Before doing business in China, there’s a few things needed to know about this to-be home away from home for the company. A completely different world from that of the United States, this second largest supplier is as simple as our own in business etiquette, and a few simple things can go a long way. Social-cultural, economy, legal-political, and managerial differences are just a few categories of information to be taken into consideration when pursuing a business agenda in China.
Social-Cultural
The first rule of business in China stems from the social and cultural aspects of China, such as accepting them as a whole. This is the essence of business in China, because acceptance and understanding generates the groundwork for the whole relationship.
Working with China is the first step to success as they are open to the business, and will accept the business without a problem. The starting point for personal communication is a factor of large importance, as people should always be addressed by their job title, educational background, or qualifications. This shows respect in the workplace, and should be shown as sincere through a smile or handshake. When it comes to conversation, it is appropriate to ask about the person’s life, but not to become too involved in their privacy (Greetings in China).
When conducting business, a handshake is expected to be accompanied by a business card. Have plenty, because they are extremely popular, but try to make them appropriate for the location with one side being in English and the other side being in Chinese. To go along with this, be aware that business affairs are lengthy in China, largely resulting from the fact that relationships enforce contracts due to the lack of a government to do the...
... middle of paper ...
...usiness Law, Top 10 Legal Tips for Doing Business in China. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.uschinabiz.com/TopTens/ChinaBusinessLaw.aspx
China Economy: Population, GDP, Facts, Trade, Business, Inflation, Corruption. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/index/country/china
Facts about Business in China. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.usa-chinanet.com/China-facts.aspx
Fogel, G. K. (n.d.). BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN CHINA: ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL FACTORS. Retrieved from http://business.usi.edu/abe/2010/Fogel-2010.pdf
Greetings in China, Ways to Address Chinese People, Phatic Communion. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/chinese-etiquette/greetings/
Management Style Differences between China and the U.S | Connect East | connecteast. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.connecteast.net/blog/management-style-difference.html
This is more important for a woman, as they are considered equal to men by the written law, but not necessarily by the spirit of the law. The first fact to be aware of is that if you are a woman in a leadership position going to China for a business trip, it is important that you are well prepared for the differences in culture. Passport to China provides a convenient example to demonstrate what the expectation is when sending a woman in a leadership position to China. It says, “An introduction letter that clearly indicates the female leader’s position, accomplishments, and credentials should be sent to China in advance” (p. 39). This implies that if a woman were to be present at a business meeting unexpectedly the Chinese participants may be surprised or even annoyed. Chinese businessmen normally assume that for a Westernized Women to be in power, she must be very competent at her job. When negotiating and speaking, the women in power should always be the first one to answer the questions, and not have the other attendees speak out of turn. A good tip to have when speaking with a Chinese man is that he will typically avoid eye contact with a woman. This a natural thing, that men commonly do when dealing with women in business. In the US it is considered acceptable to speak about women’s position of power outside of the workplace, but in China, it is
...st to the entrance where the back is facing the entrance. During the meal, it is advised to start eating after the host proposes a toast as a starter; dishes should be picked out when the dish is in front of you; dishes should not be picked up so much at one time and chew the food slowly. Although learning Chinese etiquette can be tough because one requires being cautious about table manners and eating habits when dining with the Chinese, but it is however a secrets to build a successful business relationship in China. This is due to the history in China whereby Chinese are usually slow in accepting any outsiders into their comfort zone and less likely to trust others easily. Thus, first impression are usually very important for the Chinese because it builds trust between people and it will be develop through the knowledge of Chinese dining etiquette.
The article also give snap shot of the foreign companies who misjudge the Chinese culture, competition, size the market, and some other factors, have been badly affected by investing in china.
The United States and China are two very large countries that have cultures that are well known throughout the world. There are many differences between the United States and China, but there are many contributing factors that shape the cultures of these two countries. Language is universal, but there are different meanings and sounds, which vary from one culture to another. In China, citizens speak many languages, but about 94% speak the Chinese language. The difference in dialects was overcome by the written word and eventually a version of Mandrin became the “official speech” (The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996, p.304).
and Culture of China-US Relations.." CHINA US Focus Urbanization Chinas New Driving Force Comments. N.p., 30 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. .
Shirley Ye, Sheng, and Yan Ma. "China Vs. The United States: Market Connections And Trade Relations." International Journal Of China Marketing 2.1 (2011): 45-57. Business Source Complete. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Knowing how to speak when having any intercultural communication is a valid skill. The Chinese like to be greeted by bowing heads as a way to say hello and to start a conversation. They do not shake hands like Americans do. The role each person has is another thing to understand. For instance if you are a student speaking to your teacher you would communicate differently to that person than to your parents and vice versa. “Social stratification varies across cultures, and not all roles are valued the same (Neuliep, 2014).” This helps to understand our social standing within our culture. In China they value respect and use the group memberships we assume to help aid our communication with one
Hoobler, Dorothy, Thomas Hoobler, and Michael Kort, comps. China: Regional Studies Series. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Globe Fearon, 1993. 174-177.
They also see their managers as task masters and expert problem solvers rather than as motivators and they value production roles more than leadership roles (Hofstede, 1993, p. 83). In Japan, they value employee loyalty. They expect their workers to join a company and remain there for the duration of their working life. They have a groupthink outlook and spend a lot of time working in groups. They value what is good for the company and the team rather than looking for individual recognition and tend to be more peer led than manager led, which means that US management cultures are not a good fit for countries like Japan (Hofstede, 1993, p. 83-84). In France, employees who are educated are more highly respected and their workers are divided into two categories. There are the properly educated workers (cadres) and the not properly education workers (non-cadres). There is no crossing between the two and the cadres are given privileges that the non-cadres are not regardless of their actual job title or task (Hofstede, 1993, p. 84-85). In Holland, they manage by consensus (Hofstede, 1993, p. 85). China has many smaller, family run businesses and because of this, many times the manager and the owner are the same. They tend to be more specialized and less global, and most of the decisions are made by the most dominant member of the family that owns the business. They are very thrifty when it comes to cost and spending and apply Confucian values on money. Their management system is very lacking of modern business management practices (Hofstede, 1993, p. 86). In short, all these comparisons can be summed up by saying that all companies everywhere have a concept of management, but what it means and how it’s practiced is different around the world (Hofstede, 1993, p. 88-89). So, if
The bilateral relations between America and China consist of several stages. The first stage of the US-Chinese relations started in 1971 when both opened their doors to financial and economic ties. The trading volume of these countries stood at US$ 4.7 million in 1972.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Zhu, Y. & Warner, M. (2000). “An Emerging model of employment relations in China: a divergent path from the Japanese?” International Business Review, 2000, Vol.9 (3), pp.345-361. [03 April 2014]
China is now playing an important role in international business, more and more western companies have stated to running their businesses in China. However, due to the different culture issues, how to prepare and help their employees overseas should be seriously taken into account. An expatriate is a person who lives and works in a foreign country. It is no doubt that expatriates play an important role in how international businesses operate. There are ways for organizations to manage expatriates in the workforce, which is known as the cycle of expatriation (Brewster, Sparrow, Vernon & Houldsworth, 2011). Managers can follow this cycle in order to prepare employees to successfully work and live overseas. Selection, training and preparation, adjustment and repatriation are the four stages of the expatriation adjustment lifecycle. For the rest of this essay, this cycle and its effect on expatriates will be discussed with a focus on people relocating to work in china.
China's development is praised by the whole world. Its developments are not only in the economic aspect, but also in its foreign affairs. Compared to other developed countries, China is a relatively young country. It began constructing itself in 1949. After 30 years of growth, company ownership has experienced unprecedented changes.
...nd adequate support for expatriates and their families. The cultural training in China could include relationship forming, the attention on hierarchy and power, face and trust, negotiating and bargaining. Expatriates should also highlight infrastructural issues such as the different knowledge, skill level and education background of employees, limited transport and inflexibility of the Communist bureaucracy.
All in all, the Chinese culture is vastly different than the culture we have in the west. Although that may be the case, we still have to learn and maintain a connection with the Chinese culture since we are so heavily involved in their economic system. Not only are we involved in theirs, they are greatly involved in ours. There are thousands of factories in China that make products to export to the United States. This means that we need to maintain a good connection with the Chinese culture in order to keep our “guanxi” positive with