17. Cultural differences

Question 1

How did Rohner (1984) define culture? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 1

‘The totality of equivalent and complementary learned meetings, maintained by human populations…transmitted from one generation to the next’

Question 2

What is the relationship between culture and social systems? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 2

Social systems have culture but cultures do not have cultural systems (cultures make behaviour comprehendible)

Question 3

What were Hofstede (1980) procedures in evaluating culture? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 3

• 166,000 IBM (hermes) employees
• Questionnaire on job satisfaction, work situations, beliefs and personal goals
• Secondary analysis (variations of culture)

Question 4

How did Hofstede (1980) evaluate differences between cultures? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 4

• Ecological level of analysis

- Robinsons paradox (1950)

Question 5

What issue did Hofstede (1980) encounter when evaluating variations of cultures? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 5

• Acquiescence bias

- Individuals from different parts of the world answer response scales differently

Question 6

What were the four main categories Hodstede (1980) found through factor analysis? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 6

• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Individualism
• Masculinity

Question 7

How did Hofstede (1980) define power distance? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 7

The extent to which members of society accept that power of an institution are distributed unequally

Question 8

How did Hofstede (1980) define uncertainty avoidance? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 8

The degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty, leading them the the belief of wanting conformity

Question 9

How did Hofstede (1980) define individualism? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 9

Preference for a loosely knit social framework in society, in which individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate families

Question 10

How did Hofstede (1980) define masculinity? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 10

A preference for achievement and heroism and assertiveness

Question 11

What did Hofstede (1980) find between individualism and power distance? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 11

A strong negative correlation

Question 12

What did Hofstede (1980) find between masculinity and individualism? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 12

No correlation

Question 13

What country did Hofstede (1980) report as the highest and lowest scores for power distance? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 13

• Highest = Malaysia

- Lowest = Austria

Question 14

What country did Hofstede (1980) report as the highest and lowest scores for uncertainty avoidance? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 14

• Highest = Greece

- Lowest = Singapore

Question 15

What country did Hofstede (1980) report as the highest and lowest scores for individualism? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 15

• Highest = USA

- Lowest = Guatemala

Question 16

What country did Hofstede (1980) report as the highest and lowest scores for masculinity? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 16

• Highest = Japan

- Lowest = Norway

Question 17

What are three critiques of Hofstede (1980)? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 17

• Exhaustiveness of value determinism
• Adequacy of sample nations
• Historical change (no African countries due to no IBM companies)

Question 18

What is the Schwartz value survey (1990-now)? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 18

• P’s rated “how important is…to you?” on 56 values

- 40/56 values showed similar position in structure within all cultures

Question 19

What has the Schwartz value survey found within cultures? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 19

• Conservation vs. openness to change

- Self transcendence vs. self enhancement

Question 20

What has the Schwartz value survey found across cultures? (Cultural differences Social)

Answer 20

• Person as embedded vs. autonomous

- Pursuit of collective goals vs. pursuit of personal goals