In order to understand the idea of respect amongst siblings in the way that the Chinese individuals see it, it becomes necessary to also understand some of the Taoist and Buddhist traditions and beliefs. These are not always seen as being very significant, largely because many individuals in the west do not understand Taoism and/or Buddhism, and therefore it gets largely ignored. However, it is also important to understand the importance of schooling and how this affects the way that the Chinese individuals think when it comes to the respect that they show to their siblings (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992). Integration of the Elements by Locals

Religion and Business in China

Buddhism is the religion that is generally seen in the Chinese culture. Buddhists seek an elimination of suffering. The Buddha teaches that, in order to reach enlightenment, one must shun all material things, including ties with relatives and friends, and be aware that the senses human beings possess are deceptive. Being alone, in both body and mind, is the only way to reach enlightenment (Empey, 1993). There is a strict and very prescribed path that has to be followed. Despite this, however, the respect that the Buddhist individuals have for others is still very strong, and the way that they shun material issues stops them from being greedy, envious, covetous, or having other 'traits' that would be seen as undesirable in many individuals. Since this is the case, they are still very able to show a great deal of fraternal respect toward their brothers.

One of the reasons that the Chinese culture places such importance on the religions that they have and the ideas that those religions convey is that they feel it gives them virtue. Virtue is seen as the strength and ability of something (Hallinger & Murphy, 1987). For example, the virtue of a rock might be its strength. Each and every thing has a virtue, including individuals. A individual's virtue might be his moral goodness and rightness, but it can also be something that he is very good at that is beneficial to both themselves and others (Hilliard, 1992).

Fraternal Respect in the Business Culture

The fraternal respect that siblings show to one another is also considered to be a virtue, and one of the most important ones in that particular culture, which is why it is discussed and cultivated from such an early age. It is taught both at home and at school, as many studies and informational writings have shown that what is taught to students at school is very important (Elam, Lowell, & Gallup, 1992).

The balance of trade is very complex for all countries and even though it appears as though the United States is the strongest country in the international market, China is doing very well and increasing its strength rapidly. Much of the trading it does with Japan has a lot to do with this, but China also exports so much to the United States and other Western countries that these Western countries would have a hard time without all of the export goods and services that comes from China. In this way, it almost appears as though China is the strongest country, or at least stronger than the United States when it comes to the exportation of goods. Because of its economic strength and the values that individuals of that culture hold, China is a good place to open a branch of virtually any business.

Comparison with U.S. Culture and Businesses

In the last several years, China has emerged as one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world (Cateora & Graham, 2002). China is turning its challenges into strong opportunities for foreign businesses to invest in their country. Investing further in China can provide a very positive contribution to any Business, and therefore this investment opportunity should be more closely explored. However, before this is done, the business must more thoroughly understand what the industry in China is currently like and how it is changing.

One background issue to discuss is the fact that the problem of how to help businesses succeed in various standardization and localization strategies when it comes to the Chinese market has been going on for many years. There are no easy answers to this issue and it is not something that can be solved quickly. However, there have been ideas created and tried in the past for not only these businesses, but also other types of businesses, as well as anyone else that is involved in business and needs to be aware of...

There are many different things that could be looked at when it comes to businesses and what kind of strategies they should employ when trying to establish a strong marketing mix. Issues that must be looked at include the product, the price, and advertising, and the market mix in general, as all are important and all affect each other in various ways.
Culture and the Global Marketplace

Trying to create a global market makes this especially significant, because globalization makes marketing much more difficult (Bass, 1993). Cultural issues play a large part in this, since the way that something is marketed in one country might not work well in another. Those who market in a global world often have to deal with issues like this, and they study cultural differences, rates of exchange, and other things in an effort to determine what kind of marketing strategy they want to use.

Marketing to some industries in China should not be that difficult, because those industries are growing. Still, however, it is important to understand that there are differences between the Chinese market and the market in other countries, and therefore businesses that want to market to Chinese industry must pay close attention to recent trends and important changes that could affect what they do.

The way that a business markets to a new area of the world is exceedingly important for both the business and the market, as marketing often determines the extent of the business's performance within a new area (Bass, 1993). Also important is a determination of why a business might want to market to a specific country, as there needs to be significant reasons for this type of move in order to ensure that the business will be profitable (Jain, 1990). Naturally, there are no guarantees for businesses where profit is concerned, but there are ways (such as surveying, determining target markets, and test marketing) to determine whether a move will be a good one for a business.

Product and Marketing

The product under consideration must be one that the individuals of the country both want and need, and the marketing of that product must be appropriate for the culture of that country to elicit the proper response from the market (Bass, 1993). An item that has poor marketing will sell poorly, regardless of its quality, and businesses that are considering making a move into another country must thoroughly address the target market. A business cannot make the assumption that it creates a quality product and therefore the target market individuals will insist that they have that product (Jain, 1990). The presentation of the item to the target market is equally important as the item's quality, and is an area that most businesses fail to concentrate on thoroughly enough to perform well in a new market.

If this marketing is not addressed properly, than the failure of the product is more likely, and this failure could be over some issue that is generally simple but becomes very important to people in the new market (Jones, 1991). For example, the translation of the business or product name into the target market country's language is very important, so as to ensure that it does not take on an inappropriate or offensive meaning in that country's language. Equally important is the packing of the product, as color has strong meaning in many parts of the world.

Marketing Example -- B&Q

For some businesses, the main marketing hurdle will be showing the Chinese individuals that they need the product. One good example of this is a company called B&Q, that deals with DIY (do-it-yourself) products and activities. The homes that are sold in China generally come as shells that need wiring, plumbing, and everything else (Balfour, 2006). Because they are designed that way and because labor is so cheap, most individuals just hire other people to do things for them, instead of doing them on their own (Balfour, 2006). However, B&Q is working to show individuals that doing things for themselves can be easy, fun, and rewarding (Balfour, 2006). Showing that it costs less is really not the way to market it because this is not an area where individuals are concerned. The Chinese consumer market sees DIY on a smaller scale, too, so B&Q had to look at ways that they could attract individuals.

They did much of that through small, free projects that kids could do in the stores, and that helped to…