Will China Continue to Be a Growth Marketplace? China is expected to have some 200 million people in the middle-and upper-income categories by the early 2020s. This is a tenfold increase in people with significant purchasing power in China in the last decade, from only about 17 million people in these income brackets as recently as in 2010. China’s purchasing power for virtually all products and services has strong potential, and foreign companies now strategically try to take advantage of these market opportunities. What have we learned culturally that can help companies establish themselves in China’s marketplace? What went wrong early on? The experience of well-known companies such as Best Buy and eBay can serve as a learning experience for others. From a retail perspective, the motivation for many foreign companies to enter China some years ago – beyond those companies that have been in China for decades to achieve low-cost production-was the triple growth of the Chinse economy that was seen from 2000 to 2010. With this growth, China overlook Japan to become the second-largest economy in the world behind only the United States, and its large population makes for an enormous target market. Investment from foreign companies was the largest driver of China’s growth. Many companies also increased their exports to China. The United States, for example, saw its companies increase exports to China by 542 percent from 2000 to 2011 (from about $16.2 billion to $103.9 billion), while total exports to the rest of the world by U.S. companies increased by only 80 percent in the same time period. Exporting to China has become somewhat stagnant in the last few years, now representing about $113 billion. Interestingly, domestic consumption as a share of the Chinese economy has declined from 46 percent to 33 percent. This consumption decline-coupled with slower growth globally-has raised questions about China’s momentum. Tight now, around 85 percent of mainstream Chinese consumers are living in the top 100 wealthiest cities. By the early 2020s, these advanced and developing cities will have relatively few customers who are lower than the middle-and upper-income brackets by Chinese standards. The expectation is that these consumers will be able to afford a range of developed nations’ products and services, such as flat-screen televisions and overseas travel, making the Chinese customer much more of a target for a wide variety of consumption. But can the unprecedented Chinese growth really continue, and would it come from increased consumption? The resounding answer is yes, according to McKinsey & Company. McKinsey found that barring another major economic shock similar to what we saw in 2008, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) will continue to grow, albeit not at the historic levels seen between 2000 and 2010, when it grew about 10.4 percent annually. The growth in the 2020s is expected to be about 5.5 percent per year (until 2030), which is still far a.

1. Will China Continue to Be a Growth Marketplace?
China is expected to have some 200 million people in the
middle-and upper-income categories by the early 2020s. This is
a tenfold increase in people with significant purchasing power
in China in the last decade, from only about 17 million people
in these income brackets as recently as in 2010. China’s
purchasing power for virtually all products and services has
strong potential, and foreign companies now strategically try to
take advantage of these market opportunities.
What have we learned culturally that can help companies
establish themselves in China’s marketplace? What went wrong
early on? The experience of well-known companies such as Best
Buy and eBay can serve as a learning experience for others.
From a retail perspective, the motivation for many foreign
companies to enter China some years ago – beyond those
companies that have been in China for decades to achieve low-
cost production-was the triple growth of the Chinse economy
that was seen from 2000 to 2010.
With this growth, China overlook Japan to become the second-
largest economy in the world behind only the United States, and
its large population makes for an enormous target market.
Investment from foreign companies was the largest driver of
China’s growth. Many companies also increased their exports to
China. The United States, for example, saw its companies
increase exports to China by 542 percent from 2000 to 2011
(from about $16.2 billion to $103.9 billion), while total exports
to the rest of the world by U.S. companies increased by only 80
percent in the same time period. Exporting to China has become
somewhat stagnant in the last few years, now representing about
$113 billion.
Interestingly, domestic consumption as a share of the Chinese
economy has declined from 46 percent to 33 percent. This
consumption decline-coupled with slower growth globally-has
raised questions about China’s momentum. Tight now, around

2. 85 percent of mainstream Chinese consumers are living in the
top 100 wealthiest cities. By the early 2020s, these advanced
and developing cities will have relatively few customers who
are lower than the middle-and upper-income brackets by
Chinese standards. The expectation is that these consumers will
be able to afford a range of developed nations’ products and
services, such as flat-screen televisions and overseas travel,
making the Chinese customer much more of a target for a wide
variety of consumption.
But can the unprecedented Chinese growth really continue, and
would it come from increased consumption? The resounding
answer is yes, according to McKinsey & Company. McKinsey
found that barring another major economic shock similar to
what we saw in 2008, China’s gross domestic product (GDP)
will continue to grow, albeit not at the historic levels seen
between 2000 and 2010, when it grew about 10.4 percent
annually. The growth in the 2020s is expected to be about 5.5
percent per year (until 2030), which is still far above the
expected growth for the United States (2.8 percent annually),
Japan (1.2 percent annually), and Germany (1.7 percent
annually). And the key is that consumption will now be the
driving force behind the growth in China instead of foreign
investment. The consumption forecast opens up opportunities
for foreign companies to engage with Chinese consumers who
are expected to have more purchasing power and discretionary
spending.
But culturally translating market success from one country or
even large number of countries to the Chinese marketplace is
not necessarily as straightforward as it may seem. Often, a
combination of naivete, arrogance, and cultural
misunderstanding have led many well-know companies to fail in
China. Lack of an understanding of issues such as local
demands, buying habits, consumption values, and Chinese
customers’ personal beliefs led to struggles for companies that
had been very successful elsewhere in the world. And as global
as China is becoming, cultural differences still get magnified in

3. the Chinese marketplace. Let’s take a look at Best Buy and
eBay as two examples.
Best Buy, the mega-store mainly focused on consumer
electronics, was founded in 1966 as an audio specialty store.
Best Buy entered China in 2006 by acquiring a majority interest
in China’s fourth-largest appliance retailer, Jiangsu Five Star
Appliance, for $180 million. But culture shock hit Best Buy’s,
best described by Shaun Rein, the founder of China Market
Research Group. First, the Chinese will not pay for overly
expensive products unless they are a brand like Apple. Second,
there is too much piracy in the Chinese market, and this reduces
demand for electronics products at competitive market prices.
Third, like many Europeans, the Chinese do not want to shop at
huge mega-stores. So, these three seemingly easy-to-understand
cultural issued created difficulties for Best Buy.
eBay, the popular e-business site focused on consumer-to-
consumer purchases, was founded in 1995. The company was
one of the true success stories that lived through the dot-com
bubble in the 1990s. It is now a multibillion-dollar business
with operations in more than 30 countries. But China’s unique
culture created problems for eBay. Contrary to the widespread
cultural issues that faced Best Buy. One company in particular
(Alibaba) and one feature more specifically (built-in instant
messaging) shaped a lot of the problems that eBay ran into in
China. Some 200 million shoppers are using Alibaba’s Tmall
and Taobao platforms to buy products, and the company
accounts for almost 80 percent of online transaction value in
China.
Uniquely, Taobao’s built-in instant messaging system has been
cited as a main reason for its edge over eBay in China.
Basically, customers wanted to be able to identify a sellers’
online status and communicate with them directly and easily-a
function not seamlessly incorporated into eBay’s China system.
Clearly, built-in instant text messaging is a solvable obstacle in
doing business in China. It sounds easy now that we know about
it, but it may not always be the case when we take into account

4. all the little things that are important in a market. How can a
foreign company entering China ensure that it tackles the most
important “little” things that end up being huge barriers to
success?
Dialects I
Defiitiois
• “Acceit”, as used by liiguists, usually
refers to proiuiciatioi.
• “Veriacular”: a ioi-staidard dialect.
• “Dialect” covers proiuiciatioi, grammar,
etc.
“Laiguage” versus “Dialect”
• Ii this class, a “dialect” of laiguage L is just
a variety of L.
• This doesn’t imply more or less prestige:
the “staidard” is a dialect too: just the
staidard variety of L.
• By defiitioi, everyoie speaks a dialect,
possibly more thai oie.

5. “Laiguage” versus “Dialect”
• How to tell two dialects from two
laiguages?
• Mutual compreheisibility? The problem is
that compreheisibility isi’t all or iothiig,
but a coitiiuum.
• The distiictioi betweei dialect aid
language seems simpler thai it is.
“Laiguage” versus “Dialect”
• Thus Dutch speakers cai uiderstaid
ieighboriig Germai dialects easily, Staidard
Germai less easily, aid Swiss Germai iot at all.
(Trudgill readiig)
• Geographical coitiiua make it hard, e.g.,
from The Netherlaids to Switzerlaid.
Is “Laiguage” a political term or a
liiguistic oie?
1) Educated speakers of Daiish, Norwegiai, aid Swedish cai
uiderstaid each other. But these are regarded as difereit
laiguages.
2) Difereit “dialects” of Chiiese (such as Maidarii) are
mutually iicompreheisible.

6. 3) Serbo-Croatiai was the iame givei to what is spokei ii
Serbia, Croatia, Bosiia-Hercegoviia, aid Moiteiegro uitil
receit years. Today speakers are more likely to say they speak
Serbiai, Croatiai...
“A laiguage is a dialect with ai army aid
a iavy.”
What is this tryiig to say?
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige
• Laiguages are always slowly chaigiig
Old English forms of the verb ‘to hear’
Present indicative Imperative
1st per hi:ere
2nd per hi:erst hi:er
3rd per hi:erth
plural hi:erath hi:erath
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige
• Laiguages are always slowly chaigiig
Old English forms of the verb ‘to hear’

7. Present subjunctive Preterite indicative
1st per hi:ere hi:erde
2nd per hi:ere hi:erdest
3rd per hi:ere hi:erde
plural hi:eren hi:erdon
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige
• Laiguages are always slowly chaigiig
Old English forms of the verb ‘to hear’
Preterite subjunctive Infinitive: hi:eran
sing hi:erde
plural hi:erden Pres part: hi:erende
Past part: (ge-)hi:ered
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige
• Some internal causes of chaige:
Phoietic:
in + possible --> impossible (cf. inappropriate)
pen --> pin
Regularizatioi:
I/you/he don’t, kine --> cows, mine/yourn/hisn,

8. hisself/theirselves
Raidom variatioi?
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige
• Some external causes of chaige:
Borrowiig:
rodeo, latte, déjà vu, ...
Other laiguage coitact, especially “substrate”
efects:
I don’t like lasagna. Spaghetti I like. (Yiddish)
Is it to the store you’re going? (Irish)
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige
• Some external causes of chaige:
Substrate efects are the result of “carry over” of oie
laiguage’s rules iito aiother (here Eiglish), by
biliigual speakers. The efects cai be permaieit.
Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid
Laiguages: Chaige

9. • Some external causes of chaige:
Migratiois, by leadiig to laiguage coitact, or to
geographical separatioi.
Geographical aid social barriers.
This last oie is key. Siice dialect/laiguage chaige goes ii
uipredictable directiois, oice oie liiguistically
homogeious commuiity is split ii two, the two are likely to
“evolve” ii difereit directiois.
The sounds of boot and boat are fronting; those of beet and bait
are backing and lowering; bit and bet are fronting and raising.
This is a feature of rural southern dialects.
Occurring in cities of the Great Lakes region, such as Chicago,
Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo. Note the circular “chain shift”.
Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide
9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide
17Slide 18Slide 19Slide 20Slide 21

10. Dialects II
On the Origins of Dialects and
Languages: Spread
• If language is varying in small ways all the
time, why do only some changes “catch on”
and grow? How do changes move between
speakers?
• Language is an important marker of group
identity or membership. Speakers may or
may not be aware of using language in this
way.
Martha’s Vineyard, early 1960s
William Labov, a pioneering sociolinguist, studied the use of a
‘raised’ pronunciation of the diphthong sound in right, life, etc.
Age 14-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 75-
37 81 62 35 25
(Numbers indicate phonetic degree of raising)
When grouped by “orientation towards Martha’s Vineyard”:
Positive: 63 Neutral: 32 Negative: 9

11. Martha’s Vineyard, early 1960s
Age 14-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 75-
37 81 62 35 25
People in the 31-45 age group were hardest hit by a decline in
traditional livelihoods like fshing, and the infux of summer
residents
from the mainland. More than any other group, they faced a
choice
between leaving Martha’s Vineyard and struggling to make it.
The people with the very highest raising: those who had left for
the mainland and decided to come back.
New York: percentage of r-dropping in
‘fourth foor’ in upper, middle, and lower
class department stores (Labov)
Upper Class Middle Class Lower Class
38 49 83
New York: pronunciation of ‘bad’ as ‘bay-ad’
or ‘be-ad’. Score of 1.0 means consistent
‘be-ad’; 4.0 is standard pronunciation.
Upper Class Middle Class Lower Class
2.7 2.5 2.3

12. Detroit: percentage of times double
negatives are used:
Upper Middle Lower Middle Upper Working Lower
Working
2 11 38 70
Detroit: percentage of ‘s’ deletion in third
person verbs, e.g., he know:
Upper Middle Lower Middle Upper Working Lower
Working
1 10 57 71
Correlations like this can be found refecting
every group division imaginable: besides
geography and class: age, sex, ethnicity
(refected in some of the above), religion,
and on a smaller scale, ‘in-groups’ versus
‘out-groups’ of all kinds.
The connection to language/dialect change
and diferentiation: it seems that changes
“catch on” and spread for social reasons.
When a linguistic variable becomes a marker
of social identity, whether consciously or
not, it is liable to spread throughout the

13. relevant group.
Consciously or not, we tend to emulate
the language of those with whom we
identify.
Summary: Dialect / Language
Dialects vs. Language
“Language” as a term conveys prestige
From a linguistic standpoint, a langauge is just
another dialect
Also, for this reason, learning a new dialect
can be akin to learning a new language
(depending on how similar the dialects are)
Summary: Reasons for
Dialects
There are cognitive and social reasons
we have linguistic variation
Cognitive
Analogy, regularization, overgeneralization,
etc.
Social

14. Group affinity, identity, inclusion/exclusion
Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide
11Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16
Paper Topics1
Language, Society, and Culture
Papers should be no shorter than 4 pages, and no longer than 7.
This assumes a word count of at
least 200 words per page. In order to help us read them and
comment on them, papers should be
written on one side of the page only, with one-inch margins.
They should be typed. Please staple
all pages together.
Here are some guidelines for the papers. It would be a
good idea for you read these points
periodically and think about them.
written as professionally as
possible. For instance, they should have introductions and
conclusions; they should be
very carefully written, and carefully thought out; and so on.
argument that 'holds it together' –
whether the suggested topics below discuss this or not. A
central focus is critical to a
good paper. With every paragraph you write, ask yourself,
"What role is this paragraph
playing in the overall argument or point I am making with this
paper? Is that clear to my

15. reader?"
have done the reading, that
you've been engaged in the class discussions, and that you can
respond critically to the
material that has been covered. If you paper makes no contact
with course material, it
will be weak.
about what you have read and
about what has been happening in class. Therefore, your writing
assignments should
make it clear that you know the relevant reading and know what
has happened in class.
You should go beyond this, however, drawing on your own
experience, extending the
ideas to new domains, or responding critically.
concrete examples of whatever
you are writing about, rather than on general assertions alone.
Also, define the concepts
and terms you bring up.
the topics we will discuss, it is very tempting to fall
into the trap of making
assertions that aren't supported, relying on feeling or popular
opinion more than reason.
Please make every effort instead to focus your thinking, make
your reasoning clear, and
argue for what you say.
research on your own, or would

16. benefit from that. You should be comfortable using the library
resources. If you need help
getting started there, talk to one of us, or talk to a librarian.
is not in our class and
has no magic knowledge of the material.
(Orwell's tips on good
writing, which we’ll see, aren't bad!) Please write in order to
get your point across, not to
impress the reader with your vocabulary or prowess with
complex subordinate clauses.
quotes. E.g., 'In Maryland
the word skillet is used for frying pan'.
1 Many thanks to Jaye Padget oo this document!
Whenever you are repeating
other people’s ideas, or quoting them, you should cite them. A
separate handout provides
examples of citation forms and bibliographies.
Topic Ideas
You are free to choose your own topic so long as you get the
OK from one of us. Also, even if
you do one of the topics below, you don’t need to follow the
suggestions exactly. Most of the
content of a paper is up to you!

17. I. Good language and bad language
A) Analyze some published examples of prescriptivism. These
might be in letters to the editor, or
in regular columns by someone, or in a book by a prescriptivist.
Or they might be found in
web-based prescriptive sources, of which there are many. Your
paper should give concrete
examples of prescriptive judgments (points of usage,
vocabulary, etc.). In addition, you should
consider those examples in light of our class discussions. What
sort of argument does each
exemplify? Are the arguments made explicitly, or are they
assumed? Do you think the
assumptions/arguments are valid? Why or why not?
II. Dialects
A) There are two aphorisms that have often been used to
describe the difference between
languages and dialects. (The second can be read in several
ways, but it is intended to mean
something similar to the first.)
1. A language is a dialect with an army and a navy.
2. A dialect is a language which didn't succeed.
Discuss the appropriateness of these aphorisms, based on your
reading so far and on your
understanding of class discussion. What are they trying to say?
Is it true? Be sure to discuss
specific examples and to make explicit reference to the reading
and to class discussion. Bring in
and discuss at least one relevant case that has not been
discussed in class or the readings.

18. B) If you are acquainted enough with a non-standard dialect of
English – or of any language –
write a paper presenting it as a case study. Where is this dialect
spoken? By whom? What are
some features of the pronunciation, lexicon, or grammar that
distinguish this dialect from the
standard? Give as many specific examples as you can. What is
the social status of this dialect?
For example, do speakers of this dialect feel it has less prestige
than the standard? Do they
express feelings of inadequacy about it? Or on the other hand, is
this dialect a marker of
solidarity with some group? How do non-speakers of this dialect
seems to regard it? Based on
what evidence? It could be very helpful to conduct an interview
of a speaker of this dialect (or a
self-interview, if you are a speaker).
C) This topic focuses you on the “Ebonics” issue. Start with the
articles by A. J. Verdelle (in the
“Optional” folder in the Dialect readings and Pullum on this
controversy. They present different
points of view. They differ, for example on whether they think
AAVE is a fully grammatical
form of language and its use in the classroom would benefit
students. Consider how their
different backgrounds and analyses lead them to their
conclusions. Then discuss where you stand
yourself on the issue. For this topic, you should also research
the “Ann Arbor Decision”
concerning education and AAVE, laying out the essential facts
and using what you learn to
inform this essay. (Warning: go beyond sources like Wikipedia

19. in researching this case.)
III. Linguistic relativity, Newspeak
A) In the essay "Politics and the English Language", George
Orwell writes
In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense
of the indefensible.
Discuss some of the techniques used to 'defend the indefensible'
- those considered by Orwell
and those we considered in class. Be as specific as you can;
discuss as many particular examples
as you can. It might be useful to look again at "Standard
English and the Complaint Tradition",
by Milroy and Milroy. Make sure to relate your essay in some
detail to the concepts of linguistic
relativity discussed in class.
B) What does Deborah Cameron (supplemental reading) mean
by 'verbal hygiene'? Be as precise as
you can, and cite as many examples as you can. Much of what
Cameron discusses is commonly
known as 'PC speak'. Talk to your friends and relatives about
'PC speak'. How do they
understand this notion? (Do they give examples?) What emerges
from this talk? Does this topic
elicit any derision, annoyance, or anger? Any other reactions?
Why do you think this is? In your
opinion, are the feelings justified? Make sure to relate your
essay in some detail to the concepts
of linguistic relativity discussed in class.
C) Assess linguistic re-appropriation. In class we mentioned
that some groups are attempting to re-

20. appropriate or reclaim words historically used against them.
Give a description of how this
movement originated and what it's goals are. Critically assess
these goals in terms of linguistic
determinism and relativity.
IV. Bilingualism, multilingualism, Official English
A) Choose someone you know personally who is (close to) a
balanced bilingual. ‘Balanced
bilingual’ means someone who speaks more than one language
(near)-natively and fluently, as
opposed to someone, say, who has learned a second language
well through study. This person
could be yourself, or a member of your family, or a friend, a
classmate, or someone you work
with. Talk to her or him and on the basis of what you are told,
write an account of that person's
linguistic history. Concentrate on questions like the following:
what were the circumstances that
led to that person being or becoming bilingual? At what ages or
in what contexts were the different
language acquired? Which of the languages does he or she still
use today? What language is used under
what circumstances? Have there been changes in the pattern of
ability or of use over time? What caused
those changes? What attitude does the person express towards
his or her own bilingualism? Is he/she
glad to be bilingual, does he/she feel the bilingualism to be
burdensome, or is it merely a routine fact of
life?
With this topic it's worth stressing that the strongest papers will

21. also try to go beyond what is
suggested above, by finding ways of linking the case examined
to questions or theories about
bilingualism that have come up in class.
B) Language issues have been the focus of political debate and
social conflict in many countries.
If you have a special interest in one such country, or if you have
particular personal knowledge
of one, describe it. Describe the language situation in that
country as fully and as concisely as
you can. How or why have language questions become a source
of conflict? What form do those
conflicts currently take? Compare the situation you are
describing with some of the situations
which have been discussed in this course; discuss the situation
in terms of some of the concepts
that have emerged in your reading and in class. If you write
about one of the countries or
situations that have been discussed in the course, you need to
make sure that your essay goes
farther than the basic information available from the course
reading or from class discussion.
C) Read Richard Rodriguez' essay "An Education in
Language", from the Optional readings
folder (under Bilingualism). What do you think the essential
point or content of the piece is?
That is, if you had to provide a quick summary to an interested
friend saying why this essay was
interesting and/or important, what would you say? Write what
you imagine the response to this
essay would be from someone who believes firmly in the
benefits of Bilingual Education.
Finally, write a brief adjudication between the two sides of this
imaginary debate. If you are

22. interested in finding out more about bilingual education, an
excellent source is Chapter 8 of
Kenji Hakuta's book Mirror on Language: the Debate on
Bilingualism.
D) Our optional readings also contain two essays in support of
the "Official English" movement,
one by Norman Shumway and one by S. I. Hayakawa. Write a
critical response to these two
essays, either agreeing or disagreeing with the point of view
expressed, but in either case
examining carefully the logic of the arguments used and
especially the presuppositions that lie
behind them. It is most important in this assignment that you
avoid generalizations, slogans, and
accusations. What is needed is a close, careful, and objective
scrutiny of the arguments presented
in the papers. Be sure to make specific reference to the
arguments actually presented. Be sure to
avoid responding emotionally to what you imagine the
arguments might have been.
V. Internet, Technology and Speech
A) Find a popular news article or op-ed that argues that texting
or a similar change in technology is
degrading our language. Using materials from class and ones
you find on your own, critique this
article. Are some of their points valid? What points are not?
VI. Language contact, death, and revival
A) Choose one of the indigenous languages of the U.S. Find out
what you can about the state of

23. that language today. Is it extinct? Is it flourishing? Is it
moribund or threatened? What kind of
people (young, old) speak the language today? Is it used in
educational settings? When is it
used (if at all)? What are the pressures working for or against
this language today? As usual,
relate what you find and argue to issues raised in class and in
readings.
B) One of the readings in this subject area was by Peter
Ladefoged, who was a phonetician from
UCLA who had considerable experience working with minority
languages in many parts of the
world. Ladefoged’s article was a skeptical response to the
article by Ken Hale et al., which you
also read. This paper topic invites you to examine Ladefoged’s
article in depth and respond.
Comparing it with the other readings for this Subject Area, do
you find Ladefoged's skepticism
persuasive? Write a critical response to this essay, taking into
consideration the issues raised in
the other papers and in class.
VII. Language and gender
In class we have considered a number of ways in which men's
and women's speech are said to
differ. One set of such differences has to do with the ways in
which men and women supposedly
use speech in conversation, and in other social interactions in
which speech plays an important
role. Present first what has been claimed about men's and
women's use of speech (from class and
readings). Then observe some scene around you - a class
meeting, a discussion section, a formal
meeting, a conversation, a family gathering. Watch as closely as

24. you can what the patterns of
verbal interaction are. If you can get away with it, you might
even try getting video (with
permission, of course). It’s much easier to observe with the
benefit of playback. Report your
observations. Do they conform to the expectations about gender
and language use? Avoid
generalities. Be as specific as you can.
As we saw in class, many claims about language and gender
may be wrong; or they may really
have to do with something like language use and power or status
(where status and gender are
often confounded). Regard your observations with some probing
skepticism. What do they
show?
Assignment Workload:
· This Assignment consists Case Study.
· Every student is to submit the assignment individually.
· Word limit is given as minimum 1500.
Assignment Purposes/Outcomes:
After completion of Assignment-1 students will able to
· Answer questions related to case study.
Assignment Regulation:
· All students are encouraged to use their own word.
· Student must apply “Times New Roman Style” with 1.5 space
within their reports.
· A mark of zero will be given for any submission that includes
copying from other resource without referencing it.
· Assignment -1 should be submitted on or before the end of

25. Week-07.
· If the assignment shows more than 25% plagiarism, the
students would be graded zero.
· Citing of references is also necessary.
Assignment-1
Please read Case 4: “Will China Continue to Be a Growth
Marketplace?” available in your textbook, and answer the
following questions:
· Assignment Questions:
1. Will China maintain its strong economic growth in the years
to come? Some suggest it will until 2050. What do you think?
2. If China will go from 17 million to 200 million middle- and
upper-income people by the early 2020s, would the scenario
presented by Best Buy not be applicable anymore? Would newly
rich Chinese customers engage in this purchasing in the 2020s?
3. With Alibaba’s ownership of the very popular Tmall and
Taobao online shopping systems (similar to eBay and Amazon)
and its spread across the world, will a Western-based online
shopping culture ultimately infiltrate China?