Realities of Business Ethics in China

Business ethics are strongly influenced by the local culture of each area. Large corporations have always been seized of trans-cultural issues as theyexpanded their enterprises across national borders, but the Internet has made such issues important for even small and national companies, which have hitherto operated within local confines.
Chineseculture, which has deep roots in the thinking of the land’s ancient philosophers, is substantially different from occidental norms and conventions. Understanding Chinese culture is central to dealing withbusiness ethics in this exotic country. The country is so vast, and people of origins from here have spread so far all over the globe, that many variations exist within the broad term ‘Chinese’. Thus,an appreciation of Chinese business ethics and culture may have to account for some regional variations, though certain fundamentals always apply.
Global, Professional, and Cultural Dimensions ofBusiness Ethics
Opinion is divided on whether the world is traveling in the direction of unified business ethics, or whether important markets will continue to reinforce their distinctive cultural.Large corporations, with high employment potentials, and investment resources, may be able to dictate terms, and impose global norms of their own. Small enterprises and all players in fields of intensecompetition on the other hand, may find it more productive to toe the line in terms of accepted practices in each strategic market.
How Should Foreigners Deal with Chinese Business Ethics
It would beideal if everyone who would like to establish business links with China would have human resources with local language skills and cultural appreciation in place. There are some general guidelinesworth following, in case there is no time to develop such understanding and resources: people from other countries would do well to accept that Chinese business folk are strongly oriented towards their…