Analysis Of Work Ethics And Business Practices In China

Life in China

With 1. 4 billion citizens living in China, it is regarded as the busiest, and the most populated area in the world. Population in China is growing exponentially like its business. Being born as a Chinese citizen, many children are brought up to be competitive and hardworking.

My Perspective on China

From my view, China is one of the best countries to develop one’s business. Throughout the three weeks I spent in Beijing, I realised and learnt a lot about the culture in China. It has been a fruitful and wholesome experience for me. As I get to learn more about China, my preconceptions towards China has changed. One preconception I had was that I could forgo my Chinese language. I assumed that English was more well used worldwide, so I thought the Chinese would implement English as one of their languages in the future. However, I learnt that being fluent in Chinese is starting to be a necessity in the 21th Century. This is because many large cooperates and business companies now develop or work with in China. In this report, I will be discussing about the work ethics and business practices in China.

Work Ethics in China

With more than 760 million workers in China, many workers work hard to put food on the table. In 2014, the average Chinese worker works somewhere between 2, 000 and 2, 200 hours annually whereas the average worker in United Kingdom put in around 1677 hours. It is far worse for factory workers; the working conditions are poor and the pay is low. Not only that, the work is relentless. Reports from China in 2014 claimed that an astonishing 600, 000 citizens were dying from over-working each year. However, the salary for factory workers is increasing yearly to keep up with the economy, with projections reaching USD $650 for Chinese workers.

Personal Experiences

My personal recollection in China relating to work ethic would be my shopping experience. Firstly, my experience would be at the widely known Silk Street. A brief background of Silk Street indicates that it is the most influential international shopping market in China. Upon arrival, I was greeted by many shops selling different variety of items ranging from clothing to shoes. One reason why it is popular is because that most items are counterfeit hence cheap. I tried to bargain for a pair of shoes but the price was still offered at a high price. After walking away, the saleswoman chased me back and offered me a lower price to meet my price. This made me understand that the Chinese would not turn down any business offered to them. This kind of work ethic indicates that the Chinese are determined to work extremely hard in order to stay competitive in the business. Upon chatting with the saleswoman, I found out that they only earn less than 10% of the goods sold which amounted to only a small sum. This is why most saleswoman try to have high productivity daily to make sure that they don’t lose their customers to other shops. Few tactics they use are through sweettalking and convincing that their prices and quality is the best.

Labour

Labour in China is often regarded as cheap. An executive at Volkswagen once said "the cost of labor in China is nothing". According to statistics, female textile workers in Guangdong make $60-$150 monthly. A worker who has put in 30 years at a pencil factory in Shanghai earns about $75 a month with bonuses of $35 month if there is high productivity. Comparing to Asian countries, cost of cheap labour in China is considered high. However, the distinctive factor on why private sectors invest on cheap labour in China is due to their work ethic. The Chinese are more dedicated and hardworking while the management are more organised.

Modern China has been labelled as a “giant labour-intensive processing factory”. Many Chinese workers work for the state but recent trends in private sectors caused a shift of workers to apply jobs there instead. Many jobs require overtime (OT) in private sectors to meet production date. If a typical Singaporean was asked to do OT, they might hesitate but Chinese workers welcomed OT as a chance to make more money. Their work ethic stems from hard work and focus on results. However, there are still many cases of workers going months without getting paid. When they get sacked, they most likely do not receive the pension promised to them.

Working Practices & Hours

China is considered to be an economic superpower and with good reason. China citizens are often referred to as hardworking. Through Confucian Principle, which demands respect for the elderly and perfection in work, the Chinese culture work ethic is based it. Even though Confucius was a philosopher centuries ago, his teachings continue to hold in the highest regard in China today. His principles continue to shape China's society and culture. The Chinese do not shirk away from hard work. Instead, they embrace it since they believe that hard work begets success.