Ingmar Wienen Libri

In an era of globalization, a central question is how to develop business activities across cultural divides. Two years of participating observation were spent in China to analyze the history and culture of the country, as well as the legal, political and education systems. The study also includes subjects more directly linked to business activities: the definition of economic regions, changes in the national economic model and their impact on the Chinese people, and finally business practices in China. Based on these findings, a guide for doing business in a foreign culture is presented. This addresses the process of building business step by step from preparing for market entry and understanding government policy and relevant laws to investigating the environment and starting the operation. Special attention is paid to Human Resource Management and relationship building including personal and public relations.

This research project assesses the extent to which religion influences standards and behaviour in business, by comparing Islamic banking to co-operative banking as carried out by both Christians and Muslims. The study argues that Islamic banks are particular in the kind of products they offer, namely the Islamic financial instruments. On the other hand, it is the organisation which is key to co-operative banks. An empirical investigation of over 100 banks has revealed that Islamic banks are conventional banks with a product range modified according to Islamic religious law. Co-operative banks operate so as 'to help the poor', an objective in line with both Islamic and Christian ethics. The book demonstrates that Muslims and Christians can work together to foster development and to overcome poverty by referring to common ethical standards in business.