Assignment: CULTURE AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
For the Session Long Project for this class, first choose a country interests you other than the United States (you need to learn about another culture other than your home culture for this assignment). You can pick any country you want other than the United States among those included on Hofstede's webpage:
You will be looking at a different aspect of doing business in this country in each of your Module 1-4 SLPs. For this first SLP, you will be focusing on the culture of this country and how it differs with the culture of the U.S. You can start by looking at the cultural values of this country as shown on the Hofstede webpage linked above.
Keep in mind that it is controversial to try to quantify national culture, so don't rely only on Hofstede for this paper. Do some additional research and try to find additional information about the cultural aspects of doing business in your country. Then write a two to three page paper addressing the following issues:
1. Go to the Hofstede webpage and look up the values of individualism, power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance for both your chosen country and for the United States. What are the main differences between national culture in the U.S. and your chosen country? What implications might these differences have on doing business in your country?
2. What other information besides Hofstede have you been able to find about culture in your country? How do these aspects of culture impact doing business in your country?
3. Overall, does the national culture of your country make it easy or difficult to business? What cultural pitfalls might an American company investing in your country face?
SLP Assignment Expectations
• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the Internet, make sure they are from a credible source.