cultural difference
...and others, for example: the attitudes toward time. In China, people may consider trust and friendship is more important than time; businessmen may take time to get know the visitor before approaching business matters. It seems to be long-term patience. However, Americans like to be on time and finish business within a definite time frame. They think time is money and preoccupy monthly profits. So there is great room for misunderstanding. For instance, when Chinese do business with American, Chinese may prolong a meeting’s length to establish a good relationship, but it is likely to upset American and to give an impression of dishonest and rude because Chinese appear unable to keep faithfully to American schedule and appointments. Besides that, in China, promptness and time consciousness are determined by age and status, subordinates and younger people are expected to be on time, whereas the boss or the elder may be the last to arrive, but in America, if people wait past the appointed hour to see an individual, they feel insulted. Because this person is not giving the meeting the importance it deserves. Therefore, as there are many different attitudes changing all the time with the development of culture, the Chinese businessmen should be sensitive to cultural differences. Secondly, in different cultural setting, the marketing strategies involving product design, packaging, promotion, and price are very different. If you want your business to be successful in other countries, you should work with the local business partner and customers in ways that are familiar to them. As the old saying, “ when in Rome do as the Romans do.” Finally, when you do business in other countries, you represent your own culture. In other words, you assess every thing in a host culture through your own cultural background. Bias on your part is easy. A visitor’s upbringing and his lack of understanding of a host culture can lead to a stereotype, maybe...