Recently, I had the chance to listen to one young man from Dalton describe his experiences learning about business in a foreign country, and I have to admit, I was very impressed.
Allen Norris, a senior majoring in international business with a concentration in management and entrepreneurship at Kennesaw State University, came to our Carpet Capital Rotary Club one early morning and presented the highlights of his recent trip to China to the club.
I know a little something about China myself, but Allen presented some facts about the impact that country has on our world?s economy that are worth paying close attention to.
Did you know?
? China is the most populous nation in the world with 1.34 billion people.
? Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more than one billion people worldwide, making it the most spoken language in the world.
? China has the highest number of middle-class consumers, more than 300 million, in the world.
? As the largest exporter to the United States, China boasts the second largest economy.
? China is the No. 1 consumer of steel and oil products in the world.
Why is this important to us, you might ask?
Well, as Allen pointed out, the world is becoming increasingly ?globalized? every day. As time goes on, China will become an even more important player in the exportation, and we hope the importation, of American goods.
?The most important lesson I have taken away from my travels and studies is that the best way for American businesses to succeed around the world is to learn about and experience as many cultures of the different countries that we will inevitably be doing business with,? Allen remarked. ?The carpet industry is one of many that are looking to emerging markets such as India and China for future gains.?
As a term project for his global contemporary business practices class last semester, Allen leaned upon his background growing up in the nation?s Carpet Capital by focusing on the new manufacturing facility for Shaw Industries based in Chengdu, China.
?China is the most important focus for American businesses not only for the potential growth opportunities, but also because we have such a great rapport with them already,? he argues.
All of this brings to mind the question: What can we as American businesses be doing to make trade with China more seamless and more profitable?
It occurred to me that Allen?s on to something when he says that we need to learn more about the economies and cultures of our trading partners. And he is putting his money where his mouth is. In addition to earning his business degree, Allen is pursuing a minor in Chinese studies.
He has traveled to China on two occasions, and has traveled to India, Mexico and Malaysia, all providing invaluable exposure to international business practices. His most recent trip overseas involved an intensive five-week Mandarin language study program this summer.
Those experiences have made it clear to him that ?international businesses prefer to hire people who speak more than one language.?
That is, in my opinion, becoming increasingly true. In the United States, we?re making progress on the foreign language front, but we need to do much better. As citizens and business partners of an ever-inclusive world, we need to make more of an effort to communicate in the vernacular of our business partners.
While it?s not feasible for every employee in every company to become fluent in other languages, those who do will have a leg up.
And it seems to me that young folks like Allen Norris will have a leg up when they enter the work world well traveled and well prepared for the challenges of business.
Werner Braun is president of the Dalton-based Carpet and Rug Institute.
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