BUS 352 - Doing Business with China

Unit(s): 4

China’s economic miracle over the past decades has astounded the world. Over the past 20 years, China has experienced the greatest economic boom in history and is the world’s 2nd largest economy. Chinese economy is going through a period of transition. Alibaba’s Jack Ma has said ‘Now is the most painful period’ for the Chinese economy. While a rebalancing of the real economy is largely on track, personal income is growing, and the services sector is growing rapidly. Yet, millions of Chinese workers are facing the prospect of losing their jobs as China moves away from manufacturing toward services and consumption. China is the world’s largest consumer market and also been America’s fastest growing export market. This “new” market of 1.3 billion people-coupled with the meteoric rise of China’s new middle class-holds enormous potential for America’s manufacturers and service providers. This course will examine emerging issues and trends such as urbanization; rise of the mass consumer; as well as economic, political and cultural challenges of doing business in China. Topics covered ranging from the historical and economic factors leading to China’s path to capitalism, “Reform and Opening”, women migrant workers at the APPLE factory, minorities in the urban areas, one child policy, to the role of returning students in Chinese society. We will discuss China’s multicultural society and its implications on historical and contemporary aspects of Chinese culture by using case studies on FOXCONN, Starbucks, Nike, GM, Levi’s, etc.

Restriction: Class restricted to Junior and Senior
School of Management