Hofstede's Dimensions in Business

This assignment examines the application of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, specifically Uncertainty Avoidance and Pragmatism, in a business context. It delves into how these dimensions influence decision-making, risk tolerance, and organizational culture within businesses. The report utilizes scholarly references to support its analysis and provide practical insights.

Running head: PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORIES
Public Relations Theories
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORIES
Introduction
Culture has been defined by Geert Hofstede as a combined arranging of the mind which
differentiates the adherents of one category or group of people from others. He has divided
culture into two parts - national culture and organizational culture. National culture is all about
value differences among groups of nations or areas, whereas, organizational culture is related to
the differences among organizations or sections within the same organization, also known as
sub-cultures. Hofstede identified six dimensions by which one could distinguish between
cultures, with the help of Michael Minkov and Drs Michael Bond (Minkov and Hofstede 2012).
These six dimensions of culture are:
1. Power Distance Index (high versus low).
2. Individualism Versus Collectivism.
3. Masculinity Versus Femininity.
4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (high versus low).
5. Pragmatic Versus Normative.
6. Indulgence Versus Restraint.
In this report, two dimensions would be taken into consideration for discussion - Uncertainty
Avoidance and Pragmatism.
Discussion
The dimension of Uncertainty Avoidance is used for describing the way people copes up
with anxiety. Nations or societies that have a high Uncertainty Avoidance score, people try
making their lives as foreseeable and manageable as conceivable. If they discover that they are

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not in restraint of their own lives they might be interested to discontinue attempting completely.
People who live in countries with a low Uncertainty Avoidance score have a demeanor of being
more relaxed, inclusive and open. It must be noted that risk avoiding and uncertainty avoiding
are not the same thing. Hofstede has stated that people in high-scoring countries might actually
be prepared for engaging in risky conducts, exactly for the reason that it reduces uncertainties or
for avoiding failure (Shah 2012). On the other hand, the dimension of Pragmatic versus
Normative, also known as Long-Term Orientation, is referred to the mark to which people
require explaining the incomprehensible and is sturdily associated with religiosity and
nationalism. This dimension was added by Hofstede later on, due to which it lacks in depth of
information which is present in the first four dimensions. Generally, countries scoring high in
this dimension are inclined towards being more pragmatic, long-term oriented, modest and
thriftier. Countries that score low in this regard have people who are highly religious and
nationalistic. Importance is given to self-development, besides an individual’s desire of pleasing
their parents (Brockmeier, Olson and Wang 2013).
Hofstede's research has been seen as a better than average start for comprehending the
stream of worldwide and definitive communiqué, and public relations. His work created as
investigative for worldwide communication in the midst of a period when the domain of public
relations endeavored to alter its preparation to management theories and actions. Top analysts,
for instance, those related with the Excellence explore fought that public relations were a
"management process" and that once public relations specialists got to the prevalent alliance, the
public relations limit would be regarded and appreciated. Hofstede's regulatory emphasis is
legitimate given the possibility of his examination that checked on specialists at all-inclusive

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branches of IBM. Swinging to Hofstede's work to aid elucidate general public relations was
typical for public relations specialists (Hofstede 1984).
As a one of the cultural qualities, uncertainty avoidance can be illuminated by the level of
society's flexibility for dubiousness and uncertainty (Taras, Steel and Kirkman 2012). Originality
and ambiguity are known as disturbing musings for a couple of countries on the planet. These
countries decay facing with uncommon considerations, particular sorts of people and various
routines. They would incline toward not to be defied with peculiar things and demand to dodge
conceivable struggles. They furthermore attempt to change perfect quality with inconsequential
danger. These countries are referred to as high uncertainty avoidance countries. Conversely, new
thoughts and new conditions are not disturbing musings for some unique countries that are called
as low uncertainty countries. High uncertainty index countries have multitudinous institutions,
headings and rules to cut down uncertainty and regulate everything. It is assumed that all issues
can be dealt with the official authorizations. In Australia, companies that have shown signs of
uncertainty avoidance are News Limited and Fairfax. Swinging to low uncertainty avoidance
countries, individuals couldn't care less for genuine controls. It is assumed that measures are not
essential to deal with issues. People advantage from instructions exactly when they require. For
instance, in high uncertainty avoidance index countries, an affiliation is outstandingly organized
that displays the communication channels unmistakably, job descriptions in to a great degree
detail. In any case, in low uncertainty avoidance countries' affiliations couldn't care less for a lot
of standards and headings. They feel constrained by the principles (Frijns et al. 2013; Matusitz
and Musambira 2013). It was recommended that individuals that carry on entrepreneurially hunt
for the open entryways in markets that are active, by their understanding frameworks and
aptitudes to see and oversee uncertainty. Their capability while working under uncertainty

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circumstances may in like manner be established on motivation and risk-taking affinity. In
contrast, the noteworthiness of business undertaking on the economy must not be disregarded.
Fundamental advancements of entrepreneurial firms fill in as a stimulus for transforming into an
active or possibly one of a kind liberal conditions (Hwang and Lee 2012). With the objective that
business endeavor enables monetary improvement by causing progressions, to change and
making it conceivable to go into new markets, making new jobs and extending contention
(Pendiuc and Lis, 2013). Since economy now contains ingenuity, improvement, business venture
and inventive capacity rather of just data based activities (Kong 2013). In this manner, one may
state that business undertaking is impacted by culture, which controls individual's direct and
personality and it impacts fiscal improvement by methods for collection of supply, headway, exit
and segment of firms and so on.
Long-Term Orientation (LTO) measures the hugeness an overall population adds to the
future, versus the different circumstances. In high long-term arranged social orders (e.g., China),
future prizes are underlined; eagerness and thrift are focal. Social orders with low long-term
orientation focus on excellences connected to the past and the present, for instance, custom,
snappy dauntlessness and social duties (e.g., Bangladesh). In a long-term orchestrated culture, by
then, PR experts need to fathom the estimation of long-term obligations and expand their PR
plans far into what's to come. PR experts in a low long-term arranged culture should review that
people require happens rapidly. Moreover, in low long-term masterminded social orders, change
tends to happen more rapidly, in light of the way that long-term duties don't go about as a weight
(Venaik, Zhu and Brewer 2013). PR works best when an affiliation concentrates on achieving
specific a couple of year, yearly, and shorter-term communication goals. . In Australia,
companies that have shown signs of long term orientation is Australian finance Group. A couple

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of delineations: getting the opportunity to be doubtlessly known as outstanding amongst other
ten associations in a business claim to fame; influencing a base number of sales to ask for
consistently; raising a capital pool; familiarizing another product with distribution channels and
end-customers. Science among client and PR firm is the principle marker of advance (Lee, Trimi
and Kim 2013).
Conclusion
Culture has been outlined by Geert Hofstede as a combined arranging of the mind which
differentiates the adherents of one category or group of people from others. He has divided
culture into two parts - national culture and organizational culture. National culture is all about
value differences among groups of nations or areas, whereas, organizational culture is related to
the differences among organizations or sections within the same organization, also known as
sub-cultures. Hofstede identified six dimensions by which one could distinguish between
cultures. Inside cultures, six dimensions exist - Power Distance Index (high versus low),
Individualism Versus Collectivism, Masculinity Versus Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance
Index (high versus low), Pragmatic Versus Normative, and Indulgence Versus Restraint. In this
report, two dimensions have been taken into consideration for discussion - Uncertainty
Avoidance and Pragmatism. These two dimensions have been discussed in terms of their usage
and application in business.

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References
Brockmeier, J., Olson, D.R. and Wang, M. eds., 2013. Literacy, narrative and culture.
Routledge.
Frijns, B., Gilbert, A., Lehnert, T. and Tourani-Rad, A., 2013. Uncertainty avoidance, risk
tolerance and corporate takeover decisions. Journal of Banking & Finance, 37(7), pp.2457-2471.
Hofstede, G., 1984. Cultural dimensions in management and planning. Asia Pacific journal of
management, 1(2), pp.81-99.
Hwang, Y. and Lee, K.C., 2012. Investigating the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance
cultural values on multidimensional online trust. Information & management, 49(3), pp.171-176.
Kong, D.T., 2013. Examining a climatoeconomic contextualization of generalized social trust
mediated by uncertainty avoidance. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(4), pp.574-588.
Lee, S.G., Trimi, S. and Kim, C., 2013. The impact of cultural differences on technology
adoption. Journal of World Business, 48(1), pp.20-29.
Matusitz, J. and Musambira, G., 2013. Power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and technology:
analyzing Hofstede's dimensions and human development indicators. Journal of Technology in
Human Services, 31(1), pp.42-60.
Minkov, M. and Hofstede, G., 2012. Hofstede’s fifth dimension: New evidence from the World
Values Survey. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 43(1), pp.3-14.
Pendiuc, T. and Lis, E.C., 2013. Analysis of entrepreneurship in Romania comparative with the
EU countries-27. Probles of Management in the 21st Centry, 8, pp.81-93.

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Shah, A., 2012. Uncertainty avoidance index and its cultural/country implications relating to
consumer behavior. Journal of International Business Research, 11(1), p.119.
Taras, V., Steel, P. and Kirkman, B.L., 2012. Improving national cultural indices using a
longitudinal meta-analysis of Hofstede's dimensions. Journal of World Business, 47(3), pp.329-
341.
Venaik, S., Zhu, Y. and Brewer, P., 2013. Looking into the future: Hofstede long term
orientation versus GLOBE future orientation. Cross Cultural Management: An International
Journal, 20(3), pp.361-385.