Explain how you think the Asian goal of "harmony, but not uniformity" can help to achieve intercultural understanding in globalized business practices. Use clear examples to support the ideas in your essay.
Title: Despite the recent financial crisis many Asian economies such as China, Korea and Singapore have become stronger. Therefore Asian values have started to influence global business practices. Explain how you think the Asian goal of "harmony, but not uniformity" can help to achieve intercultural understanding in globalized business practices. Use clear examples to support the ideas in your essay.
After the international financial crisis in 2008, China as a leader began to influence global business practices, more and more people realized that China are rising as the representative in the emerging markets and the global economy is going to be changed. Global countries started to pay attention to Chinese culture and ideas. Two thousand and five hundred years ago, Confucius said," the gentleman aims at harmony, and not at uniformity, the man aims at uniformity and not at harmony." That means each state or nation should accommodate other civilizations while preserving its fine cultural traditions. With the globalization of economy, international business activities are increasing, which improves cultural integration and globalization, but the culture shock is inevitable. Even though the cultural contradictions are ubiquitous, we should take a correct attitude towards the cultural contradictions and respect human differences, cultural differences.
Firstly, everyone should respect the difference between Eastern and Western cultures. It is well known that each state or nation has their own culture, education, work, and ways of thinking, as a result, the cultural differences are obvious. For example, Chinese are collectivism while Americans are individualism. Besides, Confucianism has the greatest influence on Chinese culture, Chinese always seem to work in groups, and they advocate harmony, because Confucian spirit is harmony. But American are independent thinkers, they achieve personal values. Different countries and people, due to the different historical and religious factors, have special customs and courtesy, all of these should be respected. For example, Muslims do not eat pork, and also avoid talking about pigs; in Ramadan, During daytime(among sunrise to sunset)they cannot eat and drink; Buddhists do not eat meat; Hindus do not eat beef and so on ( 2007). Moreover, Chinese are high context cultures, Chinese know how to respect others, because they believe if you respect others, and others will respect you. When they go to other country, they will do in Rome as Rome does, they want to build a good relationship with others, to leave others a good impression, because Chinese are short term orientation, they respect traditional, fulfill their social responsibility and they love the "face".
