eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

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Objective of the study: The objective of the study is to identify the role that the greeting cards play in the business contexts between Finnish and Chinese companies, to figure out whether sending greeting cards has positive impacts on business relations, and to clarify that people's preference on a certain image and color is due to cultural factors or business background. The aim of the study is to help the international companies realize the importance of holiday greetings and keep longer relationships with clients and business partners.

Methodology and the theoretical framework The study takes qualitative research approach. The method is semi-structured interview with eight marketing experts from international companies that have both offices in Finland and China. The data come from both pilot interviews and theme interviews. The theoretical framework is based on the previous studies of cultural differences of Finland and China, color perceptions of the two nations, and the image selection within the business contexts. Culture, color and image are the three linked elements in the research, which serves as a basis of the research questions.

Findings and conclusions: Cultural factors are affecting the selection of greeting cards, and sending greeting cards has positive impacts on business communication and relations. Customer relations can be the by-products of the holiday greetings. Finns tend to choose cold colors as the background color like blue, while Chinese prefer the warm colors such as red and orange. The blue color for Finns is to show formality and trustworthiness, and the red for Chinese is to show happiness and friendliness. Finnish businessmen expect the greeting card with less color types simple image design. Chinese businessmen appreciate the conciseness of the image, and hope to see the Christmas elements on the card if it is for the Christmas purpose, such as Santa Claus, Christmas tree, gifts, etc.

Key words: greeting card, color, color perception, image, business communication, business relation, intercultural business communication, Finnish-Chinese company, Finnish culture, Chinese culture, Christmas card