 Culture at the global level of the external environment relates to the

interaction of at least one national culture with another. Culture at the

national level can result from one nation attributing characteristics to
another, which can result in stereotyping and prejudice. The national and
local levels of culture can be intertwined, as for some people their national
characteristics make them the people they are in their local communities.
 
 The determinants of personal cultural provenance are name, gender,
professional role, icons, symbols, ceremonies, personal morality, norms,
values. It is these determinants which define an individual’s culture, which
in turn makes them the person they are.
 
 National culture is determined by religion, politics, economies, education,
language, social structure. It is these determinants, their variations and
how they are viewed by other nationalities which define a country’s national
culture.
 
 Organisational culture can result from the internal structure of an
organisation and from the type of people it employs.
 
 The determinants of organisational culture are presented in the cultural web,
which includes routines and ritual, stories, symbols, power structures,
organisational structures, control systems. All these determinants will have
an impact on they type of place an organisation is to work in.
 
 Deal and Kennedy identified four possible organisational types. The tough-
guy macho culture is where staff take high-risk decisions and receive rapid
feedback on the effectiveness of their actions. The work hard/play hard
culture is found in organisations in which decisions are routinely low risk
and feedback quick, which is often the case in sales-orientated companies.
The bet your company culture organisation takes big risks and feedback
takes a long time. This is typical of companies which build aircraft or
undertake oil exploration. Finally the process culture is low risk with slow
feedback, which is typically found in the civil service and public-sector
organisations.
 
 How a company manages and behaves in the international arena can be
influenced by many factors. The key issues which need to be examined as
they are influenced by differing global, national and local cultures include
how success is measured, communications with consumers and the
marketplace, human resource management, communication with overseas
managers (locally based and international managers), and contract
negotiations.
 
 Managing culture and understanding its relevance to business requires a
number of issues to be addressed. These include leadership, the role of
symbols, and the use of time, communications and meetings in day-to-day
organisational life.