International relations and global systems

International

Cultural Adjustments: Business in China and the U.S.

The video provided addresses many differences that are seen when working in a cross-cultural way. When people in the U.S. want to do business with the Chinese, there are changes that have to be made in their thinking. That will allow both sides to work together more easily, and will help to get deals completed. For example, in the U.S. It is easy to good-naturedly make fun of others and tease them (Castle, 2011). This does not translate to Chinese culture and is largely unacceptable. There are other issues that are a problem with Chinese-American relations, as well. One of them is the way that individuals in the U.S. build relationships. They are generally in a hurry, and they meet with others in order to sell them on their products or services. In other words, they do not really work with people in an effort to get to know them before they attempt to have a business relationship with them. If they focused on the relationship instead, they would do much better in the Chinese culture (Castle, 2011).

Overall, having a relationship and trust in the Chinese culture is vital to doing business (Castle, 2011). If one does not build a relationship with someone else, it is not possible to work together in business. Trust takes time to build, and an American who is trying to sell to the Chinese should not try to negotiate a deal quickly. Contracts are also not seen as final (Castle, 2011). They are seen as part of the relationship-building process. If one signs a contract with a Chinese company, do not be surprised if changes and concessions are asked for at a later date. As part of the cultural relationship that is being established, the Chinese are used to changing and evolving their business connections over time. That is done quite frequently, and when one does things the way that the Chinese expect for their culture it will be much easier to secure deals and forge lifelong relationships.

Part II

1. Cultural awareness is vital when it comes to what is needed to succeed in the Chinese business culture. If a person is not focused on being culturally aware, he or she can really struggle to get anything done in a culture that looks at business much differently than his or her culture. As a collectivist nation, the Chinese are focused on the organization. The U.S., as an individualist nation, sees business people that are much more focused on themselves. There is nothing wrong with either choice - they are just different choices based on the cultures from which they are derived. One has to take one's time when doing business in China, because there are so many relationships that need to be built and strengthened. It is not customary (or even probable) to sign a contract quickly, for example (Castle, 2011). If a contract is signed quickly, the terms will be changed later because the Chinese business had no real intention of fulfilling the as-is contract at that time. That may seem deceitful to Americans, but it is simply the way things are done in the Chinese culture.