Why do different groups of people behave in different ways when dealing with the common challenges of human life? The answer often lies in their cultural attitudes, values, and consequent behaviours. The study of human culture has been deemed a key contribution to understanding human life for many centuries. Explanations and descriptions of cultural characteristics abound, but in the field of business, none have been more influential and warmly embraced than those developed by Geert Hofstede and the GLOBE group. These models of national culture, which characterise Japanese, Americans, French, and may other nationalities in terms of common characteristics such as collectivism, masculinity, and power distance, are most widely cited and applied in business research, teaching, and recommendations for practice. But this seminal work needs a careful reality check. The authors of this book point out a range of problems associated with the Hofstede and GLOBE national culture measures which bring into question their accuracy and usefulness in meeting the expectations of management culture researchers and students. This book explains in detail why the measures developed by Hofstede and GLOBE are of dubious validity and why they should be viewed with caution by those looking for answers to the complex questions of culture.

This book offers research geared toward understanding culture and its influence on the success of global businesses. Divided into two parts that look at the leveraging culture cultural diversity from an organizational as well as national perspective, the chapters investigate the effects of technology on culture, the role of leadership in corporate culture, and communicating and managing change across cultures. The book emphasizes that embracing cultural and subcultural differences alongside instilling organizational culture are the keys to successful modern business. With contributions from authors from academic as well as professional backgrounds, this book will serve as a valuable resource to researchers interested in cultural studies generally as well as those studying the importance of culture to managing modern organizations.

Hofstede introduced a culture paradigm that has been widely influential in international business. However, its relevance in light of culture's increasing complexity due to globalization has been questioned. Alternative culture frameworks and perspectives are offered by leading scholars in global marketing and management.

How should a Western company manage cross-culturally corporate values in its foreign subsidiaries? Do these values make sense everywhere and can they assumed to be universal or, on the contrary, are they culturally Western specific? Philippe d’Iribarne provides answers to these timely and urgent questions, based on research carried out in the subsidiaries of a leading global company, Lafarge, in the contrasting cultural environments of China, the United States, France and Jordan. It appears that, in a large part of the world, people's expectations are similar; they expect from a good employer clear and decisive leadership, and fair and compassionate treatment, helping them to live a good life. But treating these expectations as the ‘same’ could be misleading. Western companies with a humanistic orientation are well positioned to fulfil them, provided they are willing, in each and every geography, to take into account the local vision of the right way to achieve a good life. By following the example presented in this book, companies who care can deliver economic efficiency as well as progressive people management in the countries in which they operate.

Provides an understanding about the impact of culture and communication on international business negotiations. This work explores the problems faced by Western managers while doing business abroad and offers guidelines for international business negotiations. It also focuses on an important aspect of international business: negotiations.

In the modern globalized economy, it is important for businesses of all sizes to take advantage of the opportunity to enter diverse markets around the world. Through an international presence, organizations can remain competitive. The Handbook of Research on Global Business Opportunities combines comprehensive viewpoints and research on various business enterprises from around the world in companies of all sizes and models, discussing different aspects and concerns in the global business environment such as corruption, taxation, supply chain management, and economic impacts. This handbook is an essential reference source for business executives from both large and small firms, business scholars, researchers, academics, students, and professionals.