Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Culture and Business: Prof. Atul Tandan
Culture and Business: Prof. Atul Tandan
Essec, France
06/07/07
Flow of Thought
Essec, France
06/07/07
Need for Understanding Culture
Essec, France
06/07/07
Standardisation V/s Adaptation
- The Classical Dilemma
Essec, France
06/07/07
The Search for Cultural Universals
Essec, France
06/07/07
Universals v/s Local Differences
OR
The way in which people in a society collectively attach meanings to
concepts & contexts around them & respond on the basis of those
meanings
Essec, France
06/07/07
What IS Culture ?
Essec, France
06/07/07
Components of Culture
social interactions among people; nuclear
family, extended family; reference groups
Social
technologies that Interaction language has
are used to two parts: the
produce, distribute, Material Life Language
spoken and the
and consume silent language
goods and services
Components
of culture ideas and
Value System Aesthetics
perceptions
that a culture
upholds in
values shape terms of
people’s norms Education Religion
beauty and
and standards good taste
community’s set of
One of the major vehicles beliefs that relate to a
to channel from one reality that cannot be
generation to the next verified empirically
Essec, France
06/07/07
Approaches to the study of Culture
LOW-CONTEXT CULTURE
☼ Messages are explicit
☼ Words carry most of the information in communication
☼ United States, Switzerland, Germany
HIGH-CONTEXT CULTURE
☼ Less information is contained in the verbal part of the message
☼ More information resides in the context of communication
(background, associations, basic values of communicators)
☼ Japan, China, South Korea, Mexico
Essec, France
06/07/07
Approaches to the study of Culture
Essec, France
06/07/07
Approaches to the study of Culture
Sources of Culture
Social Organisation – Way people relate to each other (Extended families, units, kinship)
Essec, France
06/07/07
Approaches to the study of Culture
Hofstede’s Model
Symbols
Heroes
Rituals
Values Practices
Expressions of culture at
different levels of depth
Essec, France
06/07/07
Approaches to the study of Culture
Essec, France
06/07/07
Hofstede’s Cultural Factors
High Individualism : US, Australia, Great Britain, Canada
Low Individualism: Japan, Venezuela, Thailand, Japan, Mexico, China
Individualism vs
collectivism
Feminine:
High : Korea, Netherlands, France,
Power Masculinity Vs Sweden
Japan, Mexico Hofstede’s
Distance Femininity Masculine: Japan,
Low: India, Cultural
Australia, US, Mexico, Britain,
Factors
Germany Germany
Uncertainty
Long term
avoidance
orientation
High : France,
Long Term: Hong
Japan, Mexico
Kong, Japan
Low: India,
Short Term: Great
Hong Kong, US,
Britain, US, Germany
Great Britain
Essec, France
06/07/07
Some Issues?
Is “face” important?
Independence or interdependence?
Egalitarian or hierarchical?
Task focused or relationship focused?
How important are “connections”?
Status, titles, and family relationships?
Gender-based expectations?
Attitudes towards time?
How important is relationship building in the target culture and
how is it accomplished?
Decision making: hierarchical or consensual?
Negotiation tactics?
How is conflict resolved?
Essec, France
06/07/07
Culture and Business
Business Environment
Internal and External factors
JVs, M&A, Global Alliance, etc.
Socio-Economic Organisations
Marketing Environment
Consumption characteristics
Buying behavior
Access
Distribution
Products and Services
Essec, France
06/07/07
International Foreign Decisions made Infrastructure
Economy Intervention by competitors (transport,
communications)
International laws and Decisions made
regulations External Factors by suppliers Technology
Industry Culture
Community
Essec, France
06/07/07
Application of cultural insights to marketing
Headline: -
HSBC
Subhead: Never underestimate the importance of local knowledge
Essec, France
06/07/07
English for all?
Japanese hotel Taiwanese Tailor shop
“ladies are
requested not to
Norwegian
have children at
cocktail lounge
Essec, France the bar”
06/07/07
Current Practices
Training!!
70% of US companies provides no cross-cultural
training.
Employees for international assignments
Flexible work timings
Clear Communicators
Comfortable in new situations
And culturally mindful
Essec, France
06/07/07
GLOBE (Global Leadership and
Organizational Behavior Effectiveness)
gender egalitarianism
assertiveness
future orientation
performance orientation
humane orientation
Essec, France
06/07/07
Ultimately
Essec, France
06/07/07