Introduction
Throughout history, many great empires have come and gone; however, the impact they have invariably left on societies across the globe are still evident today. China is undergoing a metamorphic change from an isolationist culture, into a major global player (Payne, 2013). The impact of China’s launch into globalization is evident in almost every nation on earth. The communities that Chinese immigrants create wherever they go helps to fuel China’s rise as a global superpower by challenging perception and influencing societies (Collins, 2015). The cultural impacts of expanding superpower nations like China are inextricably linked to the political force driving this rapid growth. In empires past, the British sought expansion to increase their global influence, wealth, and power through subjugation by force (McDonald, 2007). China today is following a similar path of forceful subjugation; however, the political leaders of China seek to do so through flexing economic power and influence instead of military might, for the time being (Chen, 2014).
If history has taught us any lesson, it is that overconfidence and ignorance from powerful nations can easily result in conflicts, with disastrous consequences. Looking at The United States of America as a recent example, China has a clear blueprint of what pitfalls it needs to avoid as a superpower. Because of political ignorance and recent economic disasters, many nations consider the United States to be a waning superpower as China, India, Brazil, and the European Union compete to fill the void (Ardichvili, Jondle, Kowske, Cornachione, & Thakadipuram, 2012; Caputo, 2015). Ultimately, with the rise of globalization and increasing interconnectivity of economies, politics, and culture, business in the 21st century have quite a unique dynamic as technology fosters growth and rapid dissemination of information.
The Rise and Fall of Great Powers
Political Role
The rise of a superpower nation is dependent on having exceptional leadership over a significant period. In the strictest sense of the word, the ability to lead without resolve and without the fear of making tough decisions by placing the needs of the nation and the people above all else, even if it means risking the ire from other nations. In China today, when the issue of leadership is addressed, one is immediately inundated with a myriad of reasons why communistic politics and policies are bad (Chenggang, 2015; Jing, Cui, & Li, 2015). However, what is not often addressed, is the fact that the political leaders of China have found a way to make communism work in their society (Chenggang, 2015). Through strict controls over every facet of Chinese society, China has managed to create a system of governance that resulted in massive expansion and growth in both wealth, power, and global influence over a very short period (Chenggang, 2015; Zhang, 2015).
China’s leaders have often taken a back seat in global diplomacy over the past several decades. Although, recently, they have begun flexing their diplomatic arm through visits and agreements with the Middle East, European, UNSAUR, and CARICOM nations (Ardichvili et al., 2012; Chenggang, 2015; Zhang, 2015). China’s leaders appear to be highly confident in their ability to effectively establish their agenda with little resistance from other nations. They appear to be ignoring the very political black hole that saw the United States drawn into multiple conflicts over the past decade, overconfidence and ignorance (Ardichvili et al., 2012; Chen, 2014). Leveraging political clout is essential for leaders whose goals are to create an influential nation that can be respected and envied; however, politics can easily become a double-edged sword for superpowers (Feldman, 2014; McDonald, 2007). Nowhere is this truer than when one takes a quick look at the British Empire and the political mistakes that led to the collapse of the UK’s influence in the early 19th and 20th century (McDonald, 2007). As much as politics is essential to creating powerful nations, it can be just as poisonous when that power is abused.
Economic Role
The creation of a strong economy is paramount to the successful establishment of a global superpower. In the 21st century where globalization is the name of the game, economic power is vital to survival (Feldman, 2014). China has managed to take every conceivable economic advantage that it can to grow and rapidly expand its economic power (Collins, 2015). With an extensive cheap labor force and attractive labor laws, many companies around the world are taking advantage of China’s economic state to further their goals. The Chinese government has also taken steps to encourage international investment in the country, but many companies remain hesitant due to possible political interference in their business activities (Chenggang, 2015; Jing et al., 2015). Being an economic power in today’s globalized world means that governments have to adapt to a somewhat liberal - open minded approach to attract and maintain investors (Ardichvili et al., 2012). China is finally realizing that certain policies that many have worked in the past may not be as effective today to meet its goals (Chen, 2014; Jing, 2015). Therefore, gradual change and adaptation are needed to not only attract, but maintain foreign investment and businesses.
Towards that end, the Chinese government has been using Hong Kong as a sort of experimental foray into a democracy while maintaining a tight grip on this city. The prosperity and attractiveness of Hong Kong to outside investors is a symbol of what the future holds for China as a nation should it decide to adapt to the global business culture (Ardichvili et al., 2012; Chen, 2014; Jondle, Ardichvili, & Mitchell 2014). In several past instances, international tech giants Facebook and Google were banned from China because they failed to censor internet information (Ardichvili et al., 2012). This strict approach to information control is not in the best economic interest of China since global organizations are usually required to maintain operational transparency to meet the legal requirement of other nations (Jondle et al., 2014). The increasing push by China to make itself attractive to foreign companies is also having a significant negative impact in the form of extreme pollution in some Chinese cities (Chen, 2014). With increasing manufacturing activities, lax regulations, and oversight, the pollution in many Chinese cities can be classified as toxic (Chen, 2014; Jing, 2015). This significant negative side effect of a growing economy in the 21st century will have severe economic repercussions if left unchecked. Ultimately, China’s manufacturing sector, its main economic driver, may very well become its Achilles heel and lead to its decline as a superpower.
Cultural Role
Culture also plays its role in ensuring the rise or fall of a great nation, culture in this sense is not limited to societal norms and mores, but incorporates business culture as a whole. A culture of open-honest business relations will tend to encourage business growth while a culture of deception and sub-par quality services can significantly hinder the development of any nation (Collins, 2015; Feldman, 2014). Unfortunately, China faces a combination of honest business culture with an increasing dishonesty in some sectors. A few major concerns that have drawn negative attention to China’s business culture are issues of bootlegging, copyright violations, substandard manufacturing practices, and numerous labor violations (Collins, 2015). On several instances, Apple Inc. was forced to audit working conditions at one of its leading manufacturers due to worker suicides from inhospitable working and living conditions (Collins, 2015; Feldman, 2014). For China to remain competitive and grow into a successful superpower nation, it needs to address these issues in its business culture.
The problems faced in China’s business culture can arguably be blamed on a deep seethed dissatisfaction in the everyday lives of Chinese citizens. However, China is not the first nation to experience these issues. The United States also went through a period where employers took advantage of their workers and emissions went mostly unchecked and unregulated. For China to be competitive and experience the growth that it desires, laws will need to be created and enforced to address cultural issues that could hinder progress (Chen, 2014; Chenggang, 2015; Collins, 2015; Feldman, 2014). Consequently, the roles of culture, politics, and economics in the rise and fall of great nations are inextricably linked to each other. Affect one in any way and the whole suffers, there needs to be a symmetry to ensure a successful rise to power and influence for any nation.
Scholarly Perspective
I fully agree with the statement that “Countries with strong economies and well-managed political systems are able to spread their culture globally and to exercise power over other states.” Coming out of WWII a broken nation, Germany has managed to create a healthy economy and strong democratic system of government (Fichtner, Baldi, Bremus, Brenke, Dreger, Engerer, & van Deuverden, 2015). While many may not realize it, Germany is one of the healthiest and most influential state in the world today (Paterson, 2011). Its involvement in the affairs of the European Union (EU) alone are massive. In the recent global economic crisis, Germany stepped up to provide financial relief to several nations, most notably, Greece (Fichtner et al., 2015; Paterson, 2011). Germany also holds much influence over the affairs of the EU, which is a sticking point for many United Kingdom (UK) citizens and politicians who view the EU as having too much influence in the affairs of their nation (McDonald, 2007; Paterson, 2011). While Germany many not have physically conquered Great Britain during WWII, through a reinvigorated economy and political structure, it has managed to become a highly influential entity in EU and UK affairs (Simms, 2015). The European Union is a significant global economic and political power that is driven by several major nations, including France, Germany, and Great Britain, who have all used their economies and political power to shape the world both through cultural influence and economic investments (Caputo, 2015).
Business Culture in the 21st Century
Business culture in the 21st century is more technology driven and Eco-friendly than ever before. Companies are focused on being as green as possible at every level of their operations to attract consumers. The demands and expectations from consumers are also having a definite effect on business culture and the way that many companies approach certain situations. With the drive towards globalization, companies are forced to adapt rapidly to new laws, rules, regulations, and societal norms (Caputo, 2015). The continued evolution of technology has driven corporate cultures to a whole new level as information becomes readily accessible and the risk of exposure and abuse rapidly expands. Many corporations try to stay ahead of the curve through the creation of a healthy corporate culture by stressing integrity, trust, and responsibility at all levels of the organization (Feldman, 2014; Payne, 2013). The challenges faced by companies in the 21st-century changes daily as globalization demands innovation and transformation at a rapid pace.
China’s current role in business culture is a challenging prospect at best. While the country wields an exorbitant amount of influence in the manufacturing and labor sectors, China faces an environmental crisis from excess pollution and uncontrollable population growth (Chen, 2014; Zhang, 2015). The recent expansion of the one child per family rule to two per family does not make the challenge any easier (Chenggang, 2015; Payne, 2013). The government of China may view this change as benefiting the nation by boosting the labor force, but the resulting impact of such as a rapid and drastic population expansion can negatively affect the society (Payne, 2013; Zhang, 2015). Nevertheless, China is making inroads by expanding its influence in the business world beyond manufacturing, and into diplomacy and financial agreements with other nations for construction projects and other ventures (Chenggang; 2015; Zhang, 2015). Recent financial instability in China’s stock market is a symptom of an evolving and growing nation which seeks to attract investors and businesses to take full advantage of its globalization efforts (Zhang, 2015).
Conclusion
To ensure the successful establishment of any nation as a major global player, their laws, policies, and corporate environment needs to be in line with global demands and expectations (Jondle et al., 2014). While China has struggled with incorporating changes into their leadership style, they have managed to make significant progress over the past decade. Like many influential nations before it, China is experiencing the exaltation of the power rush; however, there is no room for complacency. As an influential global power, China has a responsibility to ensure that it promotes responsible and accountable business practices to safeguard its economy and ultimately the global markets (Feldman, 2014; Jing et al., 2015; Zhang, 2015). Evident from recent events, the inter-connectivity of businesses and economies in the 21st century carries the risk of significant ripple effect in the global economy. Therefore, China needs to bring its laws, regulations, and oversight into line with international standards to ensure responsible growth.
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