Cross-Cultural Differences Between Doing Business In France And China

As we revel in the wake of Globalization, models of organizations and styles of management are becoming increasingly similar. However, this conversion has a limit. Some cross-cultural differences will not disappear so easily and managers will have to understand and appreciate these cultural ‘oddities' if they wish to run a successful business.

Let us take China and France as examples of two very different countries that may have cross-cultural problems while doing business. First we will give a general overview of the two countries and then discuss some management practices that may vary between these eastern and western cultures.

General Overview:

France

 Geographical location: Western Europe

 Population: 62.000.000 people

 Language(s): French: 42,100,000 (92%)

Oc languages: 1,670,000 (3.65%)

German and German dialects: 1,440,000 (3.15%)

Oïl languages: 1,420,000 (3.10%)

Arabic: 1,170,000 (2.55%)

 Economic status: France has a balanced and highly diversified market economy in which industry accounts for approximately 27 percent of gross domestic product or GDP (produit intérieur brut), services account for more than 68 percent, and construction, transportation and agriculture play an important role. France has ranked for the past 20 years as the West's fifth economic power.

 Political system: French political system is characterized by the opposition of two political groups: one left-wing, centered around the French Socialist Party, and one right-wing, centered around the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR), then its successor the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP). The French government is republican in form.

 Religion: 62% Roman Catholic, 6% Muslim, ...

... middle of paper ...

...anagerial practice. We believe that a simpler approach, prior to any business problem solving criteria, can lead to a similar three-dimensional classification.

Our guiding principle model, whereby sense of belonging, family or tribal or educational differentiation; culture and religion, the moral set of rules historically promulgated; and management analysis and language, linguistic exactitude or conceptual processes, may also provide a systematic formula for cultural comparison and harmonization.

We further contend that the need for comparative analysis, especially in the magnitude of variations between cultural traits - perhaps derived from ancient differences between hunters and farmers - will allow management training models to be developed. Basic human attributes of patience, trust and integrity should weather most cultural storms. If not, try patience again.