The Evaluation of the Innovation Capability of China's High-Tech Industries - Term Paper Example

?Introduction The economic development of China is one of the greatest success stories in the world today, since within three decades this country moved from being a poor country with a barely developed economy to the second largest economy in the world today. It can be said that China has not only grown economically because of the wisdom behind its governments policies but also because of the culture of innovation, that is a constant part of the Chinese. China’s Innovation-Oriented Society Vision One of the greatest aspects of the Chinese innovation is the fact that it is not only based on the technological sector, but is also practiced in all other sectors in the country’s economy, hence ensuring that there is rapid growth in all these sectors. As a result, the Chinese economy has to a large extent come to rely heavily on innovation to ensure that its economy keep running and there have developed many unique ways through which this innovation has come to be encouraged and manifested by its government. China is fast transforming into one of the economic hubs of the world and this may perhaps give it the impetuses to not only become the world’s leading economic, but also political power. In order to achieve this, however, China must continue to encourage the innovation that is an essential part of its economy, because without it, then this country is more likely than not to fail. One of the factors that have contributed to the development of innovation in the Chinese economy has been its government’s support for those women who would like to get into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This is something that is still quite uncommon in the rest of the world and because of this, China can be said to be a leader in the gender balancing within its economy. This has ensured that innovative ideas have been developed on an equal basis within the economy, especially in those areas that have been traditionally dominated by men (Li 2012, p.1496). While this is the case, there has been a recognition that while the government policy on gender balance has largely worked to bring women into those fields within the economy that involves innovation, more still needs to be done to ensure that even more women are interested in them. In order to increase the diverse pool of innovation, the Chinese government tends to adopt policies that encourage its people to have an interest in the technological fields. This is while still young so that when they get to institutions of higher education; they will be able to compete effectively in matters of innovation with the rest of the world (Chen and Tjosvold 2002, p.48). China Efforts Promoting and Driving Innovation in Medical Field and Its Impact China is one of the most respected countries in the world when it comes to medical innovation and this is based mostly on the fact that medical care is provided in a highly individualized basis. The treatment of various diseases that are encountered is a highly individual thing because the doctors conducting such treatment have to consider the needs of their patient before deciding on how best to tackle the disease. In China, the plan for treatment is normally created by the physician who takes a wide range of factors into consideration before deciding what the best scheme is for their patient. Among the factors that Chinese physicians consider before making a treatment plan are the following: they type of disease that is to be treated, the part of the body that has been affected, the state of development of the disease, the age of the patient, and lastly, the overall health status of their patient. While it is the responsibility of the doctor to make a treatment plan for their patients, in the Chinese healthcare facilities, the patients also have a say in it. The physicians have to put into consideration the wishes of their patients concerning the treatment they would like to have. Therefore, it has become an essential part of the Chinese treatment for physicians and their patients to discuss the treatment options open for the latter so that a clear plan of treatment can be created. This has created a situation where people from all over the world who have the ability, tend to head to China to seek medical treatment for ailments which cannot be treated in their home countries. The innovation that has come to be displayed by Chinese medical practitioners, while based on modern medicine, has also been incorporated by the long tested traditional Chinese medicine, with highly effective results (Boumil 2012, p.756). This has contributed significantly to the economic development of China since, with a healthy population as well as the arrival of medical tourists in the country; it has created an environment full of economic opportunities. China Efforts promoting and Driving Innovation in Education and Its Impact The education system of China is one of exemplary in the world and it can be said that it has even surpassed those of many developed countries. The Chinese education system requires that both the teachers and the parents be actively involved in the education of children so that the best results can be achieved. This essentially helps in the development of the innovative skills of children from the time when they are still young to the point of adulthood because between them, parents and teachers recognize the individual talents of the students and nurture it. When this education system is compared to that of the United States, for example, this is not the case because in many circumstances in the latter country, parents do not take an active role in the education of their children, this responsibility being left solely to their teachers (Norris and Shenai 2010, p.157). In China, students who graduate from school graduate on merit, meaning that they have to work particularly hard to achieve the necessary grades. Therefore, it can be said that the Chinese education system is not difficult on students because of the fact that they aim for success from a young age. This system encourages students to be focused not only in their education, but also in the planning of their future, hence ensuring that those who emerge from it are only the best. While there is often a shortage of people who are willing to do vocational work in western countries; this is not the case with China because of the fact that many of the major companies in its economy provide a free hand to their employees to device new and easier ways of doing their work (Wolff 2007, p.56). Since there is no shortage in people who have the necessary technical skills to deal with such things as mechanical issues, it has ensured that the unemployment rate within the Chinese economy is relatively low when compared to other countries (Jiang 2007, p.188). In China, it is no longer necessary for teachers and counselors to encourage students to take up vocational training because there are enough people with technical skills, within the economy, to take up these tasks when called upon (Lewis 2007, p.216). This has ensured that the level of innovation in diverse areas of the Chinese economy is very high and this accounts for its swift development. China Efforts promoting and Driving Innovation in Other Sectors and Its Impact It has been found that one of the reasons why individuals would lose satisfaction in their jobs is because of the lack of independence to be innovative in their work. There are instances where the managements of institutions all over the world chooses to dictate all the processes that their employees should undertake in the workplace. The lack of consultation by the management to the employees ensures that the former does not know what the employees want and as a result, the latter end up not being satisfied with their work conditions. This is not the case in China since employers often make sure that there is frequent consultation with the employees so that any issues from the latter can be addressed and settled (Lazonick 2004, p.273). Furthermore, in China, workers are given the freedom to choose how best to work, as long as what they do is in the best interests of the company for which they work. This has come to ensure that the Chinese workers have a high level of job satisfaction because they are always able to find innovative ways of doing their work without any fear of negative repercussions from the management. The good relationship that has been developed and built between the Chinese employers and the employees through constant consultations and innovative freedom to the latter have ensured that this nation has become one of the leading innovative states in the world (Ma and Shan 2010, p.57). Without the innovative freedom provided to its workers, then the Chinese economy would most likely end up suffering severe repercussions, as this innovation sustains it. It is a fact that in China, plenty of energy has been spent in the search for new and improved formats to assess the performance of workers and because of this, the process has come to receive plenty a lot of attention. This has been done in the belief that the workers in the Chinese economy will be able to live up to their potential to impact their organizations positively by not only encouraging them to work harder, but also to ensure that they become innovative in their work (Wu & Pretty 2004, p.82; Zhou & Li 2008, p.1116). In recent years, attention has also been paid to motivational issues that are related to innovation as well as to the ongoing process of managing the performance of workers because this is the only way through which they can have the opportunity to be able to improve the products that their respective organizations produce (Ju 2012, p.106). The appraisal of the performance of workers by their supervisors in China has come to be considered a social and communication process where the latter are considered the key determinants of how their workers perform. It has been found that if the worker’s preferences match the management practices in use, there is a high likelihood that there will be a positive effect on their rates of innovation. This is because there will not only be an improvement in their performance, but there will also be a means for these workers to develop a better working relationship with their supervisors (Lu & Yu 2010, p.87). One of the most important ways through which many Chinese companies motivate their workers to continue with their innovative practices is through the promotion of those who are exemplary in their innovation skills as well as the giving of pay bonuses, which ensures that the workers continue to strive to do their best. It is the motivation of Chinese workers to be innovative that is for the most part responsible for not only the swift growth of the Chinese economy but also for its sustenance because without them, then the economy would not continue to grow at the same rate as it is today (Ding & Xiao 2010, p.116). It is the dedication of the Chinese workers as well as their relatively high level of innovation coupled by their availability, that has led many multinational corporations to move their production plants to China and this has gone a long way in ensuring the economic development of this country. The innovation in almost all sectors of the Chinese economy can be attributed to the rate at which the people of this nation, encouraged by their government, are encouraged to learn from people from all over the world and improve on what they have learnt (Shu 2012, p.261). Furthermore, it is a fact that because of the highly innovative ways through which the Chinese companies manufacture products, this country is able to sell most of the said product at relatively cheap prices when compared with other countries. This is the reason why China has come to grow so fast economically, with business relationships and operations running all over the world (Heilmann, 2005 pp.8). While the Chinese companies are in those who consume their products do not know many instances, their brands have become quite popular among consumers in many countries and this can be attributed to the innovative spirit of the Chinese. In many of the African nations, in which this country has businesses dealings, the brands under the name Made in China are often the most popular because of their affordability (Zhang 2011, p.225). Most Chinese companies, with very few exceptions, have displayed a high capacity for being able to manage and develop their brands to a high quality level that many of their rivals have rarely been able to match (Li 2001, p.313). This skillful management of their brands in different countries has enabled these companies to become highly successful, as those who work for them receive a high level of training to ensure that the quality of their products is retained. While it is true that the Chinese economy is based on the encouragement, by its government, for its people to be innovative, this vision has yet to be completely achieved. This is because there are still some areas of the Chinese economy where there is a complete lack of innovation and this has created a situation where the products made from these areas are not suitable for consumption in the global market (Teets 2012, p.16). In order to change this, the Chinese government has to work towards ensuring that the innovative aspects of its economy are not only based in certain areas of the economy, but in the whole of it (Li & Mitchell 2009, p.371). In this way, there will develop a balanced economy where all the sectors within it are able to produce those products of the highest quality for both the domestic and the international market, hence ensuring that the economic growth of China continues at greater heights than it is already. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be said that the Chinese economy is heavily dependent on the innovative practices within it in order to be sustained. 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