GE - CH 2 - Cultural Context

Chapter 2
Cultures
and
International Entrepreneurship
Definitions of culture
Culture (/ˈkʌltʃər/) is the social behavior and

norms found in human societies. Culture is a
central concept in anthropology, encompassing
the range of phenomena that are transmitted
through social learning in human societies
Nature of Culture
 Basic beliefs and assumptions about the country
 Emotional aspect
 Reflect history
 Inherently symbolic
 Uncertain
 Substance and Form
Various Aspects of Culture
Figure 5.1
Language:
•Composed of verbal & nonverbal components.
•Messages transmitted by the spoken words used, voice
•Nonverbal actions such as body position, eye contact or gestures
Social Structure:
•India, is known for a relatively rigid, hierarchical social class system
which can offset the acceptance of new products/services.
•Reference group in any culture provide values and attitudes that
influence behaviour.
Religion:
•Religion is a culture defines certain ideas that are reflected in the
values and attitudes of individual and the overall society.
Figure 5.1
 Political philosophy:
• Rules and Regulations of the country affect the global
entrepreneur.
• Eg: Trade sanctions export control.
 Economics and Economic Philosophy:

• View of trade in the country
 Education:
• The technology level of a company’s products may be too
sophisticated depending on the educational level of the
culture.
 Manners and Customs

• Important for the global entrepreneur when negotiating
and giving gifts
Cultural Context
• The general terms "high context" and "low context"
(popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe
broad-brush cultural differences between societies.
• High context refers to societies or groups where

people have close connections over a long period of
time. Many aspects of cultural behaviour are not made
explicit because most members know what to do and
what to think from years of interaction with each
other. Your family is probably an example of a high
context environment.
Cultural Context
 Low context refers to societies where
people tend to have many connections but
of shorter duration or for some specific
reason. In these societies, cultural
behaviour and beliefs may need to be
spelled out explicitly so that those coming
into the cultural environment know how to
behave
Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory
• Professor Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most comprehensive

studies of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture.
• Geert Hofstede has defined “culture” as “the collective programming

of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category
of people from others”.
• The model of national culture consists of six dimensions. The cultural

dimensions represent independent preferences for one state of
affairs over another that distinguish countries (rather than
individuals) from each other.
POWER DISTANCE INDEX (PDI)
• This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members
of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.
• The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among

people.
• People in societies exhibiting a large degree of Power Distance accept a

hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no
further justification.
• In societies with low Power Distance, people strive to equalize the

distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power.
INDIVIDUALISM VS COLLECTIVISM (IDV)
• The high side of this dimension, called individualism, can be
defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in
which individuals are expected to take care of only themselves and
their immediate families.
• Its opposite, collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit

framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives
or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange
for unquestioning loyalty.
• A society's position on this dimension is reflected in whether

people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “we.”
MASCULINITY VS FAMININITY (MAS)
• The Masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in
society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material
rewards for success. Society at large is more competitive.
• Its opposite, femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation,

modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life.
• Society at large is more consensus-oriented.
• In the business context Masculinity versus Femininity is sometimes

also related to as "tough versus tender" cultures.
UNCERTAINTY Avoidance index (uai)
• The Uncertainty Avoidance dimension expresses the degree to
which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with
uncertainty and ambiguity.
• The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact
that the future can never be known: should we try to control the
future or just let it happen?
• Countries exhibiting strong UAI maintain rigid codes of belief and

behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas.
• Weak UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which

practice counts more than principles.
LONG TERM ORIENTATION VS SHORT TERM
NORMATIVE ORIENTATION (LTO)
• Every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing
with the challenges of the present and the future. Societies prioritize
these two existential goals differently.
• Societies who score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to

maintain time-honoured traditions and norms while viewing societal
change with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high, on the
other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and
efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future.
• In the business context this dimension is related to as "(short term)

normative versus (long term) pragmatic" (PRA). In the academic
environment the terminology Monumentalism versus Flexhumility is
sometimes also used.
Cultures change
There is increasing
1.International connectedness
2.Global economy coordination
3.Harmonization of laws & regulations
4.Migration
Cultures are not confined to given territories.

This means new challenges for GE
 How resistant are cultures to change?
 Generation Y are fast, self-organized & absorbed learners
with distinct work-life balance preferences
 Entire society workforces are aging

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Chapter 2

Culture (/ˈkʌltʃər/) is the social behavior and

 Economics and Economic Philosophy:

 Manners and Customs

• High context refers to societies or groups where

• Professor Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most comprehensive

• Geert Hofstede has defined “culture” as “the collective programming

• The model of national culture consists of six dimensions. The cultural

• The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among

• People in societies exhibiting a large degree of Power Distance accept a

• In societies with low Power Distance, people strive to equalize the

• Its opposite, collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit

• A society's position on this dimension is reflected in whether

• Its opposite, femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation,

• Society at large is more consensus-oriented.

• In the business context Masculinity versus Femininity is sometimes

• Countries exhibiting strong UAI maintain rigid codes of belief and

• Weak UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which

• Societies who score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to

• In the business context this dimension is related to as "(short term)

Cultures are not confined to given territories.

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