International Journal of Economics and Management
414
santun), which was highlighted to be important by all three races. The Malays and
the Chinese were seen to have the most similar cultural values, which were
Ambitious, Filial Piety, Honesty, Knowledgeable, and Trustworthiness. The Malays
and Indians were only similar in their value of Piousness, while the Chinese and
Indians were similar in their values of Rituals and Traditions.
The cultural values that were common among the Malays and Chinese
participants were Ambitious, Filial Piety, Honesty, Knowledgeable, and
Trustworthiness. Not surprisingly, the Malays shared the value of Filial Piety with
the Chinese where emphasis was put on minding and respecting the parents. Because
Nestlé in Malaysia consisted of a number of expatriates from various countries in
addition to the multi-racial employees, trust (Trustworthiness) was also taken as a
very important value. Trust was an essential value between people working together.
When trust was present, delegation of tasks and responsibilities was easier. The
Figure 2 Important Values and Beliefs of the Malays, Chinese and Indians
Added After They Joined Nestlé in Malaysia
* - This value was inserted again here to indicate the increased number of respondents
adopting it once they started working for Nestlé in Malaysia
•
•
•
• Accommodating
• Authoritative
• Self-confidence
• Wisdom
Indians
Malays Chinese
Ambitious*
Tact
Modesty