Upload
muneerpp
View
186
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Chapter Three
Differences in Culture
3 - 4
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
What is Culture?
“That complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and
other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society.”
- Edward Tylor(19th century anthropologist)
“A system of values and norms that are shared
among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living.”
- Hill(adapted from Hofstede, Namenwirth, and Weber)
3 - 5
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Components of Culture
• Values - cultural bedrock
• Norms - social rules that
govern interactions
• Society- a group that shares
common values and norms
3 - 6
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Folkways and Mores
Folkways • Routine conventions of
everyday life.- Social conventions such as
dress codes, social manners, and neighborly behavior
- Demonstrate social (or cross-cultural) competence
- Violations generally do not invite moral judgment (i.e. of good and evil)
Mores• Norms that are central to
the functioning of society and its social life
- Greater significance than folkways
- Actions may be either illegal (theft, adultery) or taboo (incest, cannibalism)
- Violators are considered evil; violations bring serious retribution
3 - 7
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Culture, Society, and the Nation State
• Distinctions- Culture: A system of values shared by a group- Society (ethnie): A group bound by a common culture- Nation: A self-defined cultural and social community (an
“imagined” community, Benedict Anderson)- State: A political association with effective sovereignty over a
geographic area
• Issues- Societies, nations and states do not always correspond- Subcultures (often hidden) are found in many nation-states
3 - 8
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
The Determinants and Manifestations of Culture
3 - 9
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Social Structure
• Social structure refers to its basic social organization• Two dimensions that are particularly important
include:- The extent to which society is group or individually oriented- Degree of stratification into castes or classes
3 - 12
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Religious and Ethical Systems
• Religion: a system of shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred
• Ethical systems: a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behavior
- Most of the world’s ethical systems are the product of religions
• Among the thousands of religions in the world today, four dominate in terms of numbers of adherents:
- Christianity with 1.7 billion adherents- Islam with 1 billion adherents- Hinduism with 750 million adherents- Buddhism with 350 million adherents
3 - 13
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Religious and Ethical Systems
3 - 16
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Language
• Spoken- Verbal cues- Language structures perception of world
• Unspoken- Body language- Personal space
3 - 17
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Education
• Formal education plays a key role in modern society- medium through which individuals learn indispensable
language, conceptual, and mathematical skills- supplements the family’s role in socializing the young into
the values and norms of a society - teaches basic facts about the social and political nature of
a society and the fundamental obligations of citizenship
• Cultural norms are also taught indirectly at school- Part of a “hidden curriculum”- Examples of cultural norms include: respect for others,
obedience to authority, honesty, neatness, being on time- The grading system socializes children to value of personal
achievement and competition
3 - 18
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Cultural Change
• Culture is not a constant; it evolves over time- Since 1960s American values toward the role of women
have changed- Japan moved toward greater individualism in the workplace
• Globalization will continue to have impacts on cultures around the world
- Is the world moving toward greater cultural convergence or divergence?
- Are the values of collectivistic culture incompatible with economic progress and development
3 - 19
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Cultural Change
3 - 20
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Managerial Implications
• Cross-cultural literacy- The danger of ethnocentrism
• Culture and competitive advantage- Value systems and norms influence the cost of doing
business in a country (transaction costs)• How determinative is culture for economic success?• How important is culture in shaping the foreign
investment decisions of MNCs?
• Culture and business ethics
3 - 21
McGraw-Hill/IrwinInternational Business, 6/e
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Looking Ahead to Chapter 4
• Ethics in International Business- Ethical Issues in International Business- Ethical Dilemmas- The Roots of Unethical Behavior- Philosophical Approaches to Ethics- Ethical Decision Making