1. General information Guangzhou -CHINA General information Guangzhou -CHINA Official LanguageCantonese Population5,162,000 GovernmentCommunistic CurrencyYuan ReligionMulti-religious: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Confucianism Time zoneGMT/UTC + 08:00 hour ClimateSub- tropical

2. Hofstede: Culture is the “software of the mind”

3. GermanyChina Hofstede Small Power Distance Large Power Distance Individualist Collectivist High Uncertainty Avoidance Low Uncertainty Avoidance Medium-term Orientation Long-term Orientation

4. Trompenaars Edward Hall

6. Business Practice Differences GERMANYCHINA Efficiency, rules & proceduresRelationships: guan xi ContractTrust Punctuality expectedRelaxed about time Gift giving not expectedGift giving can win contracts Hierarchy: respect for positionHierarchy: respect for elders Individuals working within a teamTeamwork Low level corruptionStill high levels of corruption Few ritualsMany rituals, e.g. Business cards Problems: tackled directlyProblems: often avoided to save ”face”

8. 1.Guan xi is crucial – build lasting relationships. 2.Have and display patience, especially in meetings. 3.Use group members to introduce you to others. 4.Show modest behaviour and respect to elders. 5.Where possible, hold back on truth to help others “save face.” 6.Understand that people do not always speak the truth. 7.Ask senior management to make announcements to groups. 8.Emphasise how the overall group can benefit from change. 9.Do not single subordinates out, even if you want to praise them. 10.Tell subordinates what to do – don’t expect them to figure it out. Source: Bing 2010; Burke, ; Dereksy, 2011; Hodgetts et al, 2006; WorldBusinessCulture.com, 2011.