back from this experience more confident in your ability to handle cross cultural situations? I hope so. Can you come back from this experience changed in significant ways with a increased curiosity, interest and respect for the world around you? It is up to you.

Happy Packing! Save room for tea sets, chopsticks, and other fun things.

Extra things I hope to do!

Here are some of the things I might add to the trip for my free time.

Sunday night if there is time after dinner, I might walk down to the pedestrian mall just a couple blocks from our hotel. On the way back if I'm not to tired I might take a quick walk through the Donghuamen Night Market - just because I love the sites.

Monday is a full day, but I'm going to try and have time to get to the tailor. I'm taking one of my husband's shirts to see if they can make a traditional Chinese shirt based on it.
Karaoke after the Group Peking Duck will be a nice treat.

Tuesday, I'm definitely heading to the Silk Market after the BNV School. There are lots of restaurants close to it, so you could even grab a Pizza or Subway if the Chinese is getting to you. I'll probably be happy with power bar in my pocket until I get back to the hotel. I've got pearls on my mind.

Wednesday, the new thing on my list this year is going to Bei Hai Park and Hou Hai area. The guidebooks say there is a lot of activity with in the park around the lake and places to get tea or dinner. I may have to save this for Friday, but I'm concerned that it will be too crowded with Dragon boat racers on Friday.

Thursday, I'll be exhausted from the Great Wall and Forbidden City - a lot of walking. However, it will probably be time to do some more shopping. Back to the pedestrian mall to check on the tailor and maybe down the side alley for some true bargaining. Can't forget the tea shop to get a figure for the year and I'll have to visit the chopstick shop for some another pair of fancy chopsticks. I bet Dawn is ready for a foot massage after a day of walking.

Friday, wow I can't believe it is Friday already. Since I haven't had time before I'll start the day at Tianamin Square for the flag raising. Lots of great possibilities. The zoo and a boat ride to the Summer Palace sounds like a great trip, but I also want to go on Liulichang Street for some shopping. I'd like to end the day at the LaoSheTea House and maybe one more run by the night market if I haven't tried my starfish yet. By Friday the number of people on the street is overwhelming and I can only imagine what a holiday will be like.

Saturday morning, time to check if there is any room left for more souvenirs. Maybe a trip to the Temple of Heaven or the Drum and Bell towers. What a week.

What to Wear and Pack!

Here are a couple of pictures of the group on site visits last year. This should indicate the type of attire that is appropriate.

Remember shoes you can walk in, looks like we might have a couple of manufacturing tours.

Inconveniences

There will be lots of fun and exciting experiences in China and then there will be some that are not!

While your hotel bathroom will have an American toliet, somewhere along the way you will probably encounter the squat toliet. Packing a few kleenex in your pocket will be a good thing!

Food could also be another issue. The hotel has a western breakfast, along with a variety of international dishes. You can start your day off in a traditional style. However, we will be eating Chinese when out with the group and I don't mean Cashew Chicken. Remember we are preparing for what would be expected if we were doing business in China. At a business dinner you would be expected to try the various dishes, give it a try on our trip. One good thing is Chinese custom is to leave food on your plate, therefore if you don't like it you can leave it. The group last year always found something to eat at every meal, but any time they had free choice they headed for an American stand - McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, Outback, and Pizza Hut. I was really surprised that in a week they were already desperate to come home and eat American food. It may be everything else was overwhelming and the familiar food gave them comfort. I would encourage you to explore, I guarantee McDonald's will still be here when you get back. If you want to pack as much into the trip as possible you may not want to stop for a full meal in the evenings. I carry a bar in my pocket, take a bite now and then, and when I get back after shopping in the evening relax in the hotel sitting area with a drink and a snack.

Sleep may be difficult. Really try and stay up the first evening to get on track. Our first day out will have some sightseeing, again to make us tired and help us adjust. If you rush home from the day of sightseeing and go to bed at 4 in the afternoon you will be up all night. Take a 15 minute cat nap if you have to, but, it is one week, when will you be in Beijing again. Try and sleep when you can, but you have a long plane ride home to catch up.

We are in a strange city, so we need to keep track of each other. Try and take your roommate with you. If you have to go out on your own, at least leave a note in your room as to where you went. (I'm not much of a sleeper and I'm always ready to go, so ask me, I'll go with you.) On our first trip, last morning I went to the shopping district by myself. I tripped and sprained my ankle. I hobbled to the pharmacy and got a compression bandage, but I could have broken my ankle and been in a difficult situation. Not a smart thing to do on my part. Learn from my mistake.

Chinese History

In Chapter 3, Bissky gives us an overview of Chinese history. Many students have commented about the lack of attention given to China in our school system. I believe last year's group would agree with that assessment. Everyone wished they had more knowledge about Chinese history. Part of this neglect is understandable, after all the opening of China only occurred 30 years ago. The lack of interactions allowed us to ignore the role Western countries had in the Opium Wars and other transgressions in dealings with China.

After the opening, the event receiving the most attention was the Cultural Revolution. Until I started doing research about China I knew little about the precursor to the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward. Below are a couple of youtube clips on the Great Leap Forward. The information presented corresponds with what I've read on the topic.

As many have noted in the discussion postings, knowing more about Chinese history points out a committment to process sometimes to the detriment of outcomes. We see in these clips a people put in an impossible position. They have to meet unattainable goals or disappoint people in power. Their choices may not be ours, but seeing the choices they make when backed into a corner provides knowledge. Recognizing the deep-seated emphasis on process offers an explanation for what Westerns consider the "trappings" of business transactions. Respecting, if not understanding, the role of process increases the likelihood of postive outcomes in business opportunities.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Pollution

Pollution. You’ll experience it first hand in Beijing. Look closely at the blue sky before you leave Springfield, it will appear even clearer when you return from Beijing. (One of the benefits of traveling is you quickly realize there is no place like home.) In the lead up to the Olympics, Beijing undertook extraordinary measures to reduce pollution: shutting down factories, reducing the cars on the road, and even stopping all construction projects. Last year the MBA group was there before many of the measures were in place and the increased work before the shut down may have led to some of the worst pollution days for the year.

China isn’t the first country to go through an industrial expansion where pollution controls take a backseat. St. Louis’s air quality is better today, but the City Air Pollution Control describes the fall of 1939 – “Day turned into night by pollutants trapped by inversion.” In general, US cities have spent time and money cleaning up the industrial pollution residuals from earlier decades.

In China the problem seems to be intensified by the rapid pace of expansion and because China has been the dumping ground, allowing other countries to clean up. At the national level the Chinese government purports to be concerned about environmental issues. In the most recent Five Year plan for FDI doesn’t allow incentives for industries with excessive pollution (China Law Blog). The national plan is often not followed at the local level. Local government officials want development and will sometimes look the other way to obtain investment. The economic slowdown will reduce the restrictions and incentives for pollution controls.

An interesting article from the Asia Pacific New York Times provides a good overview of the current environmental challenges China faces - Choking on Growth. Additionally, a story last fall on 60 Minutes about electronic recycling or should we say electronic dumping was shocking. Here is a link to the story on the CBS website - The Electronic Wasteland.

China's pollution impacts the world. However, can the world use China for a dumping ground and then complain about the pollution that leaks out? What responsibility do we have in helping to correct the problems?