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Doing Business in
Try our
(And if you’re at work, try it jointly with
some of your colleagues: see how much they are agreed.)
Quiz
A
Chinese executive is coming to
§
§
niche / market potential within their sector for their
product/service
§
the detailed nature of their product / service
§
their company financials: negotiating parameters for pricing
and delivery/supply
While
such knowledge is vital, we all know it is not enough for trading success.
Economic facts do not speak for themselves: they have to be used in arguing a business case, ie, communicated persuasively in marketing or negotiating
so as to win the confidence/trust of
potential UK partners as ‘someone we can really do business with’.
1. So what cultural awareness would the
Chinese executive need to achieve that with you, or others, in the
Tick any items of information or skill you think they should
prepare before arriving in
a.
Basic competence in English language, eg,
at least to say ‘Hello’ and ‘Good morning’ + to be able to pronounce English
names properly (or apologise in English if they find names difficult).
b.
An idea of
c.
Key British Festivals, eg,
Christmas Day; New Year’s Day; Easter weekend; Spring + August Bank Holidays.
d.
How decisions are normally reached in
e.
Ability to ‘suss out’ how they are getting on as they
conduct marketing presentations or negotiations: being able to pick up what
their counterpart managers or sales team may be thinking ‘between the
lines’.
f.
What styles of design/images work most effectively in
2. What 3 further
points of British cultural awareness and/or communication competence would a
Chinese executive need, in order to build good rapport and business
understanding with you, making you feel confident in setting up a successful
JV, or in closing a deal? Pause to actually think about it! Best of all, note
headings or bullet points:
g.
h.
i.
3. If a Chinese visiting executive lacked the
information and skills under a – i. how would you
rate their chances from 1 – 10 of winning good agreements here in
4. Would you consider him/her seriously
under-equipped to achieve realistic business success in
OK. Now try Quiz part
2!
Quiz
1. A
a. How should they say “Hello” in Mandarin?
What information should be printed on their business card?
b. How should they address someone whose card
reads ‘Li Kwang Siu’? How
should they apologise in Mandarin if they don’t get it right, or find it
difficult to pronounce?
2. When did Chairman Mao establish the People’s
Republic of
3. When did
4. When is Chinese New Year? What exact date in the current year?
Which
is the Chinese zodiac animal for your
birthday?
What
zodiac animal represents the current year? What values does it represent?
When
is the best, most auspicious, time to seek business partners in
5. Which colour represents good luck, wealth,
success? (so to be prioritised in publicity/ads)
Which
colour represented the Emperor? (now revered as second lucky colour)
Which
colour represents mourning? (so to be avoided in any brochures/advertising)
6.
What is the
luckiest, most auspicious number in
What
number is ‘kiss of death’ in
Which
number; plants; animals each represent longevity in
7.
What image represents reliability and strength to the
Chinese? (and so used in adverts)
8.
What is the significance of the dragon; lion; tie; lantern?
The pomegranate? Red bat?
9.
Heart of matter A: What does ‘Guanxi’
mean? Why is it still critical in Chinese business?
10.
Heart of matter B: What does ‘Mianzi’ mean? Why is it vital for doing
business in
11.
Heart of matter C: What does ‘Business Relationship’ mean in
Chinese terms?
12.
What is the best way for Westerners to set about
establishing such partnership/relationship in
13.
In general, what is the function
of a signed contract / trade agreement in
14.
How do Westerners commonly - and fatally - damage face in
15.
How do Chinese generally indicate disagreement, or express
negative criticism?
16.
What are the most typical problem-solving and
decision-making processes in China?
17. What is the purpose of
business meetings in
To win confidence and
success in
- to understand Asian values and resulting
business behaviours from the Chinese viewpoint
- to be ready to adapt thinking and procedures
to Chinese styles of marketing/ negotiating
- to learn skills of intercultural
communication, to avoid misunderstandings with Chinese who are not fluent in
English - and to practise these skills
in advance of using them in real-life situations in China.
For
Quiz Part 2 answers, contact us at CI-CD
(via link at top of page).
Quiz copyright: John Twitchin and CI-CD,
2005
à CI-CD
services for relating cross-culturally to China
à Contents
page and preface of CI-CD Handbook Doing Business in China