Part 1
China is a collectivist culture as a whole, meaning that they put group – family, school, work, or country – needs and goals ahead of their own. In general this translates into acting with decorum at all times and even subjugating their own feelings and opinions for the good of the group. In American culture, silence is frequently interpreted as agreement, however, in the Chinese culture an individual will remain silent rather than offer a dissenting opinion so as to make sure both parties save face. Face is an essential component of Chinese culture as the concept translates to honor, respect and good reputation. In order to successfully conduct business in China it is essential that the representative never lose face themselves nor cause the loss of face in others.
The primary code of behavior and ethics in China is based on Confucianism, stressing duty, sincerity, loyalty, honor, piety and respect for age and seniority. “Through maintaining harmonious relations as individuals, society itself becomes stable (Kwintesssential, 2013).” Non-verbal communication is as important as verbal and provides even more pitfalls. In China a frown is interpreted as disagreement which can cause one party to lose face. Facial expressions, tone of voice and even posture are all examined to try to determine what someone feels. In America, eye contact is considered a sign that you are paying attention and care about what the person is saying. In China it is considered rude and an invasion of privacy. This also affects how the word “No” is used. Seldom will a Chinese businessman say “No” outright, nor will they tend to force definitive yes or no questions. More often they will suggest further study be given as a higher value is placed on tact and ambiguity than directness.
The way in which these customs affect the workplace is that Chinese tend to build work teams and assign tasks to these teams rather than to individuals. Negotiations are even usually performed the same way, with a larger group sent in order to make decisions by group consensus rather than individual. This means any work force put in place would need to be trained to adapt to the concept of working in teams rather than stand alone. Front of house or servers in the endeavor need to be trained in the culture of China or risk losing customers and going out of business in short order. Fast food restaurants in the US train their employees on the concept of using up-sales to generate more revenue. This would be confrontational in China and should not be put in place. Due to the value placed on indirectness or tact in China, all workers would have to be trained to be very patient as well, and not make eye to eye contact.
The overall cultural belief about food in China is that food must be balanced as the kind and amount of food is directly related to an individuals’ health. There are three overriding principles at work with the Chinese culture and food. The first is the principle of yin and yang as it applies to quality – equal amounts of both should to be consumed to keep the body in balance. The second is frugality; “Overindulgence in food and drink is a sin of such proportions that dynasties could fall on its account (Valera, 2008).” The third principle is that of fan and tsai and is also concerned with balance. Fan is the grain or starch of the meal and the tsai element is the meat and vegetable.
Part 2
Due to the extreme differences between the culture in America and the cultures in China, Israel, the United Arab Emirates it is only to be expected that culture shock will occur. The first stage of Euphoria is generally brief and consists mainly of the realization that the individual is embarking on an exciting new adventure in a foreign land. The second stage of disillusionment and frustration is one of the hardest to get through. This stage manifests as people realize how little they actually know about the country they are in, and can cause feelings of inadequacy and exhaustion as they try to navigate a culture that is so foreign to them. The third stage of adjustment is where things finally start to turn around. The country and people are not viewed as quite so foreign and the individual will start to work much better within the constraints of the new country. The final stage is integration. This stage is where businesses need to be to be able to successfully conduct business in a foreign country.
The way in which a business can best help their top managers to navigate through culture shock successfully is by using a few different approaches. First and foremost is an effective human resources involvement. Not only can they help screen employees for their experience in working as an expatriate, they can also help determine the best candidates for becoming an expat by examining the skills and profiles of the individuals applying for the job. Someone with a closed mind who views America as the only country of value would be a poor selection.
Secondary to this is a cultural immersion program or intercultural training. “It is a proven fact that cross-cultural training has a positive influence on building intercultural competence, the ability to act appropriately in an intercultural situation. Nevertheless, no wonders should be expected from preparatory training (Manz, 2003).” Third, and probably one of the most important, is ensuring that the expatriate has a solid support base of practical assistance to help them adjust to the new culture. This can cover things from simply planning travel and helping with Visas to arranging schools for children, and pre-screening homes for them to review. The important part of this is to make sure the employee does not feel abandoned and has access to a mentor in the home operation as needed.
EXAMPLES
Part 3
Expeditors are individuals who job is to facilitate a process. In order to branch out into a foreign country an expeditor can be an invaluable tool as they can help navigate through the governmental and cultural issues much faster than someone unfamiliar with the terrain. While they provide a tremendous advantage, they can also create legal dilemmas for the company employing them. To counter this it is important to have a clear understanding of not just the culture of the country in which you are doing business but also the legal landscape. This usually means that not only should an expeditor be used but also a corporate attorney schooled in the country to ensure that the expeditor does not break the local laws.
The biggest dilemma in conducting international business today is the concept that ethics are not universal. One of the main concepts of interrelations in China is the principle of “Guanxi”. This translates into basically a list of contacts who are willing to do a favor, but may ask for a favor in return at some later date. This is a time honored tradition in China and widely used in business. “China is an environment where petty corruption is common and tolerated (Voreacos, 2013).” That being said, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the United States is still a force that must always be kept at the forefront of any business transactions. This act forbids the payment of anything of value – not just money – to foreign officials in order to obtain an improper advantage and can cause criminal and civil repercussions. In addition to this China is now making examples of multinational organizations caught in bribery.

References
Chaney, L. H., & Martin, J. S. (2014). Intercultural business communication. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
Kwintesssential. (2013). China - Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette. Retrieved from Kwintessential: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/china-country-profile.html
Lee, L. Z. (2013, October). Customer Elements within Glocalozation. Retrieved from GALAxy Newsletter: http://www.gala-global.org/articles/customer-elements-within-glocalization
Manz, S. (2003). Culture Shock - Causes, Consequences and Solutions: The International Experience. Retrieved from GRIN: http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/108360/culture-shock-causes-consequences-and-solutions-the-international-experience
Saxowsky, D. (2013, November). China Food Law. Retrieved from North Dakota State University: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/foodlaw/safe-408-608/chinafoodlaw
Valera, S. (2008, September 2). Food in Chinese Culture. Retrieved from Asia Society: http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/food-chinese-culture?page=0,5
Voreacos, D. (2013, November 20). China's Bribery Culture Poses Risks for Multinationals. Retrieved from Bloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-21/china-s-bribery-culture-poses-risks-for-multinationals.html