A comparative study of the role of culture and business activity : the cases of the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia

As various economies in South-East Asia have seen rapid rates of development, questions have increasingly been asked as to how this has been possible. Among the myriad reasons offered, there is generally a consensus on the significant role that the overseas Chinese community have played in the development of the same economies. One of the subsequent question which then arises is why have not other ethnic communities been able to mirror the achievements of the Chinese. A common and easy answer provided relates to Chinese culture - that the culture of the Chinese is unique in that it singularly influences overseas Chinese behaviour which in turn has been a major determinant of their present day success. This thesis accepts the fact that many factors have been involved in making the Chinese as successful as they have been. However, among these reasons, culture too has had a role to play. Specifically, this investigation attempts to determine exactly how culture had a role to play among the Chinese in Malaysia. This is done by delineating culture as a general concept to examine how it could be important, and it also makes use of the ethnically Indian group of persons in Malaysia and compares their culture against Chinese culture. This provides a degree of justification why there may be a link between culture and business activity. The research finds that the there are components of both groups' culture which overlap. However, the manner in which each precise component of Chinese and Indian culture affects each of the two groups is contrasting. Combined with the legacy of Chinese social history and other environmental factors, Chinese culture is found to have a generally positive influence to promote business success. However, in the case of the Indians the reverse is largely found to be true