Problematic encounters between Chinese nationals and Black South Africans in the building industry in Johannesburg South Africa : an intercultural communication analysis

Abstract

The purpose of my thesis was to investigate whether Chinese nationals and black South Africans had different cultural constructs regarding individualism-collectivism, the power distance index, contextual communication, attitudes to time and communication strategies and whether such differences caused problematic encounters between them in the building industry in Johannesburg. The thesis is composed of six chapters, each of them dealing with different aspects of the research. Chapter one is introductory, accounting for China-Africa/South Africa relationships, international concern about the challenges of the relationships, justification, aims and rationale statement. Chapter two is divided into four parts, providing a review of existing literature regarding the four cultural dimensions and three communication strategies of Chinese, black (South) Africans and Europeans whose cultures have a profound impact on black Africans. Chapter three concentrates on research questions, three data collection instruments, requirements and number of participants. Chapter four concentrates on data analysis and findings from open/close ended and interview questionnaires. Chapter five argues how the different cultural dimensions and communications strategies caused the problematic interactions between Chinese nationals and black South African employees. Contributions of this study are included in this chapter. Chapter six deals with conclusions, limitations and recommendations. The findings support the researcher’ original propositions that Chinese nationals and black South Africans had different cultural dimensions and such differences caused their problematic interactions. Based on the results, this study recommends that cultural dimensions should receive due consideration to address contentious labour relations between Chinese companies and black Africans instead of simply observing labour laws as broadly claimed in political and economic circles. The major practical implication of the present research is that it provides much needed answers to both Chinese and black South Africans to understand the root causes of their problematic interactions better. Thus, the results should be applicable to a wide population that is interested in Sino-Africa relations.