The 21st Century has witnessed Asia’s rapid ascent to economic prosperity. As economic gravity shifts from the Western world to the Asian region, the “tyranny of distance [between states, will be] … replaced by the prospects of proximity” in transnational economic, scientific, political, technological, and social develop relationships (Australian Government, 1). Japan and China are the region’s key business exchange partners. Therefore these countries are under obligation to steer the region through the Asian Century by committing to these relationships and as a result create business networks, boost economic performance, and consequently necessitate the adjustment of business processes and resources in order to accommodate each country’s …show more content…
And as China transforms its economy into a ‘socialist market economy’ it is held that the attendant social, economic, and political transformations necessitate that its state controlled IRs system is decentralized and more so, it should be converge with international best practice IR standards (Zhu, Warner, & Feng, 2011). Although the Chinese government has endeavored to reform its labor market, the “deep-rooted national culture and its long history of centralized state power” as exhibited by the tenets of the all-powerful All-China Federation of Trade Unions1925 (ACFTU), has meant that any initiated IRs reform should be “with Chinese Characteristics” (p.128). It is important to note in the 1980/90s most countries in the Western hemisphere and Asia restructured their IRs systems. This episode can be attributed to factors specific to these countries; but owing to the fact that most of Asia’s economies are linked to the global economy, it is posited that this process may not have been coincidental but it was occasioned by competitive pressures in the global labor market (Kuruvilla & Erickson, …show more content…
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Bearing in mind that the threat of China’s dependency on imports of natural resources has the potential to threaten the official ideology of Confucianism, the real threat is to the interests of the state and the Communist Party of China, because the future of the party and stability of the country is dependent on the continued growth of the Chinese economy. Maintaining the flow of raw materials is the main objective of the PRC because without them the economic engine of the China would be at a stand still, which has the potential to be seen by the people of China as a weakness and flaws in the current governing system. China should continue developing trade relations and international connections because the PRC has been remarkably successful in creating a network of countries who will be loyal in business and political reform. China has has a strategic focus on building relations with nations whom America is not keen on. This has also perpetuated the realization the the Chinese system of governance provides a second option to the ‘Western Consensus’, as a viable means for successful economic growth coupled with strict government control. China must operate multilaterally to continue the trajectory of relation and loyalty building in other countries. This will assist china with the key pillar goals of, building a comprehensive national power; advance incrementally in order to consolidate a position of strength, and maintaining stability, and with the objective that China will be in the position to continue imports of raw material to Chinese industry in the event of a sea trade embargo from opposition countries like the United...
Factories were known for their ill treatment of their employees, long hours and dirty and unsafe conditions. In 1866, unions started to form to improve working conditions for the workers. A fundamental problem faced by democratic societies is as long as people live their lives individually and go their separate ways and be selfish individuals, they are unlikely to meet collectively to resolve issues. There needs to be meaningful unity among people to alleviate this problem to get people obliged to one another, so there is a willingness to sacrifice for shared goals. Bonding of its citizens creates a democracy. Unions seemed to offer the middle class a chance to become a crucial part of fostering institutions of constitutional democracy. The unions have went through several transitions, but have always worked for the working force. I will discuss the history of the various unions, their wins and losses, and the struggle of the employee to achieve democracy in the workplace.
For the past twenty-five years, China has witnessed an overall increase in its domestic growth (Fischler 148). According to the article, “The Rise of China as a Global Power,” by Dr. Rosita Dellios, China “is the world's fourth largest trading nation, rising from 32nd in 1978 to 10th in 1997.” Similarly, China’s GDP is also second to the United States of America, generating 13 percent of the world’s output (Dellios). Since China’s introduction into the World Trade Organization in December 2001, its average tariff dropped from 41 percent in 1992 to 6 percent in 2001, becoming one of the most open economies in the world (Dellios). China is also the world’s fastest developing economy, obtaining an annual growth of 9.5 percent through foreign direct investment, low labor rates, emerging markets, and growth expansion. (Dellios). Therefore, the 21st century has been titled the “Chinese Century”, as China has become the second-largest international economy in the world (Ji-lin 15).
Worden, Robert L., Andrea Matles Savada, and Ronald E. Dolan. China: A Country Study. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1988. Print.
Thirdly, opponents of labor unions in the marketplace argue that these organizations are outdated because of the huge structural changes that have taken place in the economy or workforce because of technological advancements and globalization. These changes have mainly been brought by the shift from a manufac...
For economists, politicians, military strategists and even the simple citizens this is a rare chance to see the rise of a superpower and to experience in real time all the effects of such global developments. The main catalyst for the rise of new powers, especially China, is the globalization process which began two decades ago by Western powers; and as we all know there are advantages and disadvantages of the globalization. Thus, reality forces us to think more and more in a comprehensive manner and to analyze the effects of globalization, especially for positioning each country and especially in defining future development policies.
As these economic reforms led to China's accelerating economic growth, they also led to increasing political and economic decentralization where local regional governments made economic decisions, used tax revenue for local projects and received less financial support from the central government(Goldman & Mcfarquhar 2000, p.8). As explained by social scientist Gordan White, he characterized the social changes in post-Mao economic reforms as 'fragmented and fragmenting' (Goldman & Mcfarquhar 2000, p.17) The introduction of market forces as well as political and economic devolution of power to the local governments had produced serious social unrest to the Chinese's society. For example, the economic decentralization of the central government to the local government contributed to the alliances between the local officials and local enterprises. Although it improved the standard of living, this kind of alliance gave rise to corruption and enrich the local officials with power, giving them ultimate control ( Goldman & Mcfarquhar 2000, p.17). Due to economic interest of local authorities, they ignore the central government warning against corruption, labour exploitation and taxes overcharges. For example, due to the dual-price policy in products, it provides opportunities for people who have access to state-controlled goods and materials to make huge profits by buying them at an officially-fixed low price and reselling them at free market at a higher price (Minami 1994 , p.21). This shows that local government do not obey government rules and corruption in government is evident and inevitable. The central government failed to realise that although economic and political decentralization did improve market economy, it would on the ot...
In this past century, American labor has played a central role in the elevation of the American standard of living. The benefits which unions have negotiated for their members are, in most cases, widespread in the eco...
China’s history of sweatshops and factories has grown because of economic motives and government conditions. Multinational corporations such as Apple or Microsoft are “large corporations that sell goods and services throughout the world” (O’Sullivan 456). In order to maximize profits, these corporations have to find ways to cut corners and reduce input costs. All of this is done to provide the cheaper prices that American consumers enjoy. Asian subcontractors do not provide their workers with the benefits and wages that are found in the U.S. In China, wages are much lower, labor movements are repressed, and labor laws are not enforced effectively (“Working Conditions”). Many Chinese workers do not even know about trade unions or collective bargaining, which is a tool that laborers have been able to take advantage of in America. By outsourcing production overseas, these corporations seek to take advantage of cheaper labor in China, a ho...
Shin, J. & Wailes, N., 1997. ‘The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions: Independent unionism in newly industrializing countries’. Brisbane : Griffith University.
With the development of China, the economy of China has become the World’s second largest after the US. On the other hand, the ...
When the new Chinese Government was set up in 1949, the new government faced a lot of problems. First on their agenda was how to re-build the country. As Communist Party of China (CPC) is a socialist party, their policies at the time were similar to that of the Soviet Union’s. Consequently, the CPC used a centrally planned strategy as its economic strategy when it first began. For a long time, the Chinese economy was a centrally planned economy in which none other than the state owned all companies. In fact, there were absolutely no entrepreneurs. As time went on, the problems of a centrally planned economy started to appear, such as low productivity, which was the key reason for restricting the development of China. With the population growing, the limitations of the centrally planned economy were clear. In 1978 China started its economic reform whose goal was to generate sufficient surplus value to finance the modernization of the Chinese economy. In the beginning, in the late 1970s and early 19...
The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...
The rise in China from a poor, stagnant country to a major economic power within a time span of twenty-eight years is often described by analysts as one of the greatest success stories in these present times. With China receiving an increase in the amount of trade business from many countries around the world, they may soon be a major competitor to surpass the U.S. China became the second largest economy, last year, overtaking Japan which had held that position since 1968 (Gallup). China could become the world’s largest economy in decades.