1. Gaining Cultural Insights :
Essential for International
Business
S. Tamer Cavusgil
Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair
Georgia State University
January 2013
3. NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL
CULTURE CULTURE
ORGANIZATIONAL
Language Academe CULTURE
Business
Ethnic Banking
Engineering
IT
Gender
Legal
Medical
Region Military...
Religion...
Progressive socializations occurring during a person’s life
4. National Culture
• Culture relates to a system of shared
assumptions, ideas, beliefs, and values that
guide human behavior
• Appears in statements, actions, material
items
• Culture is acquired and inculcated; acquisition
of cultural norms and patterns is a subtle
process
• Culture is transmitted from generation to
generation; with embellishment and
5. The Iceberg Concept of Culture
(High Culture)
Fine Arts Literature
Drama Classical Music
Popular Music Mythology Folk Dancing
Games Cooking
Rites of Passage
Courtship Practice Etiquette
Humor
Dress Diet
(Primarily in awareness)
(Folk Culture)
(Primarily out of awareness) (Deep Culture)
Mores and Ideals Conception of Beauty
Family Relationships Nonverbal Communication
Gender Roles Superior/Subordinate Relationships
Conception of the Self
Arrangement of Physical Space
Preference of Cooperation vs. Competition
Behavior in Public Places Tempo of Work
Decision-Making Practices Eye Behavior
Methods of Problem-Solving Ordering of Time
Nature of Friendship Conversational Patterns
Conceptions of Status Mobility Religion
Notion about Leadership
…and much more…
6. How National Culture May Influence
Human Resource Management
• Teamwork
• Lifetime employment
• Pay for performance system
• Informal communication
• Organizational structure
• Union-management relationships
• Attitudes toward ambiguity ...
7. Cultural Differences in
Entrepreneurship
It’s been said that when someone in Hong
Kong starts a new business venture, the
entire family works around the clock to make
it a success. In the U.S., friends put up their
money for the entrepreneur. In the U.K.,
everyone tries to discourage the
entrepreneur by explaining why it is likely to
fail and then scratch his car. In Turkey,
friends will ask the entrepreneur to hire
their sons, nephews. In India, the
administrative system will put up monumental
red tape.
8. Turkey: Quick Facts
• Unique history and geography
• Turkish speaking
• Moslem, but secular
• Democracy since 1923
• Pro-west, pro-secular military
• Young population (1/2 under 29)
• Rapidly urbanizing
• Liberalizing EM economy since 1980s
• WTO & NATO member, applicant to EU
9. Ataturk – Mustafa Kemal
Founder of modern Turkish
Republic in 1923 is a national
hero
10. How to Detect Cultural Orientations
• Cultural metaphors
• Expressions; idioms” proverbs
• Stereotypes
generalizations about a group
of people that overlook real,
individual differences;
perceptions
11. Cultural Metaphors Serve as a
Guide, Map, or Beacon
Swedish Stuga (summer home)
Spanish bullfight
Irish conversations
Israeli Kibbutz
Japanese garden
U.S.A ?
15. For me, a key metaphor for Turkey is
contrasts. Turkey is really a place of
contradictions. It's not only the fact that
Istanbul sits on two different continents.
You can see women people wearing western
fashions and headscarves side by side. At
the same time as women are becoming top
executives in such companies as Turkcell,
they are still kept away from schooling in the
rural areas. While rapidly modernizing,
Turkey has a long journey to travel.
Daniela Almeida (a Brazilian journalist
who accompanied GSU students studying in Istanbul in 2012)
19. Proverbs Reveal Cultural
Values and Traits
Japan “The nail that sticks up gets Group
struck down” conformity
Australia “Cutting down the tall poppy” Egalitarianism
“If you follow older people,
Thailand dogs won’t bite you” Wisdom
“Jantelegen” (Don’t think Modesty
Sweden that
you are better than others)
20. Expressions Characterize a Culture
• Jeitinho (Brazil)
Finding a way… A rapid, improvised, creative
solution… Brazilian method of social navigation
where one can obtain favors or to get an
advantage.
• Guanxi (China)
Reciprocity of favors within personalized
networks of influence.
• ‘Inshallah’ Turkey
Fatalism (If God is willing) - The belief that God
or some moral order controls man’s destiny and
the outcome of his actions.
23. Perceptions of U.S.
Businesspeople
Americans are…
• argumentative and even profane; not quiet or
humble.
• individualistic and lovers of freedom; not group
oriented.
• nonhierarchical; others believe titles are to be
respected.
• risk takers and just go for it; not conservative and
have time-honored ways.
• direct, express emotions, and look for immediate
return on the bottom line; others take time to be
social and get to know their business partners.
24. Core Characteristics of
American Culture
• Individualism and autonomy
• Low tolerance for ambiguity
• Hard work
• Resourcefulness and creativity
• Emphasis on success, winning; competitive
• Career advancement
• Material rewards and community recognition
• Parochialism
25. Recognition of Some Typically
American traits
•Outgoing, friendly •Disrespectful of
•Informal authority
•Loud, rude, boastful,
•Racially prejudiced
immature
•Hard working •Ignorant of other
countries
•Extravagant, wasteful
•Confident, they have all •Wealthy
the answers •Generous
•Lacking in class
consciousness •Always in a hurry
26. Asian Spirit/Asia’s Moral Values
Based on teaching of Kung Fu-tzu (Confucius) 500 B.C.
• Discipline
• Loyalty
• Hard work, rather than inheritance as key to
entitlement
• Long-term investment
• Focus on education
• Esteem for the family
• Concern for the collective harmony of the group
• Control over one’s desires
27. Highlights of Turkish Culture
• High on collectivism, uncertainty
avoidance and power distance and more
emphasis on relationship rather than
competition (Hofstede, 1980).
• Above average in values of hierarchy,
conservatism, egalitarian commitment and
harmony (Schwartz, 1994;2004).
• Above average on in-group collectivism,
power distance and assertiveness; below
average on gender egalitarianism,
uncertainty avoidance and social
collectivism (Kabasakal & Bodur, 1998; Kabasakal & Bodur,
2002).
28. Rapid Change
Though culture persists,
values are subject to change
across generations
29.
30.
31.
32. No. 1 in
the world
(of 138 nations)
in mobile-network
coverage.
(World Economic Forum, 2011)
Facebook ranks
Turkey 4th in the
world in number
of registered
users (over 40m
users)
33. Dynamic Market
• Cell phone ownership in households:
92%
• Internet access rate: 43%
• PC penetration rate in households:
34.3%
• 1 in 5 people owns a vehicle. (2011)
36. Press Freedom Rankings
Hürriyet Daily News, January 26, 2012
• Turkey dropped dramatically in press freedom
rankings in 2011, losing 10 places to be 148th
out of 178 countries.
• The escalation of judicial harassment of
journalists and anti-terrorism laws are listed
among the reasons … Turkish Contemporary
Journalists Association currently lists 95
journalists in prison.
Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF)
World Press Freedom Index for 2011
37. Turkey's bad example on democracy and authoritarianism
March 10, 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/10/AR2011031005620.html
42. For More Information, Contact:
S. Tamer Cavusgil
Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair
Executive Director, CIBER
Georgia State University
cavusgil@gsu.edu 404/413-7284
http://robinson.gsu.edu/ciber/
Notes de l'éditeur
“ Societies can be better off when some boundaries of individual freedom are limited, rather than broadened.” How come the traditional values seem to be working better for Asians than in the West? Better inculcating of their cultural tradition Bringing their basic moral values to bear on the events of daily life – school, work, job, streets….
Music, Culinary Arts, Lifestyles and More… Newspapers, Radio, TV General Museums http://www.goturkey.com/ History-Culture: Left menu: Did you know? Facts for visitors Turkish Embassy, Washington DC, USA Right menu: Tips for travelers Turkish News (choose categories: Istanbul, Censorship, freedom of speech)
