[...] this brings me to a recent post entitled Cultural Knowledge is a Plus to Business Success. Written by a blogger based in Beijing, China, the post validates some recent tips and discussions [...]

Another blogroll update …

This seems as the only activity we are able to embark on at the moment given the tough workload of exams. The recent addition to our blogroll is a blog called Journal of Intercultural Learning. By the name alone it seems right down BLC’s back alley so…

[...] Cultural Knowledge is a Plus to Business Success http://www.interculturallearning.net/2006/05/21/cultural-knowledge-is-a-plus-to-business-success/ [...]

[...] Mr. Harris is revisiting this issue because of a recent post on the Journal of Intercultural Learning entitled, “Cultural Knowledge is a Plus to Business Success”. The Journal of Intercultural Learning explicitly agrees with the opinions of China Law Blog and the opinions espoused by us in Part I and Part II of “Do The Top Ten Cultural Tips for Doing Business in China Really Help”. These posts address the issues raised by one of our readers, Doug Berman, concerning drive-thru lessons about Chinese culture. Mr. Harris of China Law Blog reprinted the same section of the post from the Journal of Intercultural Learning that we’re reprinting here and said, I agree. The stereotyped cultural tips, however, could be very misleading when delivered in an over-generalized approach or taken with an over-simplified manner without better and live understanding of the specific situation. In terms of China, the speed of change, the scope of the land, the complexity of systems, the span of history, the diversity of local cultures, the varied levels of educational development in different localities, and the gaps in economic development among areas would all affect business developments and successes, either domestic or international. Moreover, business success is composed of many factors and some of which are not cultural specific. For instance, as pointed out in the posts by Asia Business Law, good networking is in fact universally essential. Good networking is certainly an intercultural skill but it is an interpersonal skill in the first place where attitudes towards differences is of the essence. So, either in business or in any other intercultural communications, it is important to be aware of cultural idiosyncrasies and actively working to overcome them. I would also agree that cultural knowledge is not always a prerequisite, but I think it is not always a prerequisite in the sense that it will not guarantee a success, but rather, it is a plus, which, together with other business essentials, helps to pave the way to a success. I concur but would like to add to Mr. Harris’ opinion. In Part I of this series Mr. Berman compared learning Chinese culture to learning chess. [...]

[...] phrase “no problem mon”. I am in fact quite comfortable giving that example since I’ve lived it. However, few who know me would actually characterize me in this way, especially when it comes to business. And this brings me to a recent post entitledCultural Knowledge is a Plus to Business Success. Written by a blogger based in Beijing, China, the post validates some recent tips and discussions out there on doing business in China. It also highlights how listing stereotyped cultural tips can be inadequate and misleading. As this [...]

[...] Chinese native out of Beijing (in NINE different languages), did its own post on this issue, explicitly agreeing with me. I find this particularly heartening because it comes from someone whose business is cultural training. In its post, entitled, “Cultural Knowledge is a Plus to Business Success,” the blog had this to say: I can not be more agreeable to these arguments [referring to the paragraph I set forth above from my initial post] and I think these insightful arguments put forward a new perspective on how one should relate Chinese culture [...]