In Chinese culture it is not only important to be prepared, but to bring handouts for all potential business partners so they can follow along; this may mean bringing over 20 copies of the presentation. In America is it preferred one gets right to the point in a meeting, however, in Chinese culture is it recommended to provide small talk prior to the meeting to establish a relationship. Relationships in the Chinese culture are very important; they would rather establish a relationship that involves trust, and loyalty than only have a business relationship they are skeptical about. This does not mean the personal relationship between Chinese and Americans is only importance; this means in order to establish a business relationship Americans must also be able to establish a personal relationship. Social customs in the Chinese culture stems from more than the conversation, Americans may be able to communicate efficiently but it will only be believable in how they portray it through their body language. As discussed before, intermediaries are hired to be a part of the business meeting in China. Body posture should always be formal and attentive, and be consciously aware of body language and movements. Americans must remain composed and put together to establish their credibility (Today’s Translation, …show more content…
American culture values time. Americans may want to arrive early to a business meeting to demonstrate how important promptness is in their culture. However, according to Todays Translation staff (n.d) “people in China usually enter the meeting room in hierarchical order” so being conscious of the cultural differences in time, may save the confusion of who is in charge of the meeting, because the Chinese “will assume that the first of you walking in the room is the head of the delegation” (para.6)
Company Loyalty
Basic cultural differences and ways of thinking can affect how business is conducted. Fig 1. Interviewee’s cultural influence on decision making, shows when Chinese-Americans were asked which cultural values affect their decision making process 60 percent of them said company loyalty, 20 percent said trust/loyalty, and 20 percent said ethnocentrism. This suggests that company loyalty, and loyalty in general makes up 80 percent of the samples cultural value that affects their decision making. Knowing this value when conducting business in China will help in how Americans approach business