Dr Zain Yusufzai International culture Chapter # 5 (page124-151)

Introduction
Culture:
The acquired knowledge that people use to
 interpret experience and to generate social
behavior
 Culture share by groups, organizations or
society
Results we learn:
 Value and attitudes that shape an individual and
group behavior
 Culture learned through both education and
experience
 Culture pass from generation to generation
 Main reason for endurance and long lasting

Ethnocentrism:
The belief that one’s way of doing things is superior
to that of others
 Learn culture of other nations
 Be sensitive to values of others

Elements of Culture
Language: - primary means used to transmit and
interpret information and ideas
Local language helps in three ways:
First: - clearer understanding of situation
Second: - direct access to local people
Third: - business man picks nuances, implied
meanings and other information that is
not stated outright
 Understanding and meaning of language
important
 Translation can become problem and
misleading

Religion
Religion influences lifestyles, beliefs, values,
attitudes
 It can have a dramatic effect on the way people
in a society act toward each other and toward
those in other societies
 Religion can also affect the work habits of
people

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Alan M. Rugman, Richard M. Hodgetts
Dr Zain Yusufzai International culture Chapter # 5 (page124-151)

Protestant: work ethic: - a belief that holds that

people should work hard,
Be industrious, and save
their money
This work ethics help to
develop capitalism
Confucian work ethic: - a belief that people should
work hard at their tasks
Shinto work ethic: - a belief that people should
work hard at their tasks

Religion also affects-

 Social customs
 Dietary habits
 Politics
 Business
Values and attitudes
Values: basic conviction that people have regarding
what is right and wrong, good and bad, important
and unimportant
Attitude: a persistent tendency to feel and behave
in a particular way toward some object
Attitudes that emanate from values directly
influence international business a, positive b,
negative

Customs and manners

Customs indicate: ------How things are to be done
Manners indicate: --------used to carry them out
Customs: common or established practices
Manners: behaviors regarded as appropriate in a
particular society
Examples:-
 In Arab countries considered bad manners if
you take initiative to shake hand of a positioned
person
 In US shake hand and friendly behavior with all
 In France , England :- promptness is valued
 In some western countries :- discuss business
while playing favorite game (golf, pool, bowling)
 In Pakistan: - late for every thing

Material goods
 Society’s technology important because it
influences the national standard of living and

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Alan M. Rugman, Richard M. Hodgetts
Dr Zain Yusufzai International culture Chapter # 5 (page124-151)

helps to account for the countries value and

beliefs
 Value more likely to be materialistic due to
higher standard of living

Material goods: -------------- objects made by people

Basic economic infrastructure the primary
economic industries, including
 transportation,
 communication,
 and energy
Social infrastructure: the societal underpinning of
an economy, they consist of the countries
 health
 housing,
 and educational systems
Financial: infrastructure the monetary system of a
country, it consists of
 the nation’s banking,
 insurance,
 and financial services

In technology advance countries

Business need to have up to date products; less
expensive amore beneficial
In less technology advance countries
Advanced state of art product not so beneficial

Aesthetics
Aesthetics: -----------the artistic tastes of a culture

Education:-
 Influences many aspects of culture
 Literate people read widely and have a much
better understanding of what is happening in
the world
 Result in greater economic productivity
 Technological advances

Cultural dimensions: - (elements of culture)

Language, religion, values, and attitudes
Customs and manners
Material goods, aesthetics

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Alan M. Rugman, Richard M. Hodgetts
Dr Zain Yusufzai International culture Chapter # 5 (page124-151)

Education
All these combined explain behavioral difference
among people

Defining cultural dimensions

Dutch researcher Geert Hofstede has defined four
cultural dimensions to explain: - how and why
people from various cultures behave as they do
1. power distance
2. uncertainty avoidance
3. individualism
4. masculinity

1. Power distance
A cultural dimension, which measures the degree to
which less powerful members of organizations and
institutions accept the fact that power, is not
distributed equally
Countries with high Power Distance
 managers make autocratic decisions
 subordinates do as they are told
 close control of operations
 fairly weak work ethics
 organization structure tall
Countries with low or moderate Power Distance
 people place high value on independence
 managers consult with subordinates before
making decisions
 fairly strong work ethics
 organization structure flat
2. Uncertainty avoidance
The extent to which people feel threatened by
ambiguous situation, and have created institutions
and beliefs for minimizing or avoiding those
uncertainties
 depends heavily on rules and regulations to
ensure that people , know what they are
suppose to do
3. Individualism
Individualism: the tendency of people to look after
themselves and their immediate family only
 countries economically advanced expect people
to be self sufficient
 strong emphasis on initiatives and achievement

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Alan M. Rugman, Richard M. Hodgetts
Dr Zain Yusufzai International culture Chapter # 5 (page124-151)

 autonomy and personal financial security given

high value
 encouraged to make individual decisions
Collectivism: the tendency of people to belong to
groups who look after each other in exchange for
loyalty

4. Masculinity
Masculinity: the degree to which the dominant
values of a society are success, money, and
material things
Femininity: the degree to which the dominant
values of a society are caring for others and the
quality of life

Integrating the dimensions

Recent cultural research

Universalism: the belief that ideas and practices

can be applied everywhere in the world without
modification

Particularism: the belief that circumstances dictate

how ideas and practices should be applied and
something cannot be done the same everywhere

Neutral culture: a cultural in which emotional are

held in check

Emotional culture: a culture in which emotions are

expressed openly and naturally

Achievement culture: a culture in which people are

accorded status based on how well they perform
their jobs

Ascription culture: a culture in which status is

attributed based on who or what a person is

Culture and strategic management

Culture influences strategic management
 management style used in dealing with
international employees

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Alan M. Rugman, Richard M. Hodgetts
Dr Zain Yusufzai International culture Chapter # 5 (page124-151)

 type of work attitude in relation to time

management
 cultures explain why behaviors that re regarded
as unethical in on country are socially
acceptable le in another

Management styles
 Understanding cultural differences and way of
life
Example: - mergers and acquisitions (M&A) Upjohn
(Italy, Sweden, US)

Work attitudes
 Attitudes influence quality and quantity of
employee output
 Organizational commitment
 Work interesting and challenging , personnel
willing to exert greater effort

Achievement motivation
The desire to accomplish objectives and attain
success

Time and the future

Time another cultural influential factor for some on
time for some late

Ethics
Ethics: a set of moral principles and values that
govern behavior

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