My Assumptions About China And Chinese Culture

In addition, by understanding the culture and societal trends of China, it will be easier to create the most effective marketing strategy and IMC programs for this country. Also, understanding the elements of the business environment of China, such as ethical standards, management styles, formality, and other factors are essential before entering a foreign market.

Business leaders in the US may rely more on formal policies and processes, while Chinese business leaders may stress people orientated practices of loyalty and trustworthiness. These ethical concepts are not necessarily incompatible (many may actually overlap), but do highlight the importance of understanding perceptions from each culture.

When decisions are necessary, especially risky ones, Americans do things differently than Chinese people do. Americans like to get involved and, if possible, make the decisions themselves. They are less likely to avoid the situation for fear of embarrassment or uncertainty. If they are uneasy about their authority to make a decision, they are content to defer or delegate. The Chinese are more likely to make decisions in groups where many people participate. This is somethine to consider when doing business with the Chinese because the way we would handle things in America might make them feel slighted or

The legal system is another issue to be considered when doing business in China because it is still viewed as being in a developing stage. Contracts, for example, are highly influenced by this difference. In the Chinese culture, contracts describe how relationships will be developed whereas in the United States, the contract is a binding agreement that spells out the specific terms, conditions and expectations from each party involved. As Company X pursues the possibility of expanding business to China, it must understand that the Chinese business culture does not place as much emphasis on the binding force of a written contract.

Nowadays, exploring the differences in overall cultural value structures among different cultures has gradually grew business’s attention across the world. No matter small companies or global conglomerates, how to get involve and maintain their competitive advantages and long-term sustainable success in global business trade has been a heated topic to discuss. To fully understand the ethic differences and cultural influences, the following four aspects will help us to uncover the similarities and differences between the American and Chinese cultures.

The following examines the nation of China and its trade relations with the world, particularly the United States. The focus is primarily on China’s culture and how it impacts business dealings with other countries. Areas examined include: Religion, Management Philosophy, and Business Etiquette. Also discussed is China’s growing status as a world super power and how that has impacted the global business landscape. Likewise, various trading partners are examined and the effects of doing business with China, specifically for the United States. Points of concern for the United States are things such as the

This process has more significance in most countries except the Unites States. The approach in the U.S. is to get down to business straight away without wasting too much time on people. This is in stark contrast to the process in China where the focus is on building “Guanxi”, that is, the intricate and omnipresent network of personal relations. The U.S. approach can be a huge problem when doing business with China. The American efficiency interferes with the patient development of a mutually trusting relationship – the very basis of an Asian business agreement. This is what happened in the case study. Mr. Smith had done his research and was aware about the Chinese business methodology, but he did not think it was important to implement it. He was well advised by Mr. Tang. Mr. Tang, even though pointed out the significant features of the “American” and the “Chinese” way of doing business, did not stress enough to make Mr. Smith understand its significance. Mr. Tang also jeopardized his relationship with Mrs. Ming whom he had known for many years by not disclosing that the supplier was not a direct supplier.

While in China during my study abroad trip I realized that I gained a new insight on culture and the unique differences in others; overcoming various challenges such as adapting to cultural differences, learning Mandarin, and even eating various traditional delicacies such as chicken feet. However, the cultural differences captivated me – the understanding of power distance and uncertainty avoidance in the Chinese culture allowed me to comprehend the complexity and beauty a different culture can possess. There were many unique sociocultural characteristics, however from an accounting student perspective; the noticeable cultural business differences were fascinating.

The geographical area of China is more than 9 million square kilometers and as a result, it is the fourth largest country in the world. There are several ethnic groups in China, the Han Chinese is the largest group, and it is found in almost all parts of the country. Other minority groups include Tibetan, Zhuang, Korean, and Mongol. The Chinese society is high context and non-verbal. The Chinese people acquire the knowledge of what they are supposed to do and say even if they are not told through conversation. Voice and facial expressions play a critical role in determining the feelings in a person. They do not have facial expressions when in a conversation. Direct eye contact is avoided because it is viewed as a symbol of disrespect (Clair & Norris, 2011).

     On the other hand, Chinese worker are centered on relationship. Chinese focus on relationship with others and live in the world of trust. Chinese trust people around them in their work place. Often, Chinese did not require signing contract in every agreement unlike American where all agreement must be in contract. By trusting others credibility, it helps create a friendly working environment and promotes intimate relationship among the workers. However, their main weakness is their business culture, where they are quiet and reserved which will reduce their credibility when dealing with American. They weakness also made them a weak immediate decision maker. As for interpersonal problem, Chinese are very concern about the good relationship, and hold it as their top priorities. Chinese would not do any agreement or trade that could harm their relationship with others. Lastly, Chinese are very polite and indirect. They try as hard to prevent the relationship from

Chinese workers believe that close personal relationships are imperative to effective communication. American companies don’t share the same views and some organizations have even related this to workplace fraternization, which can result in disciplinary action. Since we don’t believe that these relationships are necessary, or even appropriate, we don’t form them and this could affect a bi-national workplace and possibly even carry over to business dealings outside of the company. The Chinese believe that, when conducting business with other people, a relationship must first be formed to gain the trust of business partners.

Another value that is very important in Chinese culture is trust. Trust lies at the heart of successful long-term intercultural business relationships. Therefore, Oldtown employee must be prepared in gaining the Chinese Manager in China trust to deal with business. In China, the cross-cultural business relationships, trust plays an indispensable role since partners from different cultures don’t always have the same values or assumptions about how business works. When trust is developed, partners can navigate difficult issues over time by fostering a candid exchange of ideas, issues and agendas. Developing trust can significantly reduce what Westerners often complain of in their dealings with Chinese counterparts: unpredictable behavior and a lack of transparency. As a Chinese executive at Google put it, “In China, your success depends on how well a person trusts you.”

This paper aims to explore the cultural barriers that GM encounters while doing business in China especially in terms of language and Asian mind difference. As a matter of fact, we cannot examine all the cultural barriers due to the scope of the paper. On the other hand, some differences emerging from different thinking behavior between US and China are exemplified in the second part of the paper. In the first part, the company information and the SWOT analysis of GM are given before going further with the Asian operations of the company.

With China emerging as a global power in business within the last decade, knowing about doing business in China has become more important than ever. There are both many advantanges and challenges with doing business in China in this modern era, and understanding both sides of this coin is the key to being successful in China. Some aspects to keep in mind include the cultural barrier, the price of the work force in China compared to the United States, and have the “made in China” brand be accepted back in the United States.

Whenever a company is entering a new market it has to take into consideration the cultural differences between countries. Based on the case study analysis, the difference between the two countries in terms of eating out habits and eating preferences seem not to be understood by the Denver headquarter. Denver headquarter believes that it can enforce the same business model applied in the U.S to its stores in China, regardless of local preference. In addition, Foster seems to lack knowledge about the Chinese culture because she was not familiar with the market in China, as she had no experience working internationally. There was a lack of cross-cultural communication between Chen and Foster; even though, Chen had experienced both cultures while studying abroad in the U.S.