Chinese cultural standards from a Japanese perspective

Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to identify Chinese cultural standards from the perspective of Japanese culture. The Cultural Standards Method is based on interviews of members of one culture who have extended living experience in a different culture. This method, based on a qualitative research approach, seeks for cultural differences at a more subtle level when compared with more traditional methods such as cultural dimensions. The research comprised three main phases: narrative interviews with Japanese in the sample group; content analysis of the critical incidents described during the narrative interviews and the identification of cultural standards. The final cultural standards selected are those which were more often mentioned by the majority of the interviewees and later on confirmed through the feedback received from the interviewees together with a third party. The Chinese cultural standards identified through the interviews with fifteen Japanese are: Importance of Social Relations, Flexible Discipline and Direct Expression Style, More Gender Role Overlap, Relaxed Attitude towards Professional Performance, Value Tradition, and Governance Centralization.