Business Cultural Differences between China and Germany

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Communications - Intercultural Communication, grade: 1,7, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Munich, language: English, abstract: China is one of the biggest markets worldwide and thus the objective of many expanding German companies. In order to enter a new market, socio-cultural conditions always have to be taken into consideration. Chinese particularities in the context of communication, relationships or Guanxi and social reputation were observed in this work. Subsequently, cultural differences between China and Germany were compared according to Hofstede's cultural dimensions Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism, Masculinity vs. Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance and Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation. As shown in the course of this work, there are multiple differences in every dimension between these two cultures. In order to perform business in China, German companies have to adapt to the given circumstances. Only with careful handling of the cultural differences, economic success can be achieved.