Business Culture

Mexico’s Business Culture

 Mexico is an authoritarian society

 mexican workers tend to be activity-oriented rather than problem solvers.
 There is a much lower tolerance for adversarial relations or friction at work in Mexico as
compared to that in the United States
 Mexican employers are paternalistic, providing workers with more than a paycheck, but in
return they expect allegiance
 The ideal working condition for a Mexican worker is the family model, with people all
working together, doing their share, according to their designated roles
 Business meetings and entertaining are nearly always done at a restaurant
 This is why Mexicans do not accept criticism and change easily; many find it humiliating to
acknowledge having made a mistake
 A meeting among employees and managers in a business located in Mexico is a forum for
giving orders and directions rather than for discussing problems or participating in decision
making
 Mexican supervisors are viewed as weak if they explain the rationale for their orders to
workers.
 Life is simply slower in Mexico than in the United States.
 Mexicans often judge or stereotype a person by who introduces them, and changing that
first impression is difficult in business
 Mexicans often judge or stereotype a person by who introduces them, and changing that
first impression is difficult in business

Japan’s Business Culture

 is increasingly promoting women into managerial positions.

 business culture of notorious long work hours.
 Japan’s powerful business lobby, Keidanren
 The Japanese people place great importance on group loyalty and consensus
 This is why silence, used for pondering alternatives, can be a plus in a formal Japanese meeting
 In Japan, a person’s age and status are of paramount importance
 The deeper you bow, the more respect you show, but at least bow the head slightly in greetings.
 Give items in odd numbers, but avoid the number 9.
 Gifts are not opened when received

China’s Business Culture

 greetings are formal and the oldest person is always greeted first
 do not give scissors, knives, or other cutting utensils, because these objects indicate severing of
the relationship
 . Never give clocks, handkerchiefs, flowers, or straw sandals, because they are associated with
funerals
 the number 4 is unlucky, so do not give four of anything. Eight is the luckiest number, so giving
eight of something is a great idea.
 The Chinese rarely do business with companies or people they do not know
 Meals and social events are not the place for business discussions.
 The Chinese are shrewd negotiators, so an initial offer or price should leave room for negotiation

India’s Business Culture

 even Indian women with a college degree are expected to let their careers take a back seat to
caring for their husband, children, and elderly parents.
 Since taking care of elderly parents usually becomes a reality later in a woman’s career, it takes
them out of the workplace just when they should be entering top management roles.”
 they often will say something is not available, will offer you the response that they think you
want to hear, or will be vague with you
 Yellow, green, and red are lucky colors, so remember that when you wrap gifts. B
 Because Hindus consider cows to be sacred, do not give gifts made of leather
 Lamb, chicken, and fish are the most commonly served main courses.

This information can be helpful for strategists (and students) deciding where to

locate new operations, and where to focus new efforts.

 AFRICA – Though the country still has problems with infrastructure, unemployment, crime, and
poverty, it is undeniable that it is slowly progressing reflected by big companies putting up
production factories, foreign investors, plans of building highways and ports, and rapidly growing
middle class and an average GDP growth.

o 25 African countries held democratic elections, whereas two decades ago only 3 African
countries were considered democracies.
o Currencies in Africa are stabilizing
o countries are fund-raising to build modern highways, ports, and power grids.
o Many African and non-African companies are launching operations in Africa due to the
rapidly growing middle class and an average GDP growth
o 2014, Nissan Motor assembled thousands of cars in Nigeria, General Electric began
building $10 billion worth of new turbines for power plants,
o Procter & Gamble (P&G) opened a second diaper factory. Nigeria’s population wilbe
seven
o times larger than South Africa by 2050, even though the country still has problems with
infrastructure, unemployment, crime, and poverty.
o Kenya also is receiving numerous new “clothing” factories.
o Africa has the world’s largest deposits of platinum, chrome, and diamonds—and many
Chinese companies in particular are investing there.
o Africa’s largest food retailer, Shoprite Holdings, has more than 1,000 stores in 17
countries.
 CHINA – Despite China having a lot of negative things going on such as slowed economic growth,
widespread pollution, issue in conserving energy, rapidly increasing wage rates, worldwide
inflation, disregarded, human rights issues--- they still managed to be the world’s number-one
economic powerhouse

o China, the world’s most populous country, has overtaken the United States as the
world’s number-one economic powerhouse.
o accounts for 16.5 percent of the world economy,
o Hundreds of companies are scurrying to set up business in China.
o China’s economic growth has slowed to 6.8 percent, led especially by a domestic-
property slump that has dented construction activity and demand for materials such as
steel and cement.
o as the government tries to reduce widespread pollution and conserve energy.
o year. Demand for workers in China now outstrips
o supply, and this is contributing to rapidly rising wage rates and worldwide inflation.
 o luxury handbag maker Coach Inc. has
o made China the cornerstone of its international strategy, adding more products for men
and opening
o men’s stores in China.
 INDONESIA
o Indonesia has the world’s second-highest level of biodiversity, with vast areas of
wilderness and abundant natural resources.
o Indonesia’s stock market was the top performer in 2014 among all Asian countries,
o and was also the top performer in five out of the last seven years in Asia.
o Indonesia’s currency is the rupiah and its economy is one of the fastest grow-
o ing in Asia,
 INDIA
o GDP of India in 2015 is expected to reach 8.3 percent, making it the world’s fastest-
growing large economy
o Newly elected Prime ministerNarendra Modi introduced excellent policies to jump-start
India’s economy, boosting profits at companies ranging
from banks to cement makers.
o The country is the world’s tenth-largest economy, but its economy pre-Modi was
stagnant due to cumbersome bureaucracy and poor infrastructure.
 JAPAN’S
o Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was reelected on a mandate to revive the
economy.
o Hopes for Abe’s “Three Arrows” of hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending,
and reforms swere tarnished after Japan’s economy slipped into a recession in Q3 2014
o a national sales tax increase, the sales tax increase hurt ordinary Japanese citizens.
 VIETNAM
o Vietnam is booming for business. The market for e-commerce in Vietnam generates $4
billion in revenue annually and is growing dramatically.
o Telecommunications companies in Vietnam provide the lowest data prices in the world
o are among the most prevalent watchers of videos on smartphonesin the world.
o reThe number of active mobile social-media accounts in Vietnam rose