The Business as Well as National Cultures of Both the UK and China - Essay Example

Cross Cultural Issues Lecturer: Introduction. In the conduct of business, it is imperative to have a cognizant of the various concepts and culture in which one operates in (Communal & Barbara, 1999, p.27). This is a factor that holds a high level of importance to the various stakeholders in the business sector. In Europe and the Middle East and Asia, this has become one of the greatest concepts that businesses have to adhere to when conducting their businesses in these regions. Corporate culture as well as cultural cultures dictate what kind of businesses is set to succeed in which region, how big the specific business should go to and to a what extent that the operations of these businesses should go. The corporate culture that a certain organization has is responsible for the determination of the extent to which the organization achieves its set goals as well as objectives. If the corporate culture is not well cultivated among different organizations, there is a high possibility of the organization falling short of accomplishing the goals and the objectives that it set out to accomplish on the onset. To this regard, this paper takes a vivid illumination into these aspects through taking an outlook into two different cultures of UK and that of China. The corporate cultures of these two countries will be discussed here and a comparison of the same conducted. The exhaustive definition of corporate culture will also be addressed. Corporate culture defined Taylor & Caroll (2010, p. 28) defines the concept of corporate culture as those specific beliefs and in extension behaviours present in an organization that gauge how the organizations’ stakeholders, especially the employees of the organization and the management segment of the organization handles the different issues in the business. Sadri & Lees (2001, p. 853) concurs with Taylor & Caroll (2010, p. 28) and extends this definition to0 envelop the concept of traits. According to Sadri & Lees (2001, p. 853), corporate culture means a collection or accumulation 0f various traits, behaviour codes that have been observed as being present in a certain organization through its employees and other stakeholders. Rashid et al (2003, p. 709) states irrevocably that there are a number of issues, concepts, behaviours and ideologies that define a certain corporate culture. These behaviours distinguish the corporate culture of one organization form that of the other organization. A sample of the factors that reflect corporate culture include dressing code that is allowed in a certain organization set up, the office tidiness, setup and cleanliness, the remuneration packages and benefits that employees receive, the way customers of the organization are handled and the hours and days a certain organization operates within (Lee and Yu, 2004, p.344). Marshal & Adamic (2010, p. 18) believes that corporate culture determines the level of performance of a certain institution, business or organization. The way the corporate culture of a company is developed determines how the customers as well as other members of the public perceive this company. in other words, the corporate culture of a certain organization plays a great prerogative in the enhancement of the brand of this company. UK national culture Having analysed and defined what corporate culture is in the preceding discussion, it is now important to discuss the national culture of the UK. Before this is done, it would be imperative to understand what national culture is. Bhaskaran & Sukumaran (2007, p.55) argue that national culture is a concept that defines the specific and distinct characteristics that form part of a nation’s heritage. Bhaskaran & Sukumaran (2007, p.55) go ahead to identify these characteristic as religion, language, racial composition, and the cultural traditions and history of the various different ethnic groups in the nation. Ang & Massingham (2007, p. 5) postulate that national culture of a certain nation plays a great role in influencing the socio-economic as well as political spectrums at the national level as well as at the household level. The national culture is also charge with influencing education. The national culture of UK is broken down into a number of facets namely region, language, arts, architecture, religion, politics and economics. On the region front, the UK is comprised of predominantly four nations namely England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Even though each of these countries has its own distinct cultures, the national cultures of the four nations integrate at some point to give the national culture of the UK. The language in the four states is predominantly English. This is the widest spoken language in the region with the speakers comprising of over ninety-five percent of the whole population. Arts and artistic elements are also another avenue and pillar of the UK’s national culture. For a long time, the inhabitants of this region have always adored and respected arts, museums, literature and entertainment. This industry is well developed. Structures in the UK region are gothic themed and enhanced by their conservativeness and capability to cling to the old buildings and modes of architecture. Although there are other minority groups, Christianity is the widest spread religion in this region. This has been given a boost by the fact that the country was among the very first country to set up the now worldwide recognized Anglican church. Other religious fraternity such as roman catholic, Hindus, Islamic, Judaism and Buddhism are also present albeit in a small scale. On the political scene, the region has three major political parties. These are labour party, the conservative’s party and the liberal democrat’s party. The country operates under a system of government and is based on two houses- the house of commons and the senate. The economic front in UK is based on a situation where people stay together in a bid to reduce expenses because the general population has less and less spending power. Chinese national culture China is also another country whose national culture will be examined in this paper. Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in china. However, the dialect varies depending on the group of Chinese ethnicity one fall into. the country has a number of ethnic groups numbering over 56 with Han being the predominant ethnic group in china. The country has a population density of over one billion people. On the economic front, china is emerging as a superpower in the current world. This has been achieved through the country’s spirited efforts at merging with other countries and forming agreements that assist the country to conduct trading activities. It’s rapidly rising and growth of the GDP has placed it as the second best country in the world according to the GDP rating (Bhasin, 2007, p. 45). On the political front, China government could be described as being a communist as well as a socialist society. The electoral system in china is hierarchical where the congress people are elected directly to the congress. UK business culture The business culture in the UK is very dynamic. Most of the business volume that is conducted in the UK flows through England as the hub for business. in this region, and particularly in the country of England, there are established rules to govern how people behave and how people should treat businesses (Kanungo, 2006, P. 35). For instance, the Britons have a high sense of respect for time. they become anxious when time is wasted or when delivery is made late. In the region, there are no designated holidays. However, the workers in the region enjoy holidays through being given some official days off by their employers. Even the banks have specific bank holidays.  In UK, business is conducted in a very conservative and formal manner. For instance, although an oral agreement is considered valid and contractual, written word is also very emphasized upon. This is because the business people in these nations are most of the time interested in the achievement of the short-term goals as opposed to long-term goals. Chinese business culture In china, the business etiquette and culture is very unique. They observe certain protocols that are very distinct and unique. When conducting business whether with an outsider or within themselves, the issue of respect always carries massive weight. The Chinese people crave to be respected and appreciated at all times (Bhasin, 2007, p. 48). For instance, when addressing a Chinese person, one would be required to address him or her together with the title that he or she holds. This is taken to mean respect and the Chinese people value this a lot. In other instances, the Chinese businessmen believe that the boss or the head of the organization or the team is supposed to get into the room first, escorted by his juniors. This is a protocol that is confusing to both the Westerners as well as the Chinese people because the Westerners do not necessarily observe this protocol. The Chinese people are even particular about the kind of gifts that one could present to them whether through business meeting or through informal meetings. Each gift is unique in its contents as each content signifies something according to the Chinese. When discussing business with Chinese people, it is appropriate to use the formal addresses and formal greetings so as not to disconcert the guests. Key differences and problems it might cause from the issues raised above From the reflection of the above business cultures, it can be observed that huge and clear differences occur between the two business culture of the UK and China. The conduct of business between a Chinese person and a Briton could be faced with a number of challenges as shall be outlined in the following sentences. The Britons are alleged to be very cautious of time unlike the Chinese counterparts. The Britons like to get down straight to business when they meet with their partners. However, this is not so with the Chinese people who like to have a small conversation before getting to business. they value this as a way of trying to create and establish a relationship with the person they are dealing with. The Britons are very casual in their approach. in essence, they like to crack jokes before they get down to business. on the other hand, the Chinese people do not take positively upon the concept of cracking jokes because they are conservative. The Chinese crave to be addressed in their proper titles and designations, a thing that is not given so much weight by the Western counterparts. The Chinese mind so much about the character and manners of a person during a particular situation. The Britons allow some room for experiment. When the Chinese people are in a meeting with other people, they always assume that the person who enters the boardroom first is always the head of the team or the organization. This stems from the belief that this person is supposed to be escorted by other people for the seniority of his or her position. They are not so strict on manners provided the conduct of the employee does not adversely affect the image of the organization. From these two cultures, it is important to understand the person one is dealing with to avoid annoying them, disrespecting them or provoking their anger in any format. Solutions or management style From the challenges and the problems that have been identified in the preceding paragraphs, a number of solutions could be identified for these challenges as highlighted in the following discourse. To appreciate both of these different nations’ cultures, it is important to integrate them and find a combination or focal point that brings them together (Morden, 1995, p.5). For instance, the culture of being strict on time as adhered by the Britons is a good one. The Chinese have the culture of respect on the other hand. When the two cultural points are integrated, an optimal balance could be attained. The Chinese value a creation of a warm relationship when they conduct business. the Britons on the other hand are brusque and direct. This may make the other person feel uneasy and unappreciated as a person. It is important, according to the Chinese, to make sure that the person one is doing business with feels comfortable at all times. This is achieved through small talks before the start of the start of the meeting. This doesn’t always happen with the Britons. Change management The above portion outlines the challenges faced by management as they try to follow the cultural lines and guidelines. However, you may find that due to the concept of having already gotten used to acting in a certain manner or adopting a certain culture, it becomes extremely difficult for these people to change abruptly (Gupta, 2012, p. 455) . However, it is important that they undergo some form of training so that they would know how not to bring a sense of discomfort or disconcertation to their business counterparts. This especially applies to the westerners and other people who conduct business with the Chinese either within or outside their Chinese fraternity. It is important to create a healthy business relationship with your business partner so as to assure oneself of repeated business in the future (Bhaskaran & Sukumaran, 2007, p.55). The Chinese business culture values this so much that they even dictate the way a person is supposed to issue even the business cards. One should always hold the card out using both hands and with the writing facing the recipient. This is taken as a sign of respect and modesty. The same applies when a Chinese person offers a compliment to another person. The person to whom the compliment is addressed is supposed to graciously deny this compliment in a polite manner. Conclusion The above discussion has offered insight into the business as well as national cultures of both the UK and China. From this discussion, it has been observed that each nation has a specific and very distinct and business culture. When one is conducting business with a person from another country, it is important to do a study first into the kind of business as well as national culture that exists in this country. Though national and business cultures are different in their format, they intertwine at some point. National culture influence the way business is conducted in every country. As observed, the Chinese culture is very conservative as compared to the culture in the UK. This only serves to show imply that a person should respect other’s culture for creation of a warm business relationship. 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