Who would have thought that people from one of the world's most demonstrative and fast-paced cultures would be successful and able to integrate into one of the world's most inscrutable and reserved cultures? Yet, Israelis venturing into China for business do exactly that.
According to a report in Globes, Israel's sole financial newspaper, Professor Larry Franklin of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said, "As a man who has followed the attempts and successes of Israeli companies and businesspeople in the Chinese market for years, I can state that they deserve very high marks for fitting in with the Chinese business culture. No Israeli businessperson has any reason for feeling inferior to businesspeople from other Western countries doing business with China. The Israelis' learning curve is absolutely amazing."
Speaking on business with China at Tel Aviv University earlier this month, according to the Globes report by Sapir Peretz, Prof. Franklin noted, "The Chinese don't like saying 'No' directly, preferring to equivocate. Patience and consistency are therefore required, and it sometimes seems that Israelis lack patience."
But Israelis learned, as the professor noted: "Israelis have an impressive capacity for flexibility when dealing with the Chinese character, and Israeli businesspeople learned to understand the importance of building long-term relations with the Chinese. In China, building confidence is more important than legal contracts, and Israelis grasped the point well."
Professor Franklin also noted the great potential in the Chinese market for Israeli technology and the skill of Israeli businesspeople in identifying those opportunities.
According to a report in Globes, Israel's sole financial newspaper, Professor Larry Franklin of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said, "As a man who has followed the attempts and successes of Israeli companies and businesspeople in the Chinese market for years, I can state that they deserve very high marks for fitting in with the Chinese business culture. No Israeli businessperson has any reason for feeling inferior to businesspeople from other Western countries doing business with China. The Israelis' learning curve is absolutely amazing."
Speaking on business with China at Tel Aviv University earlier this month, according to the Globes report by Sapir Peretz, Prof. Franklin noted, "The Chinese don't like saying 'No' directly, preferring to equivocate. Patience and consistency are therefore required, and it sometimes seems that Israelis lack patience."
But Israelis learned, as the professor noted: "Israelis have an impressive capacity for flexibility when dealing with the Chinese character, and Israeli businesspeople learned to understand the importance of building long-term relations with the Chinese. In China, building confidence is more important than legal contracts, and Israelis grasped the point well."
Professor Franklin also noted the great potential in the Chinese market for Israeli technology and the skill of Israeli businesspeople in identifying those opportunities.