Nanzi Flores, Post 5, Google, Inc.

Google, Inc.
From a business perspective one of the pros would be that they would have a better chance at increasing their market share and reach more people in China. By entering China they could also repair their tarnished image of being unreliable and slow. Potential advertising revenues would also stand to increase also if the connection was made. On the other hand the number of features that they would be able to provide to end users would not be as extensive as in other countries and in a sense the profit they would make in said market could be capped to a smaller amount.

The most obvious argument against entering China is that doing so would go against Google's core values of providing, "unbiased, accurate and free access to information" for those who rely on them. Everything they have on their "China Servers" and whatnot would be censored. From an ethical perspective and argument for entering the Chinese search market can be that, "having a service with links that work and omits a fractional number is better than having a service that is not available at all." This way they are at least still holding true somewhat to their mission of looking out for the best interest of their users.

What I think Google needs to do is start with a marketing campaign to make themselves relevant in present day China. They could run some commercials with maybe a couple having breakfast and talking about some TV show and one could say, "oh my where did you see that?" to which the other would reply, "I saw it on Google TV" and make the Google in brush stroke letters with the Google colors. Make their name something that the average Chinese person recognizes by sponsoring different events and getting their name out there more. A drawback to this would be that they would not be fully living up to their mission but perhaps their mission in China can be slightly different. Perhaps they can focus on activities that are most popular in China like downloading music, playing online games, watching TV shows and movies.

I think Google should focus on the things the average Chinese person is interested in and develop them the way they would any other program. They should do as Baidu has done and offer different services like entertainment. The article states that the Chinese use Google to search sources outside China perhaps various Chinese texts could be uploaded on to Google books and then promoted as the library that you can take all over China.

Nanzi Flores, Post #4 - Raise the Red Lantern

The movie I chose to watch was Raise the Red Lantern, directed by Zhang Yimou and produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Chiu Fu-Sheng and Zhang Wenze. I chose this movie because I had previously seen it while in high school and remembered it to be a good movie so I thought it would be interesting to revisit the movie. It was an interesting movie that had me making prediction after prediction about what would happen next and at each prediction the movie would prove me wrong.

The movie was about a young girl, Songlian, who is forced to leave school after the death of her father and become the fourth concubine of a rich man. When she arrives the third mistress is very mean to her while the second mistress befriends her giving her expensive silk as they gossip about how mean and spoiled the third mistress is. The oldest of the wives does not say much and has accepted the idea that her husband is not interested in her anymore but she gave him his first son so I think that is why he keeps her around. As time passes Songlian gets to know her "sisters" more and discovers that her first impressions were not accurate. When Songlian raids her maids room looking for a missing flute, Songlian discovers that it is actually the second mistress that is the evil one and not third mistress. Second mistress is later described as having the face of the Buddha, yet possessing the heart of a scorpion by third mistress who tells her stories of the atrocious things second mistress had done to her. On her 20th birthday Songlian ends up getting drunk and talks about the secret the third mistress had told her about in which she had an affair with her doctor. Second mistress hears this and tells on third mistress and eventually third mistress gets hanged. Having witnessed this Songlian goes insane and is left to just wander around in her school clothes.

One of the themes of the movie was that the concubines are always competing for the attention of the master or at least three out of the four concubines. Mistress number three constantly says she is sick and needs the master at her side. She used to be an opera singer so she sings for the master and he says she is always so nice to him and that he loves how she sings. Third mistress says that her and the second mistress were pregnant at the same time and that second mistress would slip abortion medication in her food so she could lose her baby. Second mistress also took expensive medicine so that her baby could be born before that of the third mistress but unfortunately for her she had a girl a few hours before third mistress gave birth to a boy. At first Songlian tries to compete for the attention of the master by faking a pregnancy and succeeds for a while but later gives up when it is discovered that she had her menstrual cycle. This leads Songlian to later come to the conclusion that she is happier alone. She eventually sees the competition between the concubines as hopeless, since all women are just being emotionally and physically being abused by the master.

This brings me to the next theme of the movie: solitude. All four women are alone with no one really to care for them. First mistress is as old as the master and has given up trying to compete with the younger wives for her husband's attention. Second mistress rarely gets visited by the master unless she is sick or hurt. Songlian's father has died and her step-mother pushes her to leave and get married with a "rich man."

Another theme of the movie was the idea that death is easier then being a concubine for the Chen family. After the death of her maid, Yang, Songlian seems to envy her because although dead, she was able to return to her family and town while Songlian is stuck in the Chen house.

When it comes to different cultures and countries sometimes it is better to simply observe rather then try to change them. We have our culture and things that work for us and as it seems the Chinese have the same. I do say that from watching this movie I find it very hypocritical that a woman has an affair and she is killed for it where as a man has 4 or 5 wives and he is praised and glorified. I guess I can say I’m happy to be an American and that our culture does not openly approve of such acts otherwise I would be one said, lonely and mad woman.

While the story was somewhat interesting I would not recommend this movie. The picture quality was not the greatest and it did not impact me as much as other movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did in the past.

I also did a little research on what others opinions were of this movie and there was one statement in particular in the wikipedia.org website that caught my attention. It stated the following. “The film has been interpreted by some critics as a criticism of contemporary China, although Zhang Yimou himself has sternly denied this.^[24]. Jonathon Crow of Allmovie states that "the perpetual struggle for power that precludes any unity among the wives provides a depressingly apt metaphor for the fragmented civil society of post-Cultural Revolution China". James Berardinelli makes a similar analogy in his review where he states that "Songlian is the individual, the master is the government, and the customs of the house are the laws of the country. It's an archaic system that rewards those who play within the rules and destroys those who violate them."^[25]”

I didn’t think about this while watching the movie but it is a very good analogy.

Nanzi Flores - Post 3, Staying safe in China

Okay, so being that I’m a mom and you know what moms are best known for…Yes, being a bit over protective. With that said I decided to do some research on staying safe during our China trip. Here is some information to keep in mind while on our trip.

• In case of an emergency, Call 110 and say “English” clearly to be connected to a translator. (http://www.china.org.cn/english/TR-e/25243.htm)
  
• Please note that it was mentioned in one of the articles I read that security guards uniforms resemble those of a police officer so make sure that you confirm that this person is in fact a police officer who can and will provide assistance to you.
  
• China has one of the lowest capital crime rates in the world. It is said that China is generally known for being a pretty safe place to walk the streets at night. Keep in mind that petty crime such as pick pocketing is common in China just like in any other country, especially in tourists’ areas. Remember to watch your wallet and purses especially in crowded places such as trains, shopping malls, bars/nightclubs and tourist sites. I personally will be bringing a fanny pack with me to carry any valuable items close to me.
  
• Watch out for con Artists that may approach you and offer to take you to places where you can find items at cheaper prices or to exchange local currency for US dollars at a so called “better rate”. Use common sense and when in doubt go with your instinct, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
  
• Also keep your hotel information with you at all times in case of an emergency.
  
• Try to always be accompanied by at least one other person in your group or at least let someone in your group know where you intent to go if you decide to go alone.
  
• Avoid going too far away from the hotel especially at night.
  
• Avoid carrying too much money or exposing it in public. Remember we were told that the majority of stores accept credit cards.
  
• Be careful when taking pictures or video, especially near military installations.

Well I hope this information is helpful to you and I look forward to a fun and safe trip to China.

Post #2, Nanzi Flores-About Me -

Hello, my name is Nanzi Flores and I’m going to give you a little information about myself.

I obtained my Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Robert Morris College back in 2002 at which time I thought I had accomplished my ultimate goal, being that I’m a first-generation college student I thought I had accomplished much but shortly after I realized that this would not be sufficient and that I wanted to pursue my MBA. Currently I’m in my second year of my MBA and I will hopefully graduate by December 2010. My concentration is Management.

I have been working for the Chicago Public Schools for about thirteen years. This was my first job right after high school and although I have held several positions within the organization, I do wish to one day venture out and explore other opportunities.

Although I have traveled to Mexico to visit my parent’s native country, this upcoming China trip will be my first time traveling without my family or friend. I have to admit that I feel a bit intimidated but at the same time really excited about getting out of my comfort zone and looking forward to the experience this China trip will hopefully bring.

I know that it might seem that I have been living under a rock but I do have a good reason for it, for the past fourteen years I have dedicating my entire time and energy into raising my two wonderful boys, Andrew age 14 and Derrick age 9. I’ve just recently realized that my children have become more independent and I have found myself with extra time to invest in myself and hopefully accomplish my own personal goals. Time sure goes by fast. I feel that this is the right time to start MY life journey; I want to believe it’s never too late.

Nanzi Flores, Post 1, Brit's Get Rich

Wow, these videos truly show some of the risks associated with doing business in China. I believe Peter had a lot of disadvantages, not only did he not know the language but he didn’t seem to understand the culture. I believe if you are investing that much money in a business abroad, one must take the time to learn the culture as well as the language. It seemed to me that all three business man were making risky decisions without the basic knowledge of doing business in China and just hoping for the best. One thing that I found very interesting was the way Vaughn interacted with the business people in China. I don’t think that language and attitude gets anyone anywhere in China or in any other place in the world. I’m surprised he was able to get away with talking to those people the way he did. In my opinion it is in the best interest for both countries to work with each other since China’s economic growth is due to Americans, among other countries moving their businesses into China. The advantage for other countries to do business in China are the low wages, cheap products and billions of potential customers, as mentioned in the video.I’m sure that for every success story, there are many more stories with not such good endings due to corruption. Due to the economy many people in China are willing to behave unethical in order to create wealth.In summary cultural awareness is essential.