Mattel's "Apology" to China to Be Lauded - a Cultural Explanation

Author Lived in China, Offers Explanation from Both Sides

NOTE: Before you go any further, please be sure to click on the face and guanxi links to read up on both concepts in detail.

In short, face has to do with one's reputation in front of others, whereas guanxi is directly related with the relations one has established for business purposes. Reputation and relations: the two key concepts behind any business activity with China...

MATTEL APOLOGIZES

Mattel recently publicly apologized to China in a greatly unprecedented effort to help Chinese officials "save face" over the recall of millions of toys. As a former resident of China, I would like to share a cultural perspective on this "peace offering" in America's recently strained relations with China.

I have studied Chinese culture all my life, am able to converse comfortably in Mandarin Chinese, I lived in China for several years, and enjoy seeing things from "both sides" - the Western and Eastern perspectives.

I would like to share with my fellow Westerners my appraisal of what I hope will be interpreted as a "significant peace offering" in America's recently strained relations with China.

First, some background on Mattel...

FROM BARBIE DOLLS TO HOT WHEELS CARS, MATTEL IS AMERICAN.

Founded in 1945, Mattel Inc. (NYSE: MAT) is the manufacturer of toys such as the iconic Barbie Doll and the legendary Hot Wheels racing cars. (I had a set of Hot Wheels. Darn proud of it!) For generations, American kids grew up with these toys, and for one to say that Mattel is an American icon is no understatement. Mattel has been around forever, has grown well, and has become a household word clearly associated with its ever recognizable explosion-burst logo (see picture).

Simply put: along with ice cream and mom's apple pie, Mattel and its toys are an indisputable frontispiece of American culture.

MATTEL MAKES PROFITS, THANKS TO CHINA