The impact of cultural variables on the effectiveness of international business strategies

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would first like to express my gratitude for my research supervisor, colleagues, peers and family whose immense and constant support has been a source of continuous guidance and inspiration.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names & surname here], declare that the following dissertation/thesis and its entire content has been an individual, unaided effort and has not been submitted or published before. Furthermore, it reflects my opinion and take on the topic and is does not represent the opinion of the University.

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ABSTRACT

The international perception and how the culture values affect the business strategies of an international business organisation were explored by focusing of the following research issues: (a) whether there were national differences in how workers perceive their real and expected business strategies, (b) whether the employees and supervisors of an international business organisations perceived real and expected business strategies differently, and (c) whether the national culture values affected business strategies of international business organisations. The first chapter presents introduction to the topic along with purpose, aims, and significance of the study. The second chapter covers the literature review, providing relative theoretical research on the topic of cultural factors and their impact on business strategy in the international business context. The third chapter deals with the methodology. In this chapter, the researcher has outlined research design and approach used to collect data. The fourth chapter presents findings and analysis of data, while the fifth chapter concludes the dissertation, providing implications and suggestions for future research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTi

DECLARATIONii

ABSTRACTiii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION2

Background of the study2

Problem Statement3

Purpose of the Study3

Rationale of the Study4

Aims and Objectives5

Research Questions5

Scope and Significance of the Study6

Reliability and Validity6

Ethical Concerns7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW8

Business Strategy in Cultural Context9

Hofstede's dimension of culture10

Hall's perspective of cultural differences12

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY14

Research Design14

Sampling14

Participants15

Instrument15

Data Analysis15

Projected Time Table16

REFERENCES17

APPENDIX A20

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In this contemporary age, international business paradigm has taken a new turn. Globalisation and information technology has had a tremendous impact on the global business sector. This study is meant to explore the importance of business strategy and how perceptual and cultural differences affected management of an international business organisation. This study also explores to what degree the business strategies can be changed to fulfil the achievement of goals. These challenges have a special impact if they do not have previous experiences on how to interact with co-workers from culturally different backgrounds. This may result in difficulty in communication due to cultural differences. Many frustrations may result from the realisation that personnel of the other culture consider the behaviour they thought was correct in the organisational setting to be unacceptable. For this particular study, the researcher will use quantitative research approach. Quantitative research is the method of choice for a researcher who seeks to clarify phenomena through data collection and statistical analysis.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The increase of internationalisation and interdependence of international business suggests a need for a better understanding of the management process and its effectiveness in organisations composed of diversified ...