Essay: Business Communication in International Marketing Insights

This essay examines the critical role of business communication in international marketing, focusing on the differences between Chinese and Australian business etiquette. The essay explores various aspects of business communication, including business-to-business interactions, cultural nuances, and the significance of mutual data exchange for business expansion. It analyzes the Chinese business etiquette, highlighting the importance of respecting elders, maintaining politeness, and adhering to specific greeting and gift-giving customs. The essay also uses Hofstede's cultural dimensions to compare Australian and Chinese business cultures, discussing power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, pragmatism, and indulgence. Furthermore, it offers practical advice for an Australian entrepreneur, Mary, on how to adapt to Chinese business norms to successfully expand her business, including recommendations on greetings, body language, and the importance of displaying confidence and respecting Chinese cultural values. The essay emphasizes the need for cultural sensitivity and adaptation for successful international business ventures.

Running head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
Business Communication in International Marketing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
Business communication defines a two way communication process required to share
information to conduct a business. It can be of various types like business-to-business, business
to customers, business to wholesaler, business to traders and many more. Business
communication is required for marketing, management, advertising, employee management,
customer management, reputation maintenance, business expansion. This essay will discuss
about the business communication required in international marketing. The main objective of
this kind of business communication is to mutually exchange data that is beneficial for the
business expansion and maintenance. The process of business communication is different for
different types of business, countries and their culture (Meyer and Peng 2016). The following
analysis will show a brief discussion about the business etiquette of China, Australia and their
differences. It will also discuss about the business communication required to be followed by an
Australian entrepreneur to expand her business from Australia to Japan with example of
Hofstede model.
The following report discusses about an Australian entrepreneur Mary who has started
her business in Wagga Wagga and wants to expand her business to China. China is a country of
business scope and growth with their own list of business ethics and rules. Mary being an
Australian needs to study the Chinese business etiquette and follow them to please her client,
China. The report will show an analysis on Chinese etiquette, the comparison between the two
nation’s business system, Australia and China. It will also discuss about the suitable adjustments
that Mary needs to make a favourable impression to her clients for conducting a business with
them.
Business etiquette is the set of skilled behaviour need to be followed while conducting a
business (Okoro 2012). It can also be said that business etiquette is the style maintained in the

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business. The Chinese business etiquette differs from other countries as they are very particular
about their business structure and regulations. Their business structure and culture differs from
the Australian business structure. The people of China highly value business qualities such as
respecting the elders and higher ranks, being polite and patient in work field, being modest and
giving face to the one who deserves it. They are very particular about their greeting and
addressing style, business card is an important aspect for them.
Few typical Chinese etiquettes are they prefer people who speak in English. Their
conversations are very brief and exact to the point. They do not prefer detailing in answers unless
required. They are very much concerned about saving face and giving respect. Their personal
etiquettes also play an important role in their professional life. Their dinning style includes a
strict restriction for not sticking the chopstick straight into the bowl as it is reserved for the
funerals. Hence, that is considered highly offensive in a official meeting. They accept gift with
both the hands and find it offensive if they are gifted with clocks, green hats, and watches
(Verbeke 2013). Although, the present generation in China have become flexible with the
cultural diversity and accepts the difference in culture between their own country and foreign
countries. It would still be a better option to impress them by abiding by the mentioned
etiquettes.
An Australian entrepreneur Mary owns the aromatic condiment shop located in Wagga
wagga, Australia. It is strictly maintained by Australian business ethics and process. The
following paragraph will discuss the basic difference between Chinese and Australian business
etiquette and culture based on hofstede culture theory. Hofstede culture describes the effect of a
society’s culture on its members and how it affects the behaviour of the people in the society
(Kuo 2013). The six dimension of Hofstede cultures are described in the following paragraphs.

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The first point on Hofstede culture is power distance. In this dimension, it is shown how a
country handles the inequality in culture especially in case of money and power. Australia has a
low power distance. Superiors have direct access and managers are dependent on employees.
Managers and employees are consulted and informed about the decisions taken by the company.
In China, distance power is higher. They maintain a distance between the higher authority and
the inferior ones (Winterich and Zhang 2014).
Australia has an individual culture; this denotes that the people have a loose society
bonding. The people expect themselves to look after their issues and do not expect the society to
take any step for it. The employees are also expected to be self-dependent, all the hiring and
promotions are also dependent on the workers merit and quality. On the other hand China is a
has collectivism culture, the people in China belief in group work and are influenced by group
decisions. Employee commitment is low in the organisation whereas personal relationship
matters in workplace.
Australia has a masculine society. Their achievements and credits depend based on the
individual behaviour and skills. China also has a masculine society highly oriented towards the
success and goal of their work. They tend to sacrifice family and personal to meet the work life
goals. It is often seen that they leave their family for business or work-life.
Uncertainty avoidance refers when new innovative ideas are introduces they are rejected
by the country. Countries that are religiously firm and give importance to tradition and custom
tends to be high in this point. Australia has an intermediate scale in this aspect. The Chinese have
a low avoidance for uncertainty that is they have a concern for truth. However, they have
flexibility in rules.

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The Chinese are very pragmatic in nature; they believe in situational truth and adapt
tradition as per requirement. They have a strong propensity to invent and save for achieving
result. Whereas, in Australian society, the people have strong concern for establishing the truth.
They show high respect for truth and have low propensity to invest or save for future.
The last point is Indulgence and restraints describe to need for relaxation and comfort
in the country. The Australians have high indulgence score; they tend to expand more for their
enjoyment and fun. Whereas, the people of China have low indulgence score, they do not tend to
spend much on leisure life and relaxation (Deacon 2014).
China maintains very sincere business etiquette in comparison to Australian business
rules. On the other side Australian, appreciate modesty in their business. They are very down to
earth and maintain informal and casual meetings with business partners. They greet people only
with a handshake whereas in China bowing is extremely important while greeting someone
(Shaw and Barry 2015). They take serious note on business card and would be seriously
offended if one is cramming the card in the back pocket in front of them. When China takes a
serious note on formal meeting and greeting, Australia maintains a modest and informal way of
meetings (Hall 2013).
The people of China believe in making a strong relationship, maintain composure in
business deals and transactions. Although, too much emotion has a negative impact in the
business. They have a tendency to bargain far beyond the extended line to achieve some
advantages (Ching-Hwang 2013). They appreciate patience hence Mary must keep that in mind.
Based on the above analysis Mary needs to adjust with the Chinese etiquette and norms
to please them for trade. She has to be more punctual and sincere with her promises. Before

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greeting them, she must know the greeting style that is maintained in China. Mary, being an
Australian greets her business partners only by a handshake but for China, she has to be polite
and greet them with dignity. She has to be polite and patience in front of the Chinese Clients. She
has to greet them with handshake and mention the people with the last name (Rathnayaka 2014).
They prefer using few Chinese words during the conversation. She should avoid bringing
political topics in their conversation. She must accept the greeting card with both her hands and
not with one hand only. Her body posture should be formal and attentive and reflect self-
respectfulness.
Few personal changes that Mary needs to do are she must be confident about her proposal
as lack of confident is considered as failure in China. Mary must propose her business idea
supporting the Chinese culture and reputation. She should highlight the achievements and fame
that she has made that will improve her reputation and image to the Chinese (Chu 2013). She
must avoid bright colour suits as they consider it inadequate. After completing the meeting, she
should leave before the Chinese counterparts. She should include her professional title to the
clients. She must try to make her greeting cards golden in colour, as the people of China consider
the golden colour to be prestigious.
Thus to conclude the Australian entrepreneur must adopt the Chinese business etiquette
and ethics to trade with China. The major changes that she needs to do are already mentioned.
Being an Australian Mary must be following a lenient and casual business ethics, which she has
to work on. China being a developed country has high scope for business success and upraising
and it would be a great chance for Mary to extend her business to China. China has a firm grip
on business behaviour and formalities and do not entertain causalities that are followed in other
countries. The essay has shown a Hofstede style cultural and ethical diversification between the

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two nations, this might help Mary to find the differences and change them. It has also been
mentioned that how she should change her behaviour and style of expressing her business idea to
her client. She should abide by the Chinese ethics and exceed with her idea thus giving a new
turn to her business.

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Reference
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