Analysis Of Geert Hofstede 's Cultural Theory

Have you thought of someone’s culture as weird? Have you thought that you are completely different from them? If so, what prompts us to make that assumption. Culture is a very good reason for this. So, to what extent does one’s culture inform the way one views others and the world? Culture informs a person on the way others are and the world.

Does culture shape how we view the world and people? Well culture involves where people are from, how they are raised, and what they eat. Based on what culture is and text such as “By Any Other Name”, “Ethnic Hash”, and “Two Kinds”, it is shown that a person’s culture determines the impact on how a person views others and the world.

Culture is a large part of every person’s life, it is what makes each person unique. Within culture there are many aspects such as food, music, clothing, tradition, and many more. Since culture makes up such a large part of our day to day lives, it is almost always responsible shaping and informing our view on the world.

Culture is the most basic cause of a person’s wants and behaviour. Growing up, children learn basic values, perception and wants from the family and other important groups.

The culture in which we were raised in has a big impact on who we are and how we behave. Our culture effects things such as how we dress, the way we interact with others, and our manners such as what we may or may not find funny or what we may find offensive or weird. In the Ethan Watters Article “Being WEIRD: How Culture Shapes the Mind” we see examples of how being raised in different cultures affects our decisions and the way we perceive things. For example, in the ultimatum game (which is played by giving the first player $100 dollars, he can then offer player 2 any amount of the $100 but if the second player rejects the money they both end up with nothing) we can see how differently Machiguengans and Americans were likely to play. We

“Culture is sometimes described as a lens through which we view the world, meaning that one’s culture influences their perceptions and interactions in everyday life” (Davis, 2006). Every culture has different beliefs and customs

“[I]magine culture as invisible webs composed of values, beliefs, ideas about appropriate behavior, and socially constructed truths” (Trumbell, 9). Everybody has a different background to correspond with how they see the world through their values, beliefs, and ideas. People act a certain way and dress a certain way because of their culture also. Someone’s culture has a significant impact on the way they view other people and the world because of how uncertain they are of their culture and their own personal and past experiences.

Question 1. How might the troubles with the tourism company be explained by Hofstede’s dimension of culture. Make sure to look at both Japanese and American cultures.

He supposed that culture is a common psychological program of people in same environment, which can separate a group of people from another group of people. This theory is widely used in academic researches and cross-cultural practices and has become an important theory for measurement of cultural differences among different countries. Hofstede's cultural dimension theory is divided into five dimensions, these are Power-Distance、Uncertainty Avoidance、Individualism versus Collectivism、Long-term and Short-term Orientation、Masculinity versus Femininity

The third Hofstede cultural dimension considered is “Masculinity vs. Femininity” which is the extent to which certain values, materialism, quality of life, concern of others and work attitudes, are emphasized (Payne). A high masculinity score indicates a greater concern with the acquisition of money and things, less concern with others and the attitude that one should live to work. Conversely, a high femininity

“1. Power Distance, related to the different solutions to the basic problem of human inequality; (Hofstede, 2011)

Geert Hofstede is an influential Dutch researcher in the fields of organizational studies and more concretely organizational culture, also cultural economics and management. He is a well-known pioneer in his research of cross-cultural groups and organizations and played a major role in developing a systematic framework for assessing and differentiating national cultures and organizational cultures. His studies demonstrated that there are national and regional cultural groups that influence behavior of societies and organizations.

A review of Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions,this model looks at the effect of cultures, value of its members, and how they relate to behavior within that culture. The model has been successfully used for effective intercultural, interpersonal communications around the world. There are five values that Hofstede’s has identified: Power Distance; Individualism or Collectivism; Masculinity and Femininity; Uncertainty Avoidance and Short or Long Term Orientation. Each value aids in developing a model to understand an approach and the preparation that should be taken to be effective and successful in its dealings with that particular culture.

2. Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV): The extent to which a society is based on the needs of the individual as opposed to the needs of the group.

Growth of research addressing the relationship between culture and consumption is exponential. Thus, culture’s influence on consumption and marketing had drawn increasing attention in recent years. Hofstede’s framework is the most widely used national cultural framework in psychology, sociology, marketing and management studies. His dimensions were all constructed in such a way that they addressed basic problems that all societies have to deal with. Thus, these dimensions of national culture were constructed at the national level namely: