...multinational companies were not spared. General Motors and Volkswagen were ordered to suspend production for more than a week each. Shanghai Volkswagen spokesman Lu Jun explained, “It's a rule. We have to cut power for 10 days … We’ve cut power and so have had to stop production. It's all over Shanghai”.1 The Shanghai episode mirrored a nationwide shortage of electric power. In Beijing, on July 22, 2004, the Municipal Power Supply Bureau imposed the capital’s first brownout of the year, disrupting supply to suburban areas for 47 minutes in the afternoon. The Chinese government has certainly been working tirelessly to resolve the power crisis. Thermal coal is the principal fuel used to generate electric power in China. In July, Premier Wen Jiabao exhorted, “Railway departments should do their utmost for the transport of coal for electricity generation”.2 The Ministry of Railways increased train speed and freight loads, and allocated 90% of freight capacity to transport key materials. In the first half of 2004, Chinese railways shipped 480 million tons of coal, up 12.2% over the same period last year. The Ministry of Communications has also pitched in. It diverted ships from overseas routes to domestic coal transport and approved emergency coal transportation on various roads and waterways. China is the world’s second-biggest coal exporter. In 2003, China exported 93 million tons of coal, including 80.8 million tons of thermal coal. To assure...
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...In this essay, the political regimes of China and United States will be discussed. A political regime is an assembly of political structures that make up a government. This helps in regulating the management of the government and building of the society. The three ways how the government can choose to run the country are via, One-Party State, Liberal Democracy or Military Dictatorship. China and United States have the world’s biggest economies and effective militaries with their ruling influencing politics globally. Even with a huge trade agreement and countless diplomatic meetings, the both countries are unable to sustain a façade of a civil relationship. Though, there is pressure from leaders of United States, China is not discouraged but instead continues to grow its economy. (Super-power showdown - US vs. China, 2012) China follows a One-Party State political system. It is led by a highly controlling communist party. The Chinese Communist Party is fully committed in upholding endless domination in power and will not tolerate others who doubt its right to rule. Freedom of speech is strictly constrained. The Chinese Communist Party dictates both state and society in China. They have been ruling China for over six decades, ever since they gained power in 1949. There are no elections in China. All institutions, executive, judiciary and legislation are all communist as well. (Lawrence & Martin, 2012) Benefits of being a socialist include: equal distribution of...
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...CHINA February 2012 EDC ECONOMICS MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Real GDP grew 9.2% in 2011, a marked slowdown from the 10.4% pace of 2010. A sharp slowdown in real estate construction activity, as a result of past excesses, and weak demand from Europe will result in growth slowing to 8.0% in 2012, with the slowdown occurring in the first half. However, inflationary pressures are abating rapidly, giving room to ease if necessary. The key downside risk to the outlook is the impact of the real estate slowdown on the financial sector and local authorities’ fiscal position, both of which should be contained. Economic Credit Agencies Moody’s: Aa3 S&P: AAFitch: A+ Nominal GDP (2010) USD 5,878 bn Population (2010) 1,341.4 millions Total Trade / GDP (2010) 50.6% Currency Yuan (Renminbi) Exchange regime Crawling peg Merchandise imports from Canada (2010) CAD 12,880 million Main sources of Foreign Exchange (excl. FDI) Manufactured exports Main Merchandise Export Destination European Union (20%) Main imports E&E equipment (24%) Industrial M&E (21%) Risks to the Outlook Second stimulus package; Monetary and credit loosening Real estate bubble burst; Debt crisis in Europe Recent performance: Official real GDP growth slowed again in Q4, rising 8.9% y/y from 9.1% y/y in Q3. However, EDC Economics’ estimate of seasonally adjusted real GDP growth shows that growth accelerated for a second consecutive quarter, to 9.1% q/q (annualized) from 8.1% in Q3. Strong US holiday shopping and some inventory rebuilding...
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...Understanding China’s Political System The Chinese Communist Party (CCP or Party) has been in power in China for more than six decades, a record of longevity that rivals and could one day surpass that of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.2 The CCP assumed power in 1949 by means of a civil war victory over the forces of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists, who moved the seat of their Republic of China government to the island of Taiwan. The Communists named their new regime the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Although the CCP has been continually in power since, China’s political institutions and political culture have evolved significantly over those decades, with the CCP’s willingness to adapt helping to explain why it has, so far at least, avoided the fate of its sister parties in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Today, although the Party is committed to maintaining a permanent monopoly on power and is intolerant of those who question its right to rule, analysts consider the political system to be neither monolithic nor rigidly hierarchical. Jockeying among leaders and institutions representing different sets of interests is common at every level of the system. Sometimes fierce competition exists among the members of the Communist Party’s nine-man Politburo Standing Committee and 25-member Politburo, China’s highest decision-making bodies. It also exists among ministries; between ministries and provincial governments, which are equals in bureaucratic...
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...The American theatre chain gets a much needed infusion of cash, while the Chinese conglomerate gets experience in film distribution and chain management. Dalian Wanda Group’s agreement to purchase AMC Entertainment for $2.6 billion creates the largest theater chain in the world and marks China’s biggest acquisition of a U.S. company, therefore it has some industry watchers wondering what the ramifications might be for the movie exhibition industry. One high-ranking executive said his initial reaction to the May 21 announcement was 100 percent positive, given that AMC’s private-equity owners – Bain Capital, Apollo Global Management, the Carlyle Group and others – had allowed the theater chain to fall into disrepair compared with its competitors. “Even the bulbs weren’t changed, so films looked dim,” he said. Indeed, Wanda president and chairman Wang Jianlin announced his intentions to invest $500 million in AMC. Observers see installation of bars and restaurants at some locations, as well as upgrades to screens and sound systems, and the improvements could be noticeable enough to encourage disenchanted moviegoers to the give theaters another try. “It’s been a long time since AMC was run by someone with deep pockets and a timeframe longer than the next quarter,” said the insider, who noted that Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings and Carmike Cinemas would be inclined to match AMC’s upgrades. Wanda, a private company with real estate, department stores and hotels...
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...How the Democratic Republic of Google is testing China's appetite for democracy itself. Published Jan 15, 2010 Google's decision to defy Beijing's rules censoring the Internet could be seen as an isolated event—one company pulling out of China for a set of specific reasons. Certainly many other firms are acting that way, hoping to continue their pursuit of profits in the fastest-growing market in the world. But in fact Google's decision reflects important and expanding strains within China, and in its relations with the rest of the world. "China places unique limits on information," Google CEO Eric Schmidt pointed out to me last week. It is the only major country with an elaborate, formal system of censorship that all information-oriented companies must accept. That's why in China, if you type the words "Tiananmen Square" or "Dalai Lama" into Google (or Baidu, the country's leading search engine), you will find mostly blocked sites. At the same time, China has been busily developing the world's most elaborate apparatus devoted to cyber-spying and cyberattacks. Chinese hacking has ramped up over the past few years, directed not only at human-rights organizations, but, importantly, at foreign businesses and governments. Many, if not most, such attacks originate from China; former National Security Agency director William Studeman has called them the "biggest single problem" facing the U.S. national-security establishment. Great powers spy on each other, but China's efforts...
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...The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga The White Tiger, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008, talks about the life of Balram Halwai, set against the backdrop of present-day globalised India, his struggle to reach the highest rung of the society and become a successful entrepreneur. Summary of The White Tiger Balram’s story unfolds over seven consecutive days and nights in Bangalore in the form of a letter addressed to the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Having not had much formal education, Balram takes up a job as a driver for the local landlord in his village in Bihar, accompanies his son to New Delhi where he is mesmerised by the world of the affluent. What did he have to do to escape India’s’ “Rooster Coop”? To achieve his own dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur? Was freedom and monetary success worth the price he had to pay? The White Tiger explores Balram’s struggle to reach the highest rung in the society. The novel could actually be seen as a social commentary – it brings to light issues of inequality, caste, poverty and corruption in India. It portrays the narrators’ agitation at how the poor are victimised by the rich. He talks of how the country is being run by corrupt government officials and how even the national elections are rigged. The White Tiger was widely –read and it made Aravind Adiga, The Galaxy British Book Awards for Author of the Year, PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize finalist (2009) and John Llewellyn Rhys Prize Nominee (2008). It was announced...
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...OCTOBER 26, 2012 EW FRIDAY, . OCTOBER 26, 2012 VOL. CLXII . No. 55,936 © 2012 The New York Times NEW YORK, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2012 66. Weather map is on Page B12. $2.50 $2.50 $2.50 NEW YORK, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2012 $2.50 2 CHILDREN SLAIN Amassed in the N SLAINSLAIN Billions Amassed thethe Shadows Billions Amassed ininin the Shadows Premier Obama Campaign Endgame: AT HOME IN CITY; LDREN SLAIN BillionsAmassed Billions Shadows Shadows ILDRENGrunt Work and Cold Math the Family of China’s By IN CITY; OME IN CITY; HOMEIN CITY; ByBy the Family of China’sPremier the Family of of China’s Premier By the NANNY ARRESTED China’s Premier Family RRESTED NY ARRESTED NNYARRESTED POLITICAL MEMO Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership. By JIM RUTENBERG post-debate movement in the CHICAGO — This is what polls has peaked, Mr. Obama’s “grinding it out” looks like at President Obama’s election head- campaign technicians — and that’s what many of them are —...
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...English 102 Professor Morgan Yuedan Zeng 11/30/2011 Worrying Food Safety in China: Melamine milk powder Every year before I go back to China, many relatives and friends ask me to bring some milk powders and infant foods. Why? Because people in China think the food safety is untrustworthy, a big amount of people were sickened and killed by food. Unlike the food safety issue in U.S, which is caused by biological reasons mostly, most of incidents of safety in China are man-made. The Food Safety Law has been enacted for two years, but the food safety issues emerge endlessly. It often said that food is the first necessity of the people; food is the most basic condition for survival. If the food is not safe then the life does not have safeguard. A major food safety incident in China was made public in September 2008. Kidney and urinary tract effects, including kidney stones, affected about 300,000 Chinese infants and young children, with six reported deaths. Melamine had been deliberately added at milk-collecting stations to diluted raw milk ostensibly to boost its protein content (Tritscher 1). Milk powder produced by Sanlu Group was found to contain 2563 mg of melamine per kg, while the allowable amount should be 15 mg(Yuan 22). It is not the first time that the scandal of milk powder came out. In April, 2004, more than 200 infants in Anhui Province were diagnosed to have a disease, which caused the infants' heads to grow much bigger than normal ones. It was found that...
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...technological advances. Each generation of the iPod was better than the one before it. However, nowadays, consumers are able to download music right on to their smartphones and tablets, which reduces the likelihood of them wanting to buy an iPod. Cost structure will most likely not have an effect on the long term profitability of the iPod. “Cost structure is the expenses that a firm must take into account when manufacturing a product or providing a service.” (Investor Words) Apple does not manufacture their devices. Foxconn is the manufacturer for Apple and they are located in China. Apple pays their manufacturer very low and charges the consumer a high price. “While watching an interview given by CNN's Fareed Zakaria with China's Premier Wen Jiabao on October 3 2010, the Premier made a reference to the cost of making the iPod when speaking (through a translator) about the Chinese and American economies. He stated that he remembered when (in their last interview in 2008) that Fareed Zakaria made an example of the "iPod player in the United States. An iPod player is sold at $299 in the States (in 2008). But the Chinese producer only gets $4 in processing fee." Wow, that is what I call a mark-up.” (Torpey, 2010) Works Cited Investor Words. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Investor Words Websit: http://www.investorwords.com/6462/cost_structure.html Torpey, J. (2010, October 8). Yahoo Voices. Retrieved May 06, 2014, from Yahoo:...
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...BURBERRY’S MOVE TO CHINA THE CASE STUDY STUDENT NUMBER: 1017357 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT STUDENT NAME: OVIE G. AKPOVWA TUTOR; Dr SAMAR BADDAR SHR027-6 WORD COUNT: 2,498 SUBMITTED: 12th May 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In this report, focus on the issues facing Burberry movement to china will be discussed. Burberry is a luxurious British brand trying to move from Wales in Britain to China in order to reduce cost of production of their product. This report was done in stages, the first a PESTLE analysis was conducted on China. The analysis consisted of the political environment of china; the economic condition of china was also reviewed, technological development, social values, legal and ecological factors that might affect the Chinese market were also discussed. Secondly, SWOT analysis of the Chinese market was conducted, while the advantages and disadvantages of moving to china were given. However, in the conclusion given, Burberry was advised to move to china because it will definitely reduce cost of production and it will give them opportunity to gain from china’s big market size. Thirdly, this report discussed the best HR policies that the company can used to meet the demand of...
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