Unit 1 Assignment
Ecoria Walker
Columbia Southern University
MBA 6601, International Business
Unit 1 Assignment
Culture plays a significant role in both international and domestic business. When establishing a business in any given location, it is essential to understand the culture of the population and define it in a manner that coincides with the given culture. The Hofstede’s characteristics on culture outline factors that a business has to consider in a bid to ensure that their business operations are successful.
An analysis of the characteristics exhibited by countries acts as significant examples of why businesses should first assess the culture of a given population before venturing into a given market. Below is an analysis of Hofstede’s characteristics exhibited by three countries and an explanation of why the countries deserve the given description. A review of countries between three different regions is used in a bid to diversify trends by different geographical areas.
| Characteristics | [Lebanon] | [Japan] | [Belgium] |
| Power Distance
| High. Individuals in Lebanon accept that there is a hierarchy in power and need no justification for the power inequalities. | High. Japan understands society’s hierarchical nature, and decisions are based on hierarchy (Shortall et al., 2017). However, the culture is quite different from other Asian countries as the Japanese encourage citizens to work hard and assures them that they can be anyone or hold any position they need as long as they put much effort. | High. Power distance is defined as the extent to which individuals accept that power is distributed unequally. Belgium’s score is high because society accepts inequalities (Wollast et al., 2020). People understand that hierarchy is needed for operations to be run effectively. Power is distributed unequally and thus the high-power distance. |
| Uncertainty Avoidance
| Medium. The population varies in terms of uncertainty. Some are threatened by the uncertainty of the future and another that are not and are ready for any occurrence that may arise (Khazma et al., 2016). | High. Japanese culture has necessitated them to always come up with new methods to ensure that they set themselves better to deal with the future (Shortall et al., 2017). This is due to the prevalent uncertainties such as natural disasters that the country has faced. | High. Uncertainty avoidance is defined as an extent to which members of a society are threatened by unknown facts and have created beliefs and organizations to prevent such occurrences (Wollast et al., 2020 ). Belgium culture has made them wary of circumstances. This has led to the society positioning itself in a manner that ensures that they are flexible to change at all times in a bid to ensure that they set up a more secure future. |
| Individualism/Collectivism
| Low. Individuals are not centered on their own needs and family but rather to the community as a whole. Individuals can undertake actions that will benefit society and not particularly focused on a family basis. | Low. Individuals are collective. People are not self-centered and look at the societal goal rather than individualist goals. | High. Individualism is defined as the interdependence that society tries to maintain in its members. Individualist societies people look for themselves and their family members and not society as a whole (Wollast et al., 2020 ). Belgium score is high as individuals in the society favor personal opinions and instead take care of their families rather than the society as a whole. |
| Masculinity/Femininity
| High. Lebanon is driven much by the need to succeed in society and not centered on family values and the quality of life that they live. | High. Society is centered on competition. Individuals try to outwit each other in a bid to come up with better products. | Medium. Belgium population is balanced where people maintain competition achievement and success but, at the same time, emphasize taking care of their families. In terms of business, this makes decisions slow as society has to balance both sides’ achievement and family, which affects the time taken before making a decision. |
| Long-term/Short-term Orientation
| Low. Culture is a restraint where individuals focus more on traditions. People’s need to establish the truth is high and does not emphasize the future (Khazma et al., 2016). | High. Japanese see their life as part of the long lives of humankind. They thus ensure that they do their best in their lifetimes to make it better for the upcoming generation. | High. Orientation deals with people trying to maintain their links with their past. Belgium score is high as they try to equip society better in a manner that will ensure they are better placed to deal with future trends. |
Part 2:
Answer:
Based on the description Belgium is the country that is most similar to the united states in terms of Hofstede’s characteristics. This type of market is the free based market where one is free to go for products that they may deem important. People understand that there is a hierarchy of power and are aim at advancing to gain a better status. Conducting businesses in such areas is easier because people have fewer restrictions. The fact that individuals concentrate more ion their families makes it easier to set businesses as demand on products may be high, and there is a chance that individuals will not be deterred to get a product based on culture.
Lebanon is the most, unlike the united states. Factors such as collectivism bring the differences between the countries. Masculinity is also high in Lebanon compared to the united states. This shows that conducting business in Lebanon will be harder due to the constraints imposed by culture bringing in reservations. Therefore, businesses have to be set in a manner that ensures that they align themselves with a culture of a particular area for the businesses to flourish.
References
Khazma, J., Al-Najjar, D. K., & Steinberg, D. H. (2016). CUSTOMER SERVICE & HOFSTEDE’S CULTURAL DIMENSIONS IN LEBANON, THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA, & THE USA AMONG ENTREPRENEURIAL FINANCE PROFESSIONALS. In Allied Academies International Conference. Academy of Entrepreneurship. Proceedings (Vol. 22, No. 1, p. 21). Jordan Whitney Enterprises, Inc.
Shortall, R., & Kharrazi, A. (2017). Cultural factors of sustainable energy development: A case study of geothermal energy in Iceland and Japan. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 79, 101-109.
Wollast, R., Riemer, A. R., Gervais, S. J., Grigoryan, L., Bernard, P., & Klein, O. (2020). Cultural orientation and self-compassion shape objectified body consciousness for women from America, Belgium, Russia, and Thailand. Self and Identity, 1-21.