Assignment

Objectives

The aim of this assignment is to suggest the role played by management scholars in developing new ideas useful to individuals interested in cross cultural management. Specifically this assignment addresses the ideas and frameworks of Geert Hofstede.

Instructor Comments

To understand the influence of Geert Hofstede, consider the comments of John Bing (2004: 2). "Hofstede is the most cited Dutch author and the ninth most cited European in the 2001 Social Science Citation Index. Over time Hofstede's influence has become so persuasive, and his work has developed so many offshoots, that even those who don't agree with his theory or conclusions must at least acknowledge his work. Debates within the field are an expected part of the process of theory building, testing, and questioning which characterizes modern science. What is clear is that Hofstede designed the architecture that has characterized much of contemporary cross-cultural quantitative research; and his is the standard to which others must make reference. It would be easier for caravans to cross the desert without touching sand than it would be for researchers and practitioners in this field to avoid Hofstede's work."

Despite his influence, his research is often misused or misunderstood. "A common error to which practitioners may be prone involves predicting individual cultural preferences by inference from Hofstede's country scores. Merely because, for example, Chileans have a high uncertainty avoidance score does not mean that individual Chileans share that quality. they may or may not. Most populations are normal curves, and an individual may be found at one extreme or in the center. That individual's cultural preference cannot be predicted from the country scores. However, as a whole population, the group tendency is in a specific direction, and that is how Hofstede's scores are derived." (Bing, 2004: 2). Consider these points as you complete this assignment.

This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a broader concern and that is, "How similar or different is the culture of Canada to other countries?" You should base your responses to the following questions on your analysis of the ideas of Geert Hofstede.

In order to complete this assignment, you will need to access the country profiles based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions using the following website:http://www.geert-hofstede.com

Please complete the following exercises.

• How is the national culture of English Canada similar or different from that of Australia?
• How is the national culture of English Canada similar or different from that of Burkina Faso?
• How is the national culture of English Canada similar or different from that of South Korea?
• How is the national culture of English Canada similar or different from that of Brazil?
• How is the national culture of English Canada similar or different from that of Malaysia?

Hint: The country profiles described in terms of Hofstede's cultural dimensions http://www.geert-hofstede.com may be of great value when completing this assignment.

Please limit your response to this assignment to three single spaced, typed pages. Please cite your sources in the text and please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is the importance of this assignment.