2.8 Summary
In this topic we defined 'culture' while noting that there are cultures other than national ones: most of us work within a professional and organisational culture as well. Culture was shown to have its roots in a society's common history and this history affects most facets of a culture, including those important topics discussed under the heading 'Cultural dimensions of business'. These dimensions are language, the concept of time, religion and other issues which significantly affect the way managers in MNEs do business in foreign lands.
We looked at the social structure of societies and observed certain rigidities such as caste, race and occupational status, and noted that such characteristics of a culture may inhibit the personal growth of talented people whom MNEs might like to employ. The selection, training and moral support of expatriate managers was included to show how people can be prepared for employment in cultures different from their own, and it was noted that this subject will be revisited in Chapter 11.
Finally, we examined one of the prescriptive models which provide a framework for the analysis of cultures. Such models do not give us a complete view of any culture, but they enable MNEs to avoid 'flying blind' when setting up an operation in another country.
To complete the reading for this chapter turn to the last section of Chapter 3 for the important discussion of the managerial implications of culture.
In your text
Hill 2005, Chapter 3, pp. 116-121.
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