Cultural Differences between China and Western Countries

China is not only making news headlines about the Olympics but every broadcaster around the world is reporting on China’s thriving business and economic growth. As China opens up to the world the culture attracts both businesses and individuals keen to sample what this developing nation has to offer.

We all see images of China on the internet, in magazines, newspapers and on television, and with the influence of Western society China no longer seems so different to any other place we are used to living in so we “jump” right on in with certain expectations and generalizations about China.

Soon East meets West and differences between people within any given nation or culture are much greater than differences between groups. Education, social standing, religion, personality, belief structure, past experience, affection shown in public, and a numerous other factors will affect human behavior and culture.

Often, observations on cultural differences are based on our own weakness and reflect our inability to connect with that culture. Paying attention to customs and cultural differences can give someone outside that culture a better chance of assimilation or acceptance. Ignoring these can get an unsuspecting person into trouble. Learning a few polite expressions in another person’s language; and showing appreciation for the food and music of another culture can have especially positive effects.

My first culture shock was how business was conducted at the most basic level, for example buying something at the market. Part of the Chinese culture revolves around relationships and bargaining is part of establishing a rapport with the seller, refusing can sometimes offend a salesperson. Depending on your bargaining skills or business experience, you could bargain the item down so low that the sales person does not make a commission or even generates a loss. So why, would any salesperson waive their commission or even lose money when selling?

The mentality is very simple, “money will come back, but this customer may not”. The salesperson would rather lose some money than a customer; otherwise the customer will gladly cross the street and buy the same item in a different shop. Of course there’s a limit to bargaining, you will not get anything for free.

This example applies to large business as well. Any business that wants to establish itself in China must invest capital from the very start in order to generate a lasting customer base and a solid development platform. This does not mean that just by investing large sums of money, any company will be successful. This means that getting the customer to appreciate the product without focusing on profit is significant for future development.

This purports to the difference between business in China and other Western Countries. Western businesses include the commission in their item costs and are generally not-negotiable, it is a fixed priced. This makes Chinese companies more appealing due to low product cost. Also Western companies will normally solve a problem and/or fulfill a need at a higher cost. But does this also mean that you will receive a lower quality product? Some Chinese companies that have been around for a while are able to deliver the same quality as Western companies, and as you know a large majority of products sold by western companies are manufactured in China so we know the standard can be the same if not better.

So if manufacturing is already being outsourced in China, technical services outsourcing seems to be the next logical step. Already outsourcing, when utilized correctly is an effective cost-saving business strategy. When you take advantage of the comparative labor costs in emerging nations such as China, Buyers can search for both quality and a fair price. myTino.com is a powerful business resource tool enabling Professionals and SMEs to outsource technical services such as:

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