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Culture
B | Reading closely for detailed information
Read the text again and answer the questions. 1 What different things are part of culture? 2 Who did Hofstede study and what did he find out? 3 What is the main difference between Eastern and Western people in how they see the world around them? 4 What is the reason for this difference? 5 How do cultural differences affect the way business is done in different countries? 6 What should a company pay attention to when entering different international markets?

The socio-cultural framework

Culture can be seen as a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviours common in society and that are passed from generation to generation (Bates and Plog, 1990). Hofstede (1994), 5 the management scientist, described these parts of culture as the software of the mind, the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another. The values in the culture are enforced by a set of rules of 10 behaviour. A set of controls is usually added to these rules to make sure they are respected. Culture is made up of many different features, including religion, language, non-verbal communication, food, dress, and institutions to make sure that the values and beliefs 15 are passed from one generation to another. Culture is dynamic, in other words it changes over time especially due to the process of globalization with the increasing movement of products, services, and capital between countries, and the migration of people (Dahl). Cultural attitudes can have important implications for business. Some of the most influential research on culture and work was carried out by Hofstede (1991; 2001). His study, the largest that had then been done, surveyed over 100,000 workers in IBM companies 25 in 40 countries looking for cultural explanations of differences in employee attitude and behaviour. He concluded that the rules and values set in national culture were a very powerful influence on the workplace, and that different approaches would be 30 necessary when managing people from different cultural backgrounds. Hofstede (1994) concludes that the workplace can only change peoples values in a limited way. The message for multinational companies was not to assume that an organizational culture that 35 was successful in the cultural context, for example of the USA, would be equally successful in a completely different cultural context in, say, China. Hofstedes work (2007) also contains another message for multinationals. He argues that countries, especially big
40 countries like China, India, Indonesia, and Brazil do not have a single national culture but many cultures that vary from region to region. A similar point could be made for smaller countries, in Western Europe for example, where different cultures may be based on 45 ethnic group rather than region.

Study focus
1 What are the stereotypes of people from your country? 2 Are the people of any other countries thought to be quite similar to your country? 3 Which countries are very different from your country? What makes these countries different? Think about things such as food, religion, politics, business, language.

Reading strategies
A | Predicting content using titles and topic
sentences
1 The text you are going to read is from an academic textbook about international business. Look at the title of the text. What do you think the text is about? a Societies of the world b How society and culture are organized c Intercultural education 2 Read the topic sentence below for each paragraph in the text. What do you think the paragraph is about? After each prediction, read the paragraph to check your ideas. A Culture can be seen as a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviours common in society and that are passed from generation to generation (Bates and Plog, 1990). B Cultural attitudes can have important implications for business. C Research has shown major cultural differences between East and West that are important for Western business people trying to do business in the East. D Researchers think this is caused by different social environments. E Cultural differences influence the way firms in the East and West do business. F The result is that business has to take cultural differences into account when considering entry to foreign markets through exports, joint ventures, or through takeovers.

C | Using the text in writing

1 Which of these essay questions would the text be most useful for? a Globalization is having a negative impact on the diversity of cultures in the world. Discuss. b Without local knowledge a company will not be able to enter new international markets successfully. To what extent do you agree with this statement? 2 Underline the parts of the text you could use to support these opinions. a Culture forms part of any society around the world and is continually changing even more so today than in the past. b Culture not only influences people in social situations, it also plays a large role in influencing behaviour in the working world. c Culture does not have to be associated with one particular country, especially in countries that cover a large geographical area. d There are particularly strong differences in how people from the East and West of the planet view the world. e Countries that have a culture that is similar will be easier to operate in.

Research has shown major cultural differences between East and West that are important for Western business people trying to do business in the East. Psychologists have shown that Eastern and Western cultures can 50 vary significantly in terms of perception, logic, and how they see the world around them. Apparently, Western people focus more on detail while Eastern people tend to look at things as a whole. For example, when asked to look at a picture of a tiger in a forest, American 55 students focused on the tiger while Chinese students focused more on the background, i.e. the context the tiger was in. Researchers think this is caused by different social environments. In East Asia, social environments are 60 more complex, collective, and controlled. As a result, Eastern people need to pay attention to the social context if they are to operate effectively. On the other hand, Western societies prize individual freedom and there is not the same need to pay attention to the social 65 environment. Western people tend to view events as the result of specific people, while those raised in the East set the events in a broader context. Cultural differences influence the way firms in the East and West do business. For example, meetings in 70 North America or Europe have formal agendas setting the order in which items are discussed, and each item is resolved before moving to the next. The Japanese, rather than deal with agenda items in a fixed sequence, may prefer a more flexible approach which allows 75 them to get a better general idea. To Western people, meetings in Japan may appear unstructured, confused, and even threatening. However, Japanese managers are well used to such uncertainty. The result is that business has to take cultural 80 differences into account when considering entry to foreign markets through exports, joint ventures, or through takeovers. Similarities between the domestic and foreign cultural rules and values may make entry for a firm easier. Large differences may cause major 85 difficulties due to confusion and conflict where social groups do not want to give up valued elements of their culture (Oudenhoven and van der See 2002).
Source: L. Hamilton & P Webster, The International Business Environment, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009, pp151, 152, 154, 155

Unit 6 | Culture

D | Reacting to the text

Discuss the questions in pairs.

What differences do you know of between your

culture and other cultures in the world? Are there any cultures that might be difficult for companies from your culture to operate in?

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Business vocabulary
A | Understanding the function of vocabulary
patterns
Vocabulary patterns can help you to identify the type of text you are reading, which helps you to understand the writers aim. 1 Which paragraph in the text on page 25 contains a lot of noun + of + noun collocations? 2 What is the function of this paragraph? Tick () the correct answer. a Comparative (considers similarities and differences) b Descriptive (defines and describes) c Evaluative (considers how good/important something is) 3 What do phrases ac describe or refer to in the text? a a system of shared beliefs (line 1) b parts of culture (line 5/6) c the process of globalization (line 17)

2 Choose three of the words from 2 to describe changes in your country in recent years.

Writing skills
| Concluding sentences
The concluding sentence usually performs one of three functions:

4 Read paragraphs ac. Identify if they present an argument or a description. For an argument, write a concluding sentence which draws a logical conclusion. For a description, write a concluding sentence which summarizes the main idea. a English is today considered a global language. However, how can a language be defined as global? A global language is a language that has reached a particular status in a number of societies. According to Crystal, this status can be as a first language, a second language with an official status in education, law and the media, or a priority language in foreign language learning. English fulfils all these criteria.

summarizes the main idea of the paragraph draws logical conclusions based on the evidence
presented

links to the next paragraph

3 Look at the text on page 25 and find collocations with cultural to complete the diagram. background It often reminds the reader of the topic sentence and can be written like the topic sentence but in different words. If it is drawing a logical conclusion, then phrases such as therefore, as a result, etc. are commonly used. 1 Read the paragraph and identify: a the topic sentence b the supporting sentences c the concluding sentence 1 Culture can be seen as a system of shared beliefs between members of a society. 2However, it is not only the culture of different countries that can vary but that of different ethnic groups, age groups, companies, etc. within a country. 3Two people from the same country but of very different ages and ethnic backgrounds could have widely differing views and experiences of life. 4To state that all people from X country will behave in a particular way or hold a particular view is too simplistic. 5 Therefore, we need to carefully consider what is meant by the term members of society. 2 Look back at the text on page 25. What is the function of the concluding sentence of each paragraph? Write S (summary), C (logical conclusion), or L (link). A B C D E

Unit 6 | Culture

CULTURAL

b Adapting to different cultural expectations of education is key to becoming a successful student. Methods of assessment and the role of a student can vary significantly between countries. For example, the education system of Uganda is largely based on the memorization of facts. However, in the UK, analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking are considered more important. This is not to say that one method is better than another, simply that the expectations are different.

B | Culture and the world

1 Replace the phrases in italics with these words and phrases.
globalization migration national regions ethnic group exports multinational

4 Complete the sentences with collocations from 3. a If a product fails in another country, companies often as to why it look for happened. are unwritten b Many because everyone in the culture understands them so well. can cause c misunderstanding between people. For example, one gesture can have quite different meanings in different cultures. has been influenced d My by my Italian mother and German father. e Something that is acceptable in the of one country can be offensive in another. 5 What experiences have you had of other cultures? Use the collocations from 3 to describe differences you noticed or experienced.

a The Japanese economy relies a lot on products sold to other countries. b Increasing trade between countries around the world has made cultural differences smaller. c The company is one that operates all around the world so it has to consider cultural differences. d The problem is one for the whole country and needs to be addressed by the government. e Different parts of the country have different cultures. f They are a minority racial population. g The movement of people from one place to another has increased in recent years.

c Britain is facing a number of challenges today largely due to the economic problems of recent years. These problems include: a high level of unemployment, which is still rising; unequal distribution of wealth, which is at its highest level since the Second World War; and high levels of individual and government debt, with both at record levels. Finally, the government is about to increase taxes.

3 Rewrite these topic sentences as concluding sentences, making the same point in different words. a There are a number of differences between culture in the East and West that can impact on business. Therefore, these cultural differences are significant for business and the way they operate. b Cultural differences influence the way Americans do business in Japan. c Businesses who consider cultural differences are likely to be more successful.

Research task
Research two businesses that have attempted to operate in a very different culture. If possible, find one that has been successful and one that has not. Draw a conclusion to explain their success or failure.

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