A Business Trip to China - Paper Example

After careful deliberation, you have been selected to represent the company in Beijing, for a series of preliminary contract negotiations beginning next month.

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The People's Republic of China is a country in East Asia with Beijing as its capital and the largest city. The official language in China is the standard Chinese, with the vernacular Chinese being the official written language. As of 2015, the estimated population was 1, 339, 049, 000 ranking China the world's most populous country. China has long hosted a variety of religious traditions with the Chinese folk religion being the dominant religion. Furthermore, China is ranked third largest country after Russia and Canada. China boasts of its rich, fertile lowlands to the east and south. The western and northern parts of the country are dominated by sunken basins, towering massifs, and rolling plateaus. Also, chinas climate ranges from sub-arctic in the north and tropical in the southern part. CITATION and10 \l 1033 (Andreu Claever, 2010)Since you will be traveling to China, it is of an essence to note that, in Beijing, China, the month of April is characterized by spring and mild weather whereby flowers are in full bloom and the trees begin to turn green. Daily temperatures may rise up to twenty degrees Celsius on a warm afternoon. On the other hand, daily low temperatures during the month of April drops up to eight degrees Celsius. With April being a warm month in Beijing, China, you will need to incorporate a long-sleeved T-shirt or shirt and a light trench coat or a windproof jacket so as to cope up with the chilly weather. A waistcoat in between the jacket and the shirt and the coat or otherwise switch to a thick jacket in the evening. For your information, there exists a three-hour time difference between Melbourne and Beijing with Melbourne being three hours ahead. Importantly, the unit of monetary exchange in China is Renminbi. One Chines yuan is equal to 0.14 US Dollar. Whats more, China has a good diplomatic relationship with the United States; therefore, while in Beijing, you will be just a phone call away to the US embassy just in case. The Embassy of the United States in Beijing has been in existence for nine years now since 2008. Situated on 55 Anjialou in Beijing, China. The official US Embassy telephone number is +86 10 8351 3000. CITATION Goe \l 1033 (Goeldner and Ritchie B 2010)There are also a few other things that you shall need to consider for your trip to Beijing. With standard Chinese being the National language you will need to be equipped with the necessary Chinese greeting customs. Have enlisted the basic greeting structure in Chinese.

English Chinese

Hello Ni hao

Pleased to meet you Hen gaoxing jian dao ni

Goodbye Zaijian

Thank you xiexie

Yes shi

Another key thing to remember, just like any other country, choosing the right business attire in China is of much essence, especially to making a good first impression, and as it is said, you will be addressed depending on how you dress. Proper dressing is essential for success in any field and not just in the corporate world. Chinese business women dress quite conservatively, and I would suggest that you mimic this style by wearing a dress with the hem slightly below the knee and a high neckline for the top. Anything less is considered inappropriate. For the shoes, go for a flat heel though it should be subtle. If your hosts are shorter than you consider not wearing a heel at all as its considered a sign of disrespect and rudeness. Heck, only closed toe shoes are worn, forget the open toe shoes as they are inappropriate. Furthermore, I recommend that you wear a business suit with colours like Brown, navy, beige with sleeves on your shirt either full or three-quarter at length. Also, when it comes to jewellery, go for small pieces. As for the nails, keep it short and neatly trimmed with no bright colour. If you choose to wear makeup, ensure it is modest and natural; importantly, observe time. To that end, it is more important that you consider a few things concerning your personal space while in China since it varies from the US. The Chinese have a close personal space with each other compared to the US. Also, note that there are few women, Asian business circles, therefore, an Asian woman in the conference room should not be mistaken for a junior manager. CITATION and10 \l 1033 (Andreu Claever, 2010)Most importantly, you will need to adjust to the Chinese dining, culture which is different compared to the dining customs here in the US. While in China, you are expected to carry yourself in a civilized manner since that is the Chinese custom. Behave yourself while in the table and demonstrate some table manners while taking your meal

Also, it is important to remember that, gifts are essential in building new business relationships with other businesses. There exist many different types of gifts that you can give to Chinese business partners. A gift from your home country will always have a much bigger impact. Since many local businessmen and women enjoy smoking and drinking, a gift of alcohol or tobacco from your country will be welcomed warmly.

Finally, as you embark on preparing for your trip, I recommend you grab a copy of YU HUAs China in ten words which are a fascinating primer about the modern-day China. Kindly, be attentive to all aspects that you will encounter on your trip since you will be required to prepare a report that will focus on the issues that you think will enhance the performance of our company in coping up with the competitors, production as well as service delivery. The processing of traveling documents will soon be completed accordingly and ensure that you carry the documents with you when you are in China, to avoid troubles with authority in case you have been asked to prove your identity.

References

Andreu, R, Claver, E., & Quer, D. (2010) tourism in China: a review of research in leading journals. Journal of China Tourism Research

Bi, Y.H., Card, J.A and Cole, S.T. (2006). The accessibility and attitudinal Barriers model

Cheng C.K., Li, x, Petrick, JF, & O Leary, J.T. (2010) an examination of tourism development tourism management

China tourism research.

Goeldner, C, And Ritchie, B. (2006). Tourism: principles, practices, and philosophies. NJ; John Wiley.