Impact of Cultural Differences on Corporate Strategies of Multinational Firms

Gender can be a hot topic within cultures; a male or female does not want to be told that they can or cannot do something based on their gender. Every culture views gender roles differently, and some cultures are more serious about gender than others. Many times, male and female actions are determined by what a person has been taught is right; furthermore, gender roles are a set of societal norms that are the behaviors that a sex is generally known to do and what is considered accepted of a person based on their sex; gender roles can also known as stereotypes (“Gender”). Many times men are associated with masculine and logical ways in the United States, whereas women are associated with nurturing and passive ways.

Culture is an observable, powerful force in any organization. “Made up of its members’ shared values, beliefs, symbols, and behaviors, culture guides individual decisions and actions at the unconscious level. As a result, it can have a potent effect on a company’s well-being and success” (One Page, n.d.).

Meanwhile in collective societies they prioritise their decisions for good of the group above their own personal goals. In a business context collective societies will work better in groups with people they have a personal relationship with. While individualist societies can work well as individuals and in groups with people they do not know. This allows for quicker decision making but not knowing a colleague on a personal level may lead to less active participation. Collective mentality takes more time but more options are analysed in more depth which in some circumstances is more effective but less time efficient.

Hofstede uses the words masculinity and femininity to refer to the degree to which masculine or feminine traits are valued or revealed (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel). The United States rates as a moderately masculine. Countries that favor masculinity stress equity, competition, and performance(Yates). They also strive for material success and expected to respect whatever is big, strong, and fast. France values femininity and stress equality, solidarity, and quality of work life (Yates). A feminine worldview maintains that men can assume nurturing roles while promoting sexual equality. One major difference in masculine/feminine cultures is the role of the woman in the workplace and at home. Feminine societies expect women to work and often provide the necessary social support systems. Although the United States is more masculine than France both countries treat females as equals.

Collectivism-> is basically when you think that values and the goals of the group and the common good over the goals of any one individual are the most beneficial. It stresses human interdependence and the importance of a collective, rather than the importance of separate individuals

The concept of the masculinity of real men and femininity of real women has been questioned from one age to the next/ from one culture to another. Upon interviewing three people I have been able to identify cultural patterns. When one looks at society from a broad viewpoint we see a divergence among cultures because of the cultural bias’s implanted from an early age. Additionally, movements by men and women have been fortified because of the reactions to the rationales projected by different cultures. Throughout society the concept of real men and women has been inundated by differentiating cultures allowing for a mixing of belief systems however, someone’s principal belief comes from their family heritage.

“Every culture in the world prescribes norms for behaviour that are assigned on the basis of sex” (Kilmartin, 1993, p. 3). Traditionally though the two main constructed genders belong to masculinity and femininity, for men “They learn to act in a ‘masculine’ way and avoid … [the] ‘un-masculine’. The social settings in which adult men find themselves tend to reinforce these standards” (Kilmartin, 1993, p. 6). Masculinity is associated with the public sphere and according to Kilmartin these traits that are reinforced by society include; dominance, competitiveness, lacks emotion, is aggressive and forceful.

Collectivism is a political practice that takes away the freedom and welfare of an individual to prioritize the goodness of everyone as a society. To be in a Collectivist society, means that everyone has to put their own morals aside and focus on the equality and morality for everyone as a community. To the average human mind, living in a system where everyone works as a group will not seem to be that out of the ordinary. What people don’t tend to perceive is that a system where people can’t think of themselves is a system that will be corrupt in the long run. In this degenerate organization, every idea must fit the benefit for all of society. If the idea doesn’t make for the better for everyone, then it will not be permitted at all. All personal

Hofstede defined the culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group from that another”. His five types of cultural dimensions are the most popular in many cultural area studies, include: (1) power distance; (2) individualism vs. collectivism; (3) uncertainty avoidance; (4) masculinity vs. femininity; and (5) long-term vs. short-term orientation. These dimensions offer an insight towards behaviors and standards in the cultural context which are useful for many motivators to explore the people in different culture. The text suggested that countries with high uncertainty avoidance will lead to more job security, whereas people with low uncertainty avoidance (for example, U.S.) are motivated by new ideas and innovation. People with high power distance are motivated by relationships between subordinates and their boss, while people with low power distance are motivated by team work and relationships with their peers. On the other hand, individuals from high individualism are motivated by opportunities and autonomy; collectivism (for example, Japan) suggests that motivation should be done with group goals and support. Individuals from high masculine culture are comfortable with the tradition and division of works and roles; in a feminine culture, the motivators help people through flexible roles and work

The main topic of this chapter is stereotypes specifically about masculinity and femininity. A historical perspective called The Cult of True Womanhood, which meant a woman should be devout, unstained, obedient and well behaved. However, men could practically be the opposite of the women and yet be depicted as inferior to men. In addition, another historical view presented is Male Gender Role Identity in which a man could be prosperous by being tough, suppressing emotions, avoiding feminine actions and passions. Furthermore, a psychological test that was performed was the Attitude Interest Analysis Survey in which resulted in masculinity and femininity as complete opposites. For example, men are tough and independent, whereas women are weak and dependent.

The world average for the Masculinity Dimension is 50, with both the United States and Australia having a higher ranking. Traits associated with masculinity are assertiveness, material success, and individual achievement. The female population has adapted these traits and begun to shift toward a more traditional male role, with an increasing number of women continuing to enter the workforce. The direct communication style of the United States illustrates the masculine traits. The U.S. places heavy emphasis on getting their point across rather than getting to know those they are doing business with. This dimension is closely related to both countries’ rankings in the individuality dimension.

In this report I will be stating the differences of how Tesco function in South Korea compared to how they function in the United Kingdom. Tesco have to adapt to the local culture, traditions and tastes and have to recreate an environment in which shoppers will feel at home.

Masculinity -Femininity from Professor Geert Hofstede for the most part portray achievement is respected by somebody's accomplishment or gallantry in Masculinity society, while in Femininity society, individuals tend to treat each other similarly and care other people who are weaker and appear to concentrate on personal satisfaction. Educator Geert Hofstede guided one of incomparable abundant investigations of how values in the work environment are partial by culture. A Feminine society is one where individual fulfilment is the sign of advance and rising up out of the gathering is not astonishing. Australia scores 61 on this estimation compared to Sri Lanka just got 10 score it seen as a "Masculine" society. A high score (Masculinity) on this

A society 's social structure refers to its basic social organization. Two dimensions stand out when explaining differences between cultures. The first is the degree to which the basic unit of social organization is the individual, as opposed to

According to the works of Chaney & Martin (2011) and Harris & Moran (2000), they agree that international management skills are in need for the increasing scope of international trades and investments. A large number of multinational companies have expanded their businesses through both developed and developing countries. Some of the business invest directly and others are partnership arrangements and strategic alliances with domestic operations. Their studies show that independent entrepreneurs and small businesses have started investing and competing in the world marketplace. Thus, to acquire corporations’ objectives, there is exceedingly a necessity for the development of strategic framework for cross-cultural management and communication in the current competitive global market. Chaney & Martin (2011) also noted that, cultural awareness and cultural differences are strongly important to the multinational corporations’ success. A good understanding of the culture where business is implemented can make international managers productive and effective.