Global Business; chapters 1-4

religion

a system of shared beliefs and rituals concerned with realm of the sacred

cultural change

culture is not a constant; it evolves over time. changes in value systems can be slow and painful for a society.

uncertainty avoidance

extent to which cultures socialize members to accept ambiguous situations and to tolerate uncertainty

society

its a group of people who share a common set of values and norms

culture

its a system of values (abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable) and norms (the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations) that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living

spoken language

language does far more than just enable people to communicate with each other. the nature of a language also structures the way we perceive the world. the language of society can direct the attention of its members to certain features of the world rather than others.

language

one obvious way counties differ is language. by language, we mean both the spoken and the unspoken means of communication. language is one of the defining characteristics of a culture

individualism versus collectivism

theory focusing on the relationship between the individual and his or her fellows; in individualistic societies, the ties between individuals are loose and individual achievement is highly valued; in societies where collectivism is emphasized, ties between individuals are tight, people are born into collectives, such as extended families, and everyone is supposed to look after the interests of his or her collective

power distance

theory of how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities. high power distance cultures are found in countries that let inequalities grow over time into inequalities of power and wealth; low power distance cultures are found in societies that try to play down such inequalities as much as possible

masculinity versus femininity

theory of the relationship between gender and work roles. in masculine cultures, sex roles are sharply differentiated and traditional "masculine values" such as achievement and the effective exercise of power determine cultural ideals; in feminine cultures ideal, sex roles are less sharply distinguished, and little differentiation is made between men and women in the same job

unspoken languages

unspoken languages refers to nonverbal communication. we all communicate with each other by a host of nonverbal cues. the raising of eyebrows, for example , is assign of recognition in most cultures, while a smile is sign of joy.

cross-cultural literacy

-an understanding of how cultural differences across and within nations can affect the way in which business is practiced -important to success international business -there may be a relationship between culture and the costs of doing business in a country or region -culture is not static -the actions of MNEs can contribute to cultural change

what is culture

-there is not a strict one-to-one correspondence between a society and a nation-state -nation; states are political creations that can contain a single culture embrace cultures -some cultures embrace several nations -culture arises from; -prevailing political and economic philosophies -a society's social structure -the dominant religion, language, and education