chapter 3 culture

the language of gift giving

(1) Acceptable gifts-chocolates, red roses, Scotch whiskey (2) Bribes- are pervasive worldwide. The expression for a bribe is presented in several languages. (3) Questionable payments-expediting payments or bribes? A non-governmental agency, Transparency International, founded in 1993, surveys businesspeople and political analysts and then publishes a Corruption Perception Index.

unspoken language

(1) Gestures-meanings for same gesture differ among countries. The foreigner should leave gestures at home. (2) Closed doors - differences between German and American views on this issue. (3) Office size-never gauge someone's importance by the size or location of his/her office. (4) Conversational distance-Anthropologists say that conversational distances are smaller in the Middle East and Latin America than in the U.S.

translation

(1) Technical words-international businesspeople should know that some governments have programs to keep their languages pure and free from foreign words (2) No unpleasantness-reluctance in many areas to say anything disagreeable.

what and why culture is important

A. Culture is the sum total of beliefs, rules, techniques, institutions, and artifacts that characterize human populations. B. Culture is learned and shared, its various aspects are interrelated, and it defines the boundaries of different groups.

going forward: cultural paradox and a caution

A. Rule of thumb for managers doing business across cultures 1- be prepared 2- slow down 3- establish trust 4- understanding importance of language 5- respect the culture 6- understand the components of culture.

attitude towards achievement and work

Attitude toward achievement and work. "Germans put leisure first and work second." Mexicans say, "You Americans live to work; we work to live. Prestigious jobs-disdain for physical labor in many countries results in an overabundance of attorneys and stockbrokers and a lack of welders and toolmakers

societal organization

Every society has a structure or organization that is the patterned arrangement of relationships defining and regulating the manner by which its members interact with each other kinship-Extended family includes blood relatives and relatives by marriage. Member's responsibility to extended family association- may be formed by age, sex or common interest. age- in many countries, children exert less influence in product choice than in the united state. older people continue to live in extended families and have a strong voice in family affairs. Gender- generally, the less developed the country, the less equal are the genders with respect to job opportunities and education. this is changing, however. class mobility- ease of moving from one social class to another lies on a continuum from rigid caste system in India to a relatively flexible social structure in the united state. Developing countries tend to be less flexible. increased industrialization generally weakens barriers to mobility. entrepreneurial spirit-

plot of dimension and management implication

Hofstede's four dimensions have given managers a basis for understanding how cultural differences affect organizations and management methods.

asian religions

In India, the ideas of reality are different. There is a notion that this world is an illusion because nothing is permanent. All living things are in a constant process of birth, death, and reincarnation. The goal of salvation is to escape from this cycle and move into a state of eternal bliss-nirvan

7 religioin in asia

India- hinduism,buddhism, jainism and sikhism china- confucianism, taoism japan- shinto

islam

The koran, a collection of Allah, revelations to Muhammad, the founder, is accepted as god eternal word. there is no separation of church and state. five pillars of faith split between sunnis and shiites

Hinduism

a conglomration of religion with no single founder or central authority caste system- entire society divided into 4 caste and the dalits. an indiviual position in the caste system is inherited manager must be cautious when placing member of a lower caste in charge of people from higher caste

taoism

a mystical philosophy possibly founded by a contemporary of confucius. taoism means "the way"

attitudes and beliefs

a. every culture has a set of attitude and beliefs that influence human behavior and bring order to a society. b. the more one can learn about them, the easier it is to understand why people behave as they do c. attitudes of special importance to the international executive are attitudes towards time, achievement and work, and change.

hofstede framwork

a.) individualism vs. collectivism, b.) large vs. small power distance c.) strong vs. weak uncertainty avoidance, d.) masculinity vs. femininity e.) indulgence vs. restraint f.) pragmatic vs. normative

trompenaaars seven dimensions

a.) universalism vs. particularism b.) individualism vs. communitarianism c.) neutral vs. affective d.) achievement vs. ascription e.) Specific versus diffuse. f.) Sequential time versus synchronous time. g.) internal direction versus outer direction.

attitudes towards times

american can be too prompt manana- which sometime does not mean "tomorrow", but " in the near future" directness and drive - an american trait considerd brash and rude by many foreigners Deadlines- the emphasis on deadlines can often be used against american when negotiating in other countries

How culture shows itself

components 1 aesthetics 2 attitudes and beliefs 3 religion 4 material culture 5 language 6 societal organization 7 education

Janism

founded by a contemporary of Buddha, called The Jain doctrine teaches that there is no creator, no god, nor an absolute principle

culture framework

hall high and low context low-context cultures rely on explicit verbal communication. High-context cultures are collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and have members that form stable, close relationships.

shintoism

indigenous religion of Japan, perhaps 2,500 years old. There is no founder or sacred text. One element of Shintoism was the belief that the Emperor held divine status

attitude towards changes

introducing a new idea-relate it to a traditional idea for easier acceptance economic motivation-economic motives are a strong influence for accepting change

Religion

is responsible for many of the attitudes and belief affecting human behavior. protestant ethic- work in a moral virtue, called confucian work ethic in asian countries or shinto work ethic in japan.

Confucianism

less a religion and more philosophy of conduct embodying chinese norms of social and personal morality.

Matrial culture

man-made object, how man make things (technology) and who makes what and why (economics) a. The technology of a society is the mix of the usable knowledge that the society applies and directs toward the attainment of cultural and economic objectives. b. Technological superiority is especially important to international firms. It enables firms to be competitive or attain leadership in world markets c. Technology's cultural aspects are important to international managers because new methods and products require people to change their beliefs and ways. Technological dualism-in same country, one sector may be technologically advanced while the production techniques of another sector may be old and labor intensive. Boomerang effect-Japan less willing to sell its technology to Korea because of fear that Korea will become a tougher competitor tomorrow. Fear of the boomerang effect has caused some American firms to restrict the sales of their technology to the Japanese. Information Technology Era—We have access to so much almost instant information that transforming it to something useful (data) is problematic.

sikhism

not only a religion, but also an Indian ethnic group, a military brotherhood and a political movement. Most Sikhs live in the Punjab region

Aesthetics

pertain to a culture's sense of beauty and good taste and is expressed in the arts, drama, music, folklore, and dances.

important of religion to management

religious holidays and rituals can affect employee performance and work scheduling. When members of different religious groups work together, there may be strife, division, and instability within the work force.

animism

spirit worship including magic and witchcraft. thousands of religious traditions are classified here.

language

spoken language- key to culture (1) Languages delineate cultures-four languages, four cultures. It does not follow from this generalization that cultures are the same wherever the same language is spoken. (2) Foreign language-where many spoken languages exist in a nation, often a foreign language is the lingua franca or "link" language. (3) English, the link language of business-use of English as the business lingua franca is spreading in Europe. (4) Must speak the local language-even though many businesspeople speak English, when they buy, they insist on speaking their own language

Buddhism

the founder, Guatama, after six years of experimenting with yoga, suddenly understood how to break the laws of karma and the endless cycle of rebirth. Guatama emerged as the Buddha (the Enlightened One)