INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CULTURE

Importance of Culture in International Business

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of “Importance of Culture in International Business” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “Culture” and its relation with “International Business”. The research also analyzes many aspects of “Cultural values” and tries to gauge its effect on “business done on an international level”. Finally the research describes various factors which are responsible for “developing cultures” and tries to describe the overall effect of “culture” on “international business development”.

Table of Contents

Culture and Cultural Values1

Introduction1

Multicultural Teams1

Multicultural Awareness in Evaluation: Dilemmas and Challenges2

Cultures of Canada and France2

Canada and France: In the light of international business5

References8

Culture and Cultural Values

Introduction

For this paper, we shall be discussing the whereabouts of how far and wide have the individuals paved way in the light of culture and what major factors must be considered in the light of cultural ethics which needs to be considered and understood for conducting international business.

To understand the collaboration that prevails between cultures on an international level between two or more countries, it is necessary to understand what kind of culture does a country have or has adopted over the period of time. Culture is defined a set of customs, norms, traditions and ceremonies that have been practiced unanimously by the public and the people of the country and that have been passed on from generation to generation. The beliefs, vision, objectives and business approaches and practices underpinning a company's strategy towards team development may be compatible with its culture or they may not. When they are, the culture becomes a valuable ally in strategy implementation and execution. When the culture, conversely, pertains to contradict some aspect of the company's direction, performance targets, operations or strategy, the culture, undoubtedly, becomes a stumbling block that implies successful strategy implementation and execution.

Multicultural Teams

The more entrenched the mismatched aspects of the culture, the greater the difficulty of implementing new or different strategies until better strategy—culture alignment emerges. A sizable and prolonged strategy—culture conflict weakens and may even defeat managerial efforts to make the strategy work.

Multicultural Awareness in Evaluation: Dilemmas and Challenges

Evaluating policies or programmes that deal with complex problems imposes certain requirements on evaluators. This applies particularly when it is not possible to proceed solely on the basis of the norms of a dominant culture. Programmes dealing with multicultural problems and challenges have to be understood differently depending on the various cultural, ethnic or other backgrounds. A programme to promote integration in the labor market or a programme to prevent honor-related violence (HRV), for example, brings to the forefront the question of multicultural 'validity' and what evaluation criteria to apply. The debate in the evaluation literature as regards cultural diversity has mainly been on the evaluator's cultural awareness and on method. But, as argued in this article, the discussion should also include the evaluator's multicultural awareness and competence. It is vital to consider what is required of evaluation to be multiculturally ...