Differences in China and Saudi Arabia

subgenus Chen sent a message to the hotel saying he would pick Ben up. This was fine with Ben since they could build down to telephone line. Mr. Chen arrived, and Ben was pleased to see that Mr. Chen had a limousine and a number one wood waiting. Instead of driving to the office, however, the driver took a short drive outside of Beijing and pulled up at a cafe. Mr. Chen said that this was the favorite cafe of the people from Microsoft who had come the month in the first place, and that they had said it had a in truth "American feel."

Ben was a little disturbed that the company had been lecture to Microsoft, and was further annoyed that all Mr. Chen wanted to confabulation about was American basketball, and accordingly asked Ben a whole serial publication of questions about himself. When Ben admitted that he had graduated from Yale, Mr. Chen got excited since he too had gone to Yale. As Harris and Moran pointed out, what was happening, although Ben was not aware of it, was a traditional negotiating practice through by the Chinese. "Initially, a trading meeting is devoted to pleasantries --serving tea, chit chat, fencing, waiting for the right issue to begin negotiations" (Harris & Moran, 1996, 255).

The Chinese are very aware of the American attitude of impatience, and also are aware that foreign business people must spend a good turn over of time and money to come there and that they do not want to go away empty-handed. Likewise, Mr. Chen's seem

ingly simple questions of Ben, about where he had gone to school and so on, were also signs of another(prenominal) strong trait that is described by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner as the difference between "affective" and "neutral" cultures. As they state, "Members of cultures which are effectively neutral [Chinese] do not electrify their feelings but keep them carefully controlled and subdued" (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1998, 70).

It would be puritanical to report that Ben's trip to China was a success, but actually it was not because of a faux pas he made at that first meeting, when he let it be known that if Mr.Chen wasn't the decision-maker, then he wanted to deal with the one who was. He had failed to realize that the company was family-owned and that Mr. Chen was the son who would inherit. However, Ben's statement had made Mr. Chen lose face, and once that happens, nothing else can be gained. perchance he fared better in Saudi Arabia?

Again, Ben had failed to understand a subtle situation. As Harris and Moran observe, "Business relationships are facilitated by establishing a personal rapport, mutual respect and trust -- business is done with a 'person' not a company" (Harris & Moran, 1996, 360). Amir was request him for advice as a person, an American that he respected, and not as a software salesman. Unfortunately, when Ben said he was not a carpet salesman, he committed another faux pas, since Amir's response was that Ben was making fun of a merchant of one of Arabia's finest ethnic icons, oriental rugs. As Ben flew back to the United States, he vowed that before he tried to do business in another country, he would make sure that he knew what it took to at least(prenominal) get to the neg
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