Changing Attitudes in China
Asia Business Media, a blog that focuses on B2B media and business information in Asia, posted on an interesting talk by James McGregor earlier this week at the US Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. As a media professional and an American expatriate in China, he offered his thoughts on changing attitudes that the Chinese have never been known for in the past.
Beijing
According to the blog, “[McGregor] believes that the arrogance that was once a less-than-appealing feature of U.S. businesses abroad has been adopted by the Chinese at an alarming rate.” These attitudes represent a smaller, yet powerful portion of the country. Oftentimes, culture is influenced by entities of power, e.g. industry and media, so the implications of a more arrogant sphere of business may gradually prove to be an influential force in popular, mass Chinese culture.
Among other observations, McGregor added that Chinese officials are increasingly implementing policies to favor Chinese businesses over foreign businesses, and that the government is encouraging “indigenous innovation.” The competition for market share will be increasingly important for indigenous organizations in China, but are these observations a foreshadow of Chinese hegemony? How can cultural awareness help us understand Chinese attitudes towards the world, and towards globalization?
Mike
