Cross cultural differences and their implications for managing intercultural differences in business contexts

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,0, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, language: English, abstract: As a result of globalization, many firms have started to compete and work on a worldwide basis. This situation has required organizations to manage their workforces effectively in order to expand into global markets and target different consumer groups. Moreover, the process of globalization causes more exposure to diversity, not only in daily but also in business life. Managing diversity has therefore become a strategic focus of management in organizations which enables companies to gain competitive advantages on the global market. With increasing relevance of the outlined issue several frameworks for categorizing, analyzing and comparing cultures can be found in literature. Two frameworks that have received a great deal of research attention are Hofstede's study of work values and Trompenaars' broad-based studies of value orientations. This paper provides an insight into the existing conventional culture paradigms by giving a brief introduction to the term culture and exposing the two mentioned models. Subsequently, the last chapter outlines possible implications for managing intercultural differences in business contexts.