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Rules of Thumb For Cross Culture Business: - Be Prepared - Slow Down - Establish Trust - Understand The

The document provides an overview of key aspects of cross-cultural business and culture. It discusses what culture is, components of culture like aesthetics, attitudes, religion, and more. It also discusses approaches to understanding other cultures like spending extensive time in a country or undergoing training. Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions is explained as a framework to analyze cultures based on power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity vs. femininity. The challenges and limitations of applying models to understand national culture are also noted.

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Aamir Khan
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132 views17 pages

Rules of Thumb For Cross Culture Business: - Be Prepared - Slow Down - Establish Trust - Understand The

The document provides an overview of key aspects of cross-cultural business and culture. It discusses what culture is, components of culture like aesthetics, attitudes, religion, and more. It also discusses approaches to understanding other cultures like spending extensive time in a country or undergoing training. Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions is explained as a framework to analyze cultures based on power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity vs. femininity. The challenges and limitations of applying models to understand national culture are also noted.

Uploaded by

Aamir Khan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rules of Thumb for Cross Culture Business

Be prepared Slow down Establish trust Understand the importance of language Respect the culture Understand the components of culture

What is Culture?

Culture

The sum total of beliefs, rules, techniques,


institutions, and artifacts that characterize human populations. Consists of learned patterns of behavior common to the members of a given society. The unique lifestyle of a particular group of people.

Ethnocentricity

Considering your culture superior to all others

Living with Other Cultures


First, realize that there are many different cultures. Then, learn the characteristics of those cultures. Spend a lifetime in a country. Undergo an extensive, highly sophisticated training program that covers the main characteristics of a culture.

Components of
Culture

Aesthetics Attitudes and beliefs Religion Material Culture Education


Language Societal organization Legal characteristics Political structures

Religious Population of the World

Insert Figure 6.1

Material Culture

Refers to all human-made objects Concerned with how people make things and who makes what and why. Technology Mix of usable knowledge that society applies and directs toward attainment of cultural and economic objectives

Material Culture - Technology

Importance to International Companies Enables a firm to be competitive in world markets. Can be sold, or be embodied in the companys products. Can give a firm confidence to enter a foreign market.

Enables the firm to obtain better than usual conditions for a foreign market investment. Enables a company with only a minority equity position to control a joint venture. Can change the international division of labor. Is causing major firms to form competitive alliances.

Material Culture - Technology


Cultural Aspects of Technology
Includes skills in marketing, finance, and management People not always ready to adapt to changes technology brings

Appropriate Technology
Choose the technology that most closely fits the society using it
Can be labor-intensive, intermediate or capitalintensive

Technological Dualism
The side-by-side presence of technologically advanced and technologically primitive production systems.

Bommerang Effect
Technology sold to copanies in another nation used to produce competing goods

Understanding National Culture

Hofstedes Dimensions of Culture


Individualism versus Collectivism Large versus Small Power Distance Strong versus Weak Uncertainty Avoidance Masculinity versus Femininity

Power distance

Cultures are ranked high or low on this dimensions based on the particular societys ability to deal with inequalities

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Individualism versus collectivism


This dimension focuses on the relationship between the individual and his/her fellows within a culture Individualistic societies: loose ties individual achievement and freedom highly valued Collectivist societies tight ties tend to be more relationship oriented
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Uncertainty avoidance
This dimension measures the extent to which a culture socializes its members into accepting ambiguous situations and tolerating uncertainty

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Masculinity versus femininity

This dimension looks at the relationship between gender and work roles

Work related values for twenty countries

Problems with Hofstedes findings


Assumes one-to-one relationship between culture and the nation-state His research may have been culturally bound. Survey respondents were from a single industry (computer) and a single company (IBM)

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Cultural change
Culture is not a constant; it evolves over time Since 1960s Indian values toward the role of women are changing. Japan moves toward greater individualism in the workplace Effects of globalization

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