Cultural Dimensions

Key Term and Reasons for Interest in It

The key globalization and culture term selected for this analysis is “cultural dimensions.” This concept is critical for businesses operating in the international market, which exposes them to different cultures. While an organization’s culture is shaped by the society in which it operates, multinational corporations must adopt the respective culture of the host country to operate successfully (Satterlee, 2023): Cultural Dimensions.

To that end, it is recommended that as MNCs expand to different countries, they first analyze the culture of the local people to operate flawlessly. I am interested in studying Hofstede’s dimensions of culture as I would want to build a career outside my country, and would like to understand how culture affects business interactions.

Explanation of the Key Term

According to Alqarni (2022), Hofstede’s dimensions of culture present six key cultural elements that shape a country’s culture. Power distance, one of the cultural dimensions of culture, refers to various resolutions fundamental to the plight of human inconsistency. Another element is uncertainty avoidance, which refers to the rate of stress resulting from an unknown future.

On the other hand, collectivism/individuality refers to the classification of people into basic groups. Masculinity and femininity demonstrate the emotional distinctions between males and females. Also, long-term orientation/short-term orientation classifies people according to their efforts in the past, present, and future. Finally, indulgence versus restraint is associated with the fulfillment of one’s desires against self-control.

Major Article Summary

Connell et al. (2022) delve into the impact of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on marketing. The authors aver that although globalization has given businesses access to a broader customer base, they need to understand consumer behavior based on Hofstede’s dimensions to market effectively. Customer engagement is a crucial component in marketing as it will determine whether the target audience will buy a business’s marketing message or not. To that end, engaging customers will require the business to connect with their culture, which determines their social norms, values, behavior, and beliefs, emphasizing the significance of Hofstede’s cultural principles.

One of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions that affects marketing is power distance. In countries with high power distance, there is a tendency toward unequal power distribution and hierarchal structures (Connell et al., 2022). In such cultures, MNCs will market best by paying attention to authority, prestige, and status. Therefore, while advertising, the business should embrace marketing messages that portray products as high-end and luxurious.

Another Hofstede cultural dimension that affects marketing is collectivism/individualism. In highly individualistic societies like the US, firms are encouraged to market with marketing messages that emphasize freedom and self-expression (Connell et al., 2022). On the other hand, marketing messages in collectivist countries like South Korea should emphasize family and the importance of unity.

Discussion

The analysis of the impact of cultural dimensions on marketing by Connell et al. (2022) connects with the cultural dimensions discussed in Satterlee’s (2023) textbook. One of the links is the emphasis on communication and how it affects global business. In the textbook, Satterlee (2023) avers that communication between two professionals coming from different cultures can be awkward if the parties fail to conduct prior research.

Misinterpretation can be costly, and if business leaders from another country misunderstand some cues, it may lead to important deals not going through (Peleckis, 2013). For instance, before a meeting between US business leaders and Japanese senior executives, it is crucial to identify senior Japanese executives and present them with key documents to prevent them from feeling disrespected during the meeting.

Moreover, in his article, Alqarni (2022) highlights the six cultural dimensions that affect business interactions between business representatives coming from different cultures. The article helps connect culture to business by identifying key elements of culture that may affect business interactions. On the other hand, Peleckis (2013) highlights how cultural differences impact business negotiations directly. By offering real-life examples, Peleckis (2013) helps figure out the interaction between culture and business communication.

Additionally, Connell et al. (2022) highlight the impact of cultural dimensions on advertising by showing that customer behavior is dependent upon culture. From a biblical perspective, 1 Corinthians 9:22 says, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (New International Version, 2011), emphasizing the need to respect people’s culture to coexist.

References

Alqarni, A. M. (2022). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions in relation to learning behaviours and learning styles: A critical analysis of studies under different cultural and language learning environments. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(1), 721–739. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1328766.pdf

Connell, C., Marciniak, R., & Carey, L. D. (2022). The effect of cross-cultural dimensions on the manifestation of customer engagement behaviors. Journal of International Marketing, 31(1), 32–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069031×221130690

Peleckis, K. (2013). International business negotiations: Culture, dimensions, context. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 3(7). https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=b71f89c1926a665b46a04435f0b6dd4c571a4c5d

Satterlee, B. (2023). International business with biblical worldview (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). (2011). Biblica, Inc. (Original work published 1973). biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%209%3A22&version=NIV

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Key Globalization and Culture Term

Discuss your selected Key ‘Globalization and Culture’ term. You should explain why you are interested in the term, provide an explanation of the term, provide a summary of the germane current literature, and specifically how this relates to Globalization and Culture.

Cultural Dimensions

Requirements:

• -Complete the assignment per the attached instructions.
• -Do not need to do the “reply” portion of the assignment.
• -Use the following textbook for reference:
  • Liberty University Custom: Satterlee, B. (2023). International business with biblical worldview (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• -The 5 sources must be peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles.