Cultural Differences and Wealth. Diamonds are for the Chinese!

Cultural Differences and Wealth

Amsterdam (NL) has been known as the Diamond capital of the world.

Well, at least it used to be an important trading center for diamonds. Until a couple of years back. The market slumped: fewer and fewer people bought.

Until recently. The world economy is getting stronger. The Chinese are making their mark. And they not only look at diamonds, but they also buy as well, according to Gassan, a leading diamond trader in Amsterdam
Diamonds are seen as a status symbol, much more so than in the Netherlands. Status is a Masculine trait, the Chinese do score relatively high on this Hofstede dimension (66). The Dutch are relatively feminine (14).
Plus, according to a Gassan spokesperson, when one Chinese buys, others will buy too! This in turn reflects the collective nature of the Chinese culture (20 on Hofstede´s IDV dimension), whereas the Western Europeans and Americans are relatively individualistic (scores of 70 and higher).

With the right “cultural approach” companies like Gassan Diamonds can probably earn more than they are currently doing.

Cultural differences and wealth on Culture Matters

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