Chinese business culture

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject South Asian Studies, South-Eastern Asian Studies, grade: 96, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (School of International Business), course: Chinese History and Culture, language: English, abstract: China has become a global business power and therefore it is important for Western people to know about China and the way they do business. This paper is written preliminarily for Western people who want to know how to do business with Chinese. The paper puts much emphasis on comparing the different cultures. Therefore it is also interesting for Chinese who want to know more about the differences between their and Western culture. A mutual understanding of the different cultures can help to reduce misunderstandings and communicate more effectively. First of all, it is important to give a brief overview of the country. To get a better understanding of the information, China will be compared with the European Union (EU). Chapter 3 will give an overview of Chinese culture in general using Hofstede's and Hall's approach to describe culture. It is important to understand Chinese culture in general to understand Chinese business culture. Then chapter 4 deals with some important aspects of Chinese Business culture. Besides that learning the Chinese language can be a complementary part of getting a better understanding of Chinese business culture and Chinese culture in general. This paper does not deal with studying the Chinese language. If the business language in your special case is not English, it is advised to use an interpreter unless you speak Chinese fluently. However, just knowing the basics of the Chinese language can impress your business partner and shows the seriousness of your business relation.