China is well known to all of us for many things, such as their long history, influence in scientific discoveries and their ability to copy virtually anything. What one of the most well known facts about China is that it has been the world's biggest source of cheap labor for many decades. Most of the world's biggest multinational corporations have factories here in the land of the Yellow Dragon making use of workers who can assemble and construct products very fast at a fairly small price. Sounds like a sweet deal right? For the multinationals at least it does. Maybe even for some of those workers who are able to live off of this small pay, but that would probably apply mostly to several years in the past. Times have changed now as more and more Chinese are getting well-rounded educations by exploring the western world or coming into contact with western culture in general.
One of these people is my own future spouse, an intelligent young woman who has done her fair share of hard studying, sportsmanship and part-time work as a student. Her English is at a very advanced level and has a deep understanding of western way of life and culture. Studying and living in England alone was definitely a big eye-opener for her. With all of this in mind, her hopes and dreams are that much greater than most of her fellow countrymen. Working for a foreign-owned company, though, has proven that despite her background she is still viewed merely as cheap labor. I am almost 100% certain that there are others riding a similar boat and I find that this stereotype should be broken. I am biased as I do not know the circumstances under which foreign owned companies treat their Chinese workers, but I feel that it is not fair nor respectful to assume that a certain person is almost trash because of his or her heritage and origin. More or less so when the company is run in the country in question.
More after the jump
Human beings are human beings regardless of where they come from or what they believe in. I'm going to spare you the anti-racist commentary by just simply saying "if we are all cut we will bleed red". Certainly there are the little things that make us all unique, quirks that annoy some and elements that the rest of the world just flatly doesn't get. But we are all the same at our core, and that holds true for the value of the time we put in to our jobs. I'm not just talking money here, though. There are many variables and most of them more tangible than others that determine the monetary value of a person's work. A job is supposed to give you more than just that since we all spend a great deal of our daily lives doing work. Being empowered and playing the role of more than just a mere "pawn" in the business chess board is probably one of the most important feelings that any workplace can give a person. The reason is quite simple; money isn't the end all. When people feel that they can make a difference, they try harder and push themselves by showing their real potential. They think, feel, design and create. If all one would do on a daily basis is punch in, get the job done and then punch out then that person's job is no more fulfilling than flipping burgers at McDonald's.
What happens here in China in the majority of foreign owned companies is pretty much the same deal. The train of thought these "entrepreneurs" (I'll explain the quotation marks a bit later) and multinationals is that the Chinese do not require that much money to survive so it's cost effective to run businesses in their country and hire them. Furthermore, we western people believe we have a better understanding of how business should be done so there is nothing to be learned from the Chinese. They are probably thinking "They had themselves locked away from the rest of the world, so what do they know?" I disagree. A fresh perspective on things coming from minds who are new to this stuff can go a much longer way. Or maybe that isn't the problem at all, and here's where I explain the "air bunnies".
There is no real entrepreneurship in just opening a business and doing what everybody else is. Being an entrepreneur is about innovation and risk. To put it in my own country's words being an επιχειρηματίας (a person attempting something) means to επιχειρώ (to attempt). So the conclusion I get from this notion is that these entrepreneurs are coming to China to play it safe.
What does this mean for young people like my future spouse? There is no real future in most foreign owned companies, not for Chinese people. There is still a huge stereotype that needs to be broken before any real progress can be made in this issue. Of course on the other hand more young Chinese with well-rounded educations should step forward and take the reigns for change.
One of these people is my own future spouse, an intelligent young woman who has done her fair share of hard studying, sportsmanship and part-time work as a student. Her English is at a very advanced level and has a deep understanding of western way of life and culture. Studying and living in England alone was definitely a big eye-opener for her. With all of this in mind, her hopes and dreams are that much greater than most of her fellow countrymen. Working for a foreign-owned company, though, has proven that despite her background she is still viewed merely as cheap labor. I am almost 100% certain that there are others riding a similar boat and I find that this stereotype should be broken. I am biased as I do not know the circumstances under which foreign owned companies treat their Chinese workers, but I feel that it is not fair nor respectful to assume that a certain person is almost trash because of his or her heritage and origin. More or less so when the company is run in the country in question.
More after the jump
Human beings are human beings regardless of where they come from or what they believe in. I'm going to spare you the anti-racist commentary by just simply saying "if we are all cut we will bleed red". Certainly there are the little things that make us all unique, quirks that annoy some and elements that the rest of the world just flatly doesn't get. But we are all the same at our core, and that holds true for the value of the time we put in to our jobs. I'm not just talking money here, though. There are many variables and most of them more tangible than others that determine the monetary value of a person's work. A job is supposed to give you more than just that since we all spend a great deal of our daily lives doing work. Being empowered and playing the role of more than just a mere "pawn" in the business chess board is probably one of the most important feelings that any workplace can give a person. The reason is quite simple; money isn't the end all. When people feel that they can make a difference, they try harder and push themselves by showing their real potential. They think, feel, design and create. If all one would do on a daily basis is punch in, get the job done and then punch out then that person's job is no more fulfilling than flipping burgers at McDonald's.
What happens here in China in the majority of foreign owned companies is pretty much the same deal. The train of thought these "entrepreneurs" (I'll explain the quotation marks a bit later) and multinationals is that the Chinese do not require that much money to survive so it's cost effective to run businesses in their country and hire them. Furthermore, we western people believe we have a better understanding of how business should be done so there is nothing to be learned from the Chinese. They are probably thinking "They had themselves locked away from the rest of the world, so what do they know?" I disagree. A fresh perspective on things coming from minds who are new to this stuff can go a much longer way. Or maybe that isn't the problem at all, and here's where I explain the "air bunnies".
There is no real entrepreneurship in just opening a business and doing what everybody else is. Being an entrepreneur is about innovation and risk. To put it in my own country's words being an επιχειρηματίας (a person attempting something) means to επιχειρώ (to attempt). So the conclusion I get from this notion is that these entrepreneurs are coming to China to play it safe.
What does this mean for young people like my future spouse? There is no real future in most foreign owned companies, not for Chinese people. There is still a huge stereotype that needs to be broken before any real progress can be made in this issue. Of course on the other hand more young Chinese with well-rounded educations should step forward and take the reigns for change.
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