comparative value priorities of chinese and new zealand

Let us compare this to how other Chinese see Guangzhou business people. In a
publication available after the completion of the literature review, Tung, Worm and
Fang (2008) provide regional characterisations for China, including the
Guangzhou/Shenzhen area. These characteristics are derived from stated perceptions of
each region by Chinese businesspeople from other regions of the country. They are
fairly consistent with the popular stereotypes generally ascribed to people from these
particular cities. Identifying Guangzhou/Shenzhen as a southern city close to Hong
Kong, the authors characterise businesspeople there with traits also observed in this
study. Some of these traits are,
1. Hard working and highly efficient (in the 1980s, Guangzhou/Shenzhen was
recognized for its efficiency in building one entire floor of a skyscraper in three
days)
2. More entrepreneurial, many prefer to start up their own businesses as opposed to
working for established corporations
3. More willing to deviate from traditional norms
4. Less concerned about politics
5. Identify more closely with Hong Kong than with the rest of the Mainland
6. Greater propensity for risk taking
My results provide support for these findings and those of the INTOUCH and NZT&E
contention of NZ businesspeople as being laid back, but with connotations of lazy and
lackadaisical, compared to Guangzhou businesspeople. For the leader behaviour
preference of Production Emphasis, which is essentially a preference for a leader who
pushes employees to work hard and excel, the centred means are significantly different
between the samples. For NZ, Production Emphasis was ranked 10 th of 12 with a value
of -0.54. For GZ it was ranked 6 th of 12 with a value of 0.09. When we express our
values through behaviour, comparing New Zealanders to their Guangzhou compatriots,
Guangzhou businesspeople could well see New Zealanders as less hard-working and
less production orientated.
The Nielsen survey research company interviewed business people and journalists in
Australia, China, Japan, the UK and the USA. A comment concerning doing business in
Australia, “…New Zealand’s modesty… is what is preventing us from getting more
business in Australia.” This lack of aggressiveness in the international marketplace is
widely viewed as a problem. In Japan and China, NZ businesspeople are seen as halfhearted.
In the USA and UK, they’re seen as lacking hunger. NZ businesses are not seen
287