Business Cooperation between China and Slovenia: The Importance of Intercultural Understanding for the Success of Economic Relations

Authors

Anastazija Lazič
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6057-0693
Goran Vukovič
University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.7.2026.8

Synopsis

We discuss business cooperation between China and Slovenia and the importance of intercultural understanding for the success of economic relations. In recent decades, China has become one of the world's leading economic powers, which was also reflected in the increased presence of Chinese investments in Europe and Slovenia. Due to differences in business culture, communication styles and organizational practices, intercultural understanding has been an important factor in successful cooperation in international companies. The purpose of the research was to determine how employees experience intercultural cooperation and how communication, empathy and adaptability affect teamwork, conflicts and employee satisfaction. The results of the research showed that employees mostly evaluate intercultural cooperation positively. Employee satisfaction was rated the highest, while empathy and adaptability of employees and management also played an important role. Intercultural communication was rated slightly lower, indicating the presence of certain communication challenges between Slovenian and Chinese colleagues. We found that better communication contributes to more effective teamwork, a higher level of empathy reduces the occurrence of conflicts, and adaptability has a positive impact on employee satisfaction. The research thus contributed to a better understanding of the factors that influence the success of business cooperation between Slovenian and Chinese companies.

Author Biographies

Anastazija Lazič, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts

Anastazija Lazić is a student at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on intercultural understanding, intercultural communication, and business cooperation between Slovenia and China. In her study entitled Business Cooperation between China and Slovenia: The Importance of Intercultural Understanding for the Success of Economic Relations, she examines how communication, empathy, and adaptability influence teamwork, conflicts, and employee satisfaction in an intercultural work environment. The research places particular emphasis on cooperation between Slovenian and Chinese employees or management in the company Intermatic, d. o. o. Her research interests include intercultural communication, business culture, organizational adaptability, and cooperation between European and Chinese business environments.

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: anastazijal68@gmail.com

Goran Vukovič, University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences

Prof. dr. Goran Vukovič is a full professor of marketing and human resources at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences of the University of Maribor. As an expert, he covers the areas of human resources, teams, marketing and purchasing through his research, project and consulting work. He is the author of scientific monographs, professional and scientific articles, a reviewer, translator, editor, invited lecturer at foreign universities and a regular participant in conferences in the field of research at home and abroad. He participates in projects or leads EU projects such as MODI, MLAB, Model Implementation (LACORE), European Territorial Cooperation through Technology and Science, etc. Bibliography: COBISS printout contains 671 units.

Kranj, Slovenia. E-mail: goran.vukovic@um.si

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Volume

Prometna varnost v lokalnem okolju: problemsko-učno sodelovanje z Intermatic d.o.o.

Pages

417-456

Published

July 22, 2026

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Lazič, A., & Vukovič, G. (2026). Business Cooperation between China and Slovenia: The Importance of Intercultural Understanding for the Success of Economic Relations. In M. Marič & S. Živković (Eds.), Prometna varnost v lokalnem okolju: problemsko-učno sodelovanje z Intermatic d.o.o. (pp. 417-456). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.7.2026.8