| In Chinese business culture, drinking plays a prominent | | | | hear that alcoholism is a big problem in Finland. Finland |
| role with many Chinese companies hiring what | | | | incidentally, was the first country in the world to |
| amount to professional drinkers, giving them | | | | allow all females to vote (New Zealand would have |
| professional job titles. Many Chinese people in | | | | been first but excluded the Maori women), and these |
| professional jobs that I met, i.e. in accountancy and | | | | days the Finnish women account for over 40% of |
| management positions, often have to accept the | | | | women in the parliament. Finnish women can handle |
| drinking culture in order to be accepted and to | | | | drink almost on a par with the men. In Ireland, even |
| progress in their company, hence it is often | | | | the girls have beer bellies, not just the guys. Take a |
| necessary to put the drinking culture ahead of the | | | | walk around the capital city Dublin, on a Friday or |
| direct needs of family sometimes. | | | | Saturday night, and you will see plenty of girls |
| Chinese people are very family orientated people and | | | | drinking Guinness by the pint. Drinking eight or ten |
| they care very much about their families. It is more a | | | | pints of beer on a good night was normal and I have |
| case that most companies expect their employees | | | | to say, there were some good nights out in Dublin. |
| to conform to the company culture and to do well in | | | | Drinking is an integral part of the Irish culture and |
| a company, it is important to fit in with these | | | | Guinness, one of the Irish beers, is now popular |
| ideologies. Many of my students spoke of the way in | | | | worldwide. |
| which it was necessary to entertain business clients | | | | The passion for alcohol is also noticeable in Chinese |
| with a good evening of drinking and a visit to a | | | | business culture and a source of pride to many. |
| singing room in order to get a deal done. This use of | | | | When visiting drinking places in Beijing on Friday |
| alcohol in business seems to be changing gradually | | | | nights, it was common to see groups of co-workers |
| with several Chinese business people telling me that | | | | including the women, drinking rounds of shots. The |
| they are now tiring of the heavy drinking culture, and | | | | co-workers often play drinking games and seemed to |
| choosing instead to entertain clients out on the golf | | | | drink copious amounts of alcohol. Many businessmen |
| course. As someone who enjoys social drinking, I kind | | | | and businesswomen have turned up at my morning |
| of like the idea of having a few drinks with clients at | | | | classes still suffering from a hangover from four or |
| the companies expense and it is perhaps true that it | | | | five before. In many cases they make it clear that |
| is a great opportunity to learn about the real | | | | they did not want to go drinking, but they had to for |
| character of the client/s when they are drunk. The | | | | the sake of their job and future promotions. |
| problem for many people though, seems to be the | | | | Conformity in many ways I am told, dictates that |
| high amount of alcohol drank during these meetings | | | | one should not leave the drinking session before their |
| and the difficulty of saying NO if you do not feel like | | | | senior (higher manager) leaves. Drinking in China |
| drinking. | | | | though, is limited to an extent in some situations. |
| In Finland I found that people drank vodka so fast | | | | Drinking alcohol for example does not tend to occur |
| that it was as though their lives depended on it and | | | | very much in the home; Universities tend not to have |
| that the girls drink as much as the guys. Winters in | | | | bars directly on campus; and places such as singing |
| Finland are long and cold and drinking is almost | | | | rooms are mostly alcohol free. There is no denying |
| considered a pastime to get through the harsh | | | | though, that both food and alcohol are a definite part |
| winter. As a result of this you will not be surprised to | | | | of the vibrant Chinese culture. |