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International Business Assignment: Hofstede Cultural Dimension Model

   

Added on  2020-05-28

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Running Head: International BusinessInternational BusinessHofstede Cultural Dimension Model & Analysis

AbstractHofstede’s cultural dimension was formulated in the year 1991, and is one of the most relevant cross cultural communication models till date; he has defined culture as the collective programming of the mind which differentiates the members of a group or community from other. The model is extremely beneficial and also has some shortcomings of its own1. The purpose of this report is to critically analyse the model in the light of its importance and limitations.Brief Introduction to Hofstede’s ModelIn the present world, culture plays a very important role in organization, with the advent of globalization the need for understanding the culture has increased exponentially, Hofstede model and many other scholars have laid the ground work pinning the understanding of different cultures but none of them have been thoroughly successful with providing a valuable guideline in explaining the cross cultural communication. It was Hofstede who came fairly close in providing a great insight about establishing the importance and differences in the cross cultural communication and characterised the same with the help of 5 dimensions:Power distance: This can be understood as the extent to which the less powerful members in the organization feel and accept that the power is distributed unequally, thus creating a cultural gap. The issue here is how societies handle inequalities amongst the people; hence a gap is created 1 B., Obeidat, et al. "Toward better understanding for Arabian culture: Implications based on Hofstede’s cultural model."European Journal of Social Sciences28.4 (2012): 512-522.

due to high & low power distance. Hierarchy, centralisation, salary, fringe benefits and status symbols are some of the elements defining thepower distance.Uncertainty avoidance: In simple terms it is the degree to which the members of culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situation. At a workplace necessity of work, time orientation, precision and punctuality are some of the factors of uncertainty avoidance at work.2Individualism v/s collectivism: Absolutely contrasting in nature, one culture stresses on a loosely-knit network expecting individuals to take care of themselves, while the other one is a coherent network in which individuals expect relatives or members of the group to take care of them. Masculinity v/s feminity: Heroism, achievement, assertiveness define masculinity and cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and better quality of life defines feminity. Masculinity is treated as tough and feminity as tender creating big cultural differences.Long v/s short term orientation: Every society keeps the past in close association with itself while working on the challenges of the present and the future. Short term orientation societies prefer time honoured tradition and norms whilst long term orientation takes a more practical approach and focus on education to prepare for the future challenges.32Xiumei., Shi and Jinying Wang. "Interpreting hofstede model and globe model: which way to go for cross-cultural research?."International journal of business and management6.5 (2011): 93.3Tung, L., Rosalie and Verbeke Alain. "Beyond Hofstede and GLOBE: Improving the quality of cross-cultural research." (2010): 1259-1274.

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