The Impact of Sino-US Cultural Differences on Business Manner中美文化的差异对商务礼仪的影响.docx

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1、The Impact of Sino-US Cultural Differences on Business MannerContents摘要AbstractIntroduction1Part One. Literature Review1. Theories related to culture11. Definition of culture12. Cultural differences and their roots2. Theories related to business manner31. Definition of business manner32. Root of Chi

2、nese and American manner4Part Two. Impacts of Sino-US cultural differences on manner4. On knocking up an acquaintance41. Greeting42. Personal space53. Addressing54. Exchanging business card6. On dining-table manner71. Drinking72. Words in banquets83. Tableware94. Seating9. On mode of thinking101.Int

3、egration and segmentation102. Spiral and linear10. On value concept121. Interdependence and independence122. Modesty and Forwardness133. Friendship and privacy14. On time concept14Conclusion16Notes17Bibliography18Acknowledgement19中美文化的差异对商务礼仪的影响摘要作为世界上两大重要的国家和主要的贸易合作伙伴，如今中美两国的商务活动越来越频繁。然而，当两国进行贸易时，受

4、文化差异的影响所产生的商务礼仪的不同是一个不可忽视的问题。如果不了解对方国家的文化礼仪，两国的商务进程很可能会失败。因此，掌握各国的商务礼仪知识是十分必要的，而且在进行贸易活动之前对这些差异进行研究也是十分值得的。 在本文中，首先对礼仪做出了定义和概念,介绍其基本的观点，然后再进行深入了解。但是本文的重心则从五个方面分析中美两国商务礼仪的差异，包括首次见面时的礼仪，餐桌礼仪，由于时间、价值观念不同看法，和思维方式的差异带来的礼仪。本文的写作目的是帮助两国的商人了解彼此礼仪的差异，使他们能够在商务进程中做出得体的举止，并尽可能地取得成功。关键词：文化差异，商务礼仪，影响The Impact of

5、 Sino-US Cultural Differences on Business MannerAbstractAs two most important countries in the world and major trade partners, nowadays the business activities between China and US are becoming more and more frequent. However, when the business deals take place across the two countries, the manner d

6、ifferences which are caused by cultural differences cannot be neglected. Therefore, the process of business activities can easily break down because of a lack of understanding of each countrys culture and manner. As a result, the knowledge of respective business manner is essential and it is worth t

7、he time to investigate those differences prior to starting business deals. In this thesis, basic definitions and concepts are reviewed so as to give a general idea of business manner, and more important, to make a deeper understanding of it. But the focus of this thesis is put on the manner differen

8、ces between the two countries from five aspects, including knocking up an acquaintance, dining-table manner, time concept, value concept and mode of thinking. The purpose of writing this thesis is to help the people both in China and America to recognize the manner differences, and therefore they ca

9、n behave properly in the process of business deals and achieve successfully.Keywords: cultural differences, business manner, impactIIIIntroductionThe rapid development of science and technology are making the world smaller. Therefore, the relationship among countries is becoming closer and closer, e

10、specially between China and America. During the economic development of the globalization, the most obvious phenomenon is that the business activities between the two countries are becoming more and more frequent. However, because of the different economic backgrounds, values, and religious beliefs

11、due to cultural differences, the business manner differs from each other, which leads to conflicts and frictions in doing business. In order to reduce the conflicts, people should know the differences well in cultures and business manner between China and America. In the following studies, cultural

12、differences and their influence on each countrys manner on different occasions are systematically presented. Besides, the author gives several cases to illustrate the differences of manner and shows how important for the business men in both China and America to understand those differences.Part One

13、. Literature Review Presently, more and more people have realized the importance of business manner, thus many scholars engage in studying in this field. Since this thesis studies the impact of Sino-US cultural differences on business manner, a review on the theories of predecessors from two aspects

14、 including culture and business manner is indispensable. . Theories related to culture 1. Definition of culture There are many definitions of culture. The earliest and classic definition was put forward over 100 years ago by Taylor, a well-known British anthropologist, who defined culture as “that c

15、omplex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” There are many other definitions from different perspectives, but nevertheless, we are concerned with those which are conductive to our understandin

16、g of the relationship between culture and business manner. Geert Hofstede, an expert on management and cross-cultural differences, defined culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another Culture, in this sense, includes systems of va

17、lues，and values are among the building blocks of culture.” From this point of view, we can see that culture is a system of values and norms which are shared by a group of people. By those values and norms, people in one group can judge what is good, right, and desirable. 2. Cultural differences and

18、their roots It is known that people across nations and cultures have different behaviors and beliefs. “Members of different cultures look differently at the world around them. Some believe that the physical world is real. Others believe that it is just an illusion. Some believe everything around the

19、m is permanent while others say it is transient. Reality is not the same for all people.” For instance, age is highly respected in China. Young people are taught to respect the old when they are children. On the contrary, Americans encourage and promote those who are qualified and competent regardle

20、ss of age and the young dont see the old in the same way as Chinese do. American culture is considered to be individualistic, whereas Chinese culture is characterized by collective. Why cultures differ between these two countries? To answer this question, we should explore the roots of American cult

21、ure and Chinese one. “In the United States, it is estimated that 86% of the population is Christian.” Christians believe in God who is almighty and the Creator of everything, heaven, earth, moon, animals and human. So they behave confidently and attach much importance to individualism. While in Chin

22、a, Confucianism is a philosophic thought that has spread not only in China but also in the whole East Asia for 2,500 years. “Confucianism can be conceived as involving six core values: (a) moral cultivation, (b) importance of interpersonal relationships, (c) family orientation, (d) respect for age a

23、nd hierarchy, (e) avoidance of conflict and need for harmony, (f) concept of face.” According to this thought, individualism has negative meanings. It stresses on harmony, face, peace and so on. All these have shaped Chinese traditional culture. Nowadays, the influence of Confucian can still be seen

24、 everywhere in China. With so many cultural differences, each countrys business manner must differ from each other. . Theories related to business manner 1. Definition of business manner Before discussing the definition of business manner, we should understand the meaning of the word, manner. Manner

25、 refers to a kind of standardized behavior in humans contacts and communications which means more than politeness. Here is a definition of manner as follows: “Manner means formal rules of correct and polite behavior in society or among members of a profession.” Accordingly, business manner can be de

26、fined as standardized behaviors and norms that should be abided by business people in their activitiesIn Mas opinion, he defines the business manner as follows: Business manner is the norms and criteria along with language, expression and behaviors, in different situation abided by two or more busin

27、ess parties, by which they express their recognition, show their respects to each other and exchange each opinion, in order to establish a friendly and harmonious business relationship. 2. Root of Chinese and American manner China, as the cradle of oriental culture, enjoys a reputation of the manner

28、 country. In China, manner is equal to courtesy and ceremony. As early as in Han dynasty, there were three great works, called “three li”, Yi-li, Chou-li and Li-ji, which together had a great influence in Chinese society. However, America history is short, so is its manner history. The word manner w

29、as originated from French “manner”, whose original meaning was laissez-passer in court. Later, people found not only in court, but in social community they should abide by some norms and regulations. So manner became the laissez-passer of personal intercourse nowadays. Therefore, American manner is

30、not as profound as Chinese manner. Thats why Americans dont care so much about manner as Chinese people do. Part Two. Impacts of Sino-US cultural differences on manner Because culture influences manner, the values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors are vastly different from culture to culture. With s

31、uch different cultural backgrounds between China and America, the business manner of the two countries is different beyond question. The specific differences will be discussed from five aspects as follows. . On knocking up an acquaintance 1. Greeting Greetings can be roughly divided into language gr

32、eetings and non-language greetings. For the non-language greetings, it means besides saying something, they greet through facial expression or body language, such as nodding, smiling or shaking hands. It is a common manner all over the world that people greet each other when they meet. But the ways

33、or words they use to greet are different. In America, people greet each other as simple as: “hello” or “how are you?” or “good morning”, “good afternoon” according to the time. These are quite different from our Chinas greetings. Take an example, a new American teacher in China was riding his bicycl

34、e in the campus when he met a Chinese student. The Chinese student asked him: “have you had your dinner?” Of course it is just a common Chinese greeting around meal time. But the teacher stopped and said: “Im going to. Lets go.” But the student had walk away, just leaving one word: “goodbye.” The Am

35、erican teacher felt surprised and embarrassed. Because to Americans, the greeting might mean: “I havent either. Come on. Lets go to eat something together.” That is to say, if we greet Americans like this, they will consider we give them an invitation. The other greeting in China is that: “Where are

36、 you going?” This is also improper when greeting an American. Because Americans put much emphasis on privacy and they think it is their privacy. 2. Personal space Personal space is variable from person to person, depending on the gender, age, cultural background, and relationship to the people with

37、whom they are communicating. In China, people are comfortable with a closer personal space than that of Americans. They think a short distance can enhance the friendship between people. But when conversing with the opposite sex, the personal distance is bigger, because Chinese people have a conventi

38、onal concept on it. According Chinese culture, people should keep a bigger distance between men and women. 3. Addressing In business activities, people are very sensible to the addressing others make to them. Chinese culture is a formal one. In China, Mr. or Ms. is popular addressing, and complete n

39、ame is also acceptable. But title and status are extremely important. Using titles is a sign of respect in China. For example, its proper to address someone Mr. Zhang, but its better to address him as Chief Zhang if he is a chief of a company. Chinese people always avoid calling people by their firs

40、t names, unless they are longtime friends, for the use of a first name at a first meeting is considered as an act of disrespect. Comparatively, Americans have a more informal culture. They believe that an informal, casual addressing demonstrates friendliness and sincerity. They often feel uncomforta

41、ble to follow the prescribed manner even in formal situations. Therefore, for Americans they always call someone by his or her first name, disregarding for titles and status. They think this is an act of friendship and goodwill. There is another difference in addressing between China and the United

42、States. In Chinese traditional culture, people consider that its a virtue to respect the old. “The old” stands for somebody who is full of knowledge and experience. So in China, people often call someone “old surname” to show their respect. But in America, its totally different. American culture spe

43、aks highly of the youth rather than the old. In their minds, youth are the symbol of future, hope and enthusiasm and all of those are declining when getting old. Relatively, the old are the group who are not respected by people. Therefore, Americans often try to avoid saying the word “old”. No matte

44、r old or young, they like to call someone by his or her name directly. 4. Exchanging business card The business card is used in communication, especially on business occasions. Its printed with the personal name, companys information, phone number and address and it is always used as an introduction

45、. But people from different countries treat business card differently. Chinese people with a formal culture, tend to treat it with respect and ceremony. People often offer and receive it with both hands, looking at it carefully for four or five seconds, and then put it away cautiously and respectful

46、ly. Sometimes they may expect the counterparts business card after offering their own. However, the situation in America is of totally another kind. Many Chinese business men are struck by the way Americans treat this little piece of card. Americans treat it casually. When Chinese people politely of

47、fer their business card with both hands to Americans, the Americans may put it into pockets at once or toss it onto the desk immediately without a glance. Thats because American culture is an informal culture. They like do things in the informal and casual way and they think the business card is not

48、 necessary since they have met. . On dining-table manner Most of the international business activities are carried on not only in bland office environment, but also in the social places, such as restaurants, bars and so on. The purpose of dining with business counterparts is not only for a dinner, b

49、ut also a prolongation of business. Due to the Sino-US cultural differences, there are a lot differences in dining-table manner between the two countries. Therefore, its necessary to know the differences in order to speak and behave properly while dining. 1. Drinking Table culture is the most distinct