Cross-Cultural Differences Between Doing Business in France and China

As we revel in the wake of Globalization, models of organizations and styles of management are becoming increasingly similar. However, this conversion has a limit. Some cross-cultural differences will not disappear so easily and managers will have to understand and appreciate these cultural ‘oddities' if they wish to run a successful business.

Let us take China and France as examples of two very different countries that may have cross-cultural problems while doing business. First we will give a general overview of the two countries and then discuss some management practices that may vary between these eastern and western cultures.

General Overview:
France
 Geographical location: Western Europe
 Population: 62.000.000 people
 Language(s): French: 42,100,000 (92%)
Oc languages: 1,670,000 (3.65%)
German and German dialects: 1,440,000 (3.15%)
Oïl languages: 1,420,000 (3.10%)
Arabic: 1,170,000 (2.55%)
 Economic status: France has a balanced and highly diversified market economy in which industry accounts for approximately 27 percent of gross domestic product or GDP (produit intérieur brut), services account for more than 68 percent, and construction, transportation and agriculture play an important role. France has ranked for the past 20 years as the West's fifth economic power.
 Political system: French political system is characterized by the opposition of two political groups: one left-wing, centered around the French Socialist Party, and one right-wing, centered around the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR), then its successor the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP). The French government is republican in form.
 Religion: 62% Roman Catholic, 6% Muslim, 2% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 2% "other religions", 26% "no religion" and 1% declined to answer
 Status of women: An increasing number of French women hold management positions in retail, service, law, finance and human resources.