In September 2014, pro-democracy activists gathered outside of Hong Kong's government headquarters to protest the proposed electoral reform in what became known as the Umbrella Revolution. The proposed electoral reform established that a nominating committee would elect three electoral candidates before the public was allowed to vote on them. The protesters completely blocked several major intersections for full days. Government officers began a civil disobedience campaign shortly after by using tear gas, but the police efforts against them only encouraged more people to join the protest. Neither party was going to budge. The United Nations Human rights committee said, "the need to ensure universal suffrage means both the right to be elected and the right to vote."
There is not any place in the world that is further away from us than China. It is easy for us to disregard China as half a globe away with completely different ideals than we have. However, China has been growing economically, and some economists speculate that it may beat out the U.S. and become the largest world power. It is very concerning to think that the most powerful country in the world could be one that does not allow equal suffrage and could use tear gas to fight protesters among many other horrible tactics. What would this mean for the world? On the other hand, these protests reveal a side of China that we can cheer for. They are people that are fighting for the freedoms that Americans take for granted everyday. They also teach us lessons about how business works in the free market. Here is what pro-democracy Hong Kong can teach us about business:
1. It is all about the consumer
The protesters are angry that they cannot elect whatever government officials they choose. They want to elect the officials that they believe support the will of the people, and they believe that their vote should be a basic freedom.
Their desire for freedom to elect any official is much like a freedom to buy the best product or support the best company. Customers do not enjoy buying from a company that they feel does not have their best interest in mind. Instead, they gravitate towards friendly, trustworthy, and familiar companies where they know they will be properly taken care of. If consumers get the feeling that your company is only after their money, reg flags start to go off, and the consumer is out the door. You need to create a trustworthy atmosphere and express your concern for the well-being of your consumers.
2. Honesty is the best policy
As we can see from the relentless protests, dishonest policies do not go unpunished. This is very applicable to business because there are many opportunities for business owners to skip some important details, give misleading information, or otherwise act unethically. The media always has a way of finding out what businesses are doing under the table, and when they do, customers become outraged. They feel as if they have been tricked, manipulated, and lied to. That is not an easy perception to change.
3. Equality of social classes
The protesters in Hong Kong represent a broad range of social classes from professionals to middle and lower class workers. In addition, the leader of Hong Kong is resistant to allow the poor the right to vote because he believes that they could sway the results. The poor have power.
When conducting a business, remember not to treat people differently just because they are from different social classes. You should hold yourself to equal expectations of service and responsibility no matter who your client it. This is because anyone with a voice has power.
4. Problems don't just go away
Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong began in the 1980s, and they are still rising up again today. Now, protesters refuse to back down despite their leader's promise that they have “almost a zero chance” of changing Beijing’s stance and securing free elections. These protesters are not going away without being properly handled and neither are problems in business.
Business owners often leave problems unsolved for long periods of time. For example, businesses may not properly handle angry customers. With today's technology, an angry customer can go on Twitter and say whatever they want to say about the company. If this spreads enough, the company may face boycott and end up having to make a formal apology. This could have easily been avoided by handling the upset customer's issue and offering whatever services needed to provide satisfaction.
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