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 ” Hofstede: culture is the “software of the mind ” Source: Hofstede, 2011

3. Hofstede Source: French, 2010; Hofstede, 2011; Kohun et al, 2007, Luthans and Doh, 2009.

4. GermanyChina Hofstede Small Power Distance Large Power Distance Individualist Collectivist High Uncertainty Avoidance Medium-term Orientation Long-term Orientation Source: Eurochambres Academy, 2011; French, 2010; Hofstede, 2011; Kohun et al, 2007, Luthans and Doh, 2009. Low Uncertainty Avoidance

5. Trompenaars Edward Hall Source: Broda, 2011: Forbes, 2011; Geng, 2010; Hutchings, 2004; Gesteland, 2005.Hutchings et al, 2004; International Business Culture; 2011 Luthans, F., and Doh, J., 2009; Medlock Method, 2011

7. 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 teamTeamwork Low level corruptionStill high levels of corruption Few ritualsMany rituals, e.g. Business cards Problems: tackled directlyProblems: avoided, ”face saving” Source: Gibson, 2010; Kwintessential, 2011; Lau, 2007; Selmer, 2005; Wang, 2011

8. Source: Gunkel et al, 2007; Krieg, 2006

9. 1.Have patience. 2.Do not under estimate the importance of “Guan xi” - use group members to introduce yourself to others. 3.Show modest behaviour and respect to elders - “saving face” is considered more important than the truth. 4.Ask senior management to make announcements to groups. 5.Enthuse how the overall group can benefit from change. 6.Do not single members out, group harmony is key. 7.Be explicit with your instructions and check understanding. 8. Anticipate others are likely to invade your space. 9.Do not take offence if colleagues seek decisions from males Source: Bing 2010; Burke, ; Castle, 2008; Chen and Partington, 2003; Dereksy, 2011; Hodgetts et al, 2006; Kwintessential, 2011; Sartor, 2007; WorldBusinessCulture.com, 2011.