Cultural Differences in Times of Globalization. An Overview of Hofstede's Theory and Two New Theories

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Cultural Studies - Basics and Definitions, University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer, language: English, abstract: In this paper the importance of the cultural differences, especially the national culture, should be clarified because in times of globalization it's unalterable to consider such different characteristics in the daily business. For the topic of national culture the culture model of Hofstede is still representative but this theory is meanwhile out of date and there exist newer models which give new insights in this specific topic. This paper gives an overview about the model of Hofstede and two newer theories with regard to a created thesis. The models exhibit several differences which enable to survey the topic national culture under a variety of aspects. The conclusion makes clear that other aspects should be also considered beside the cultural differences especially in business relationships. In the late 1960s and the early 1970s a Dutch social researcher named Geert Hofstede conducted about the influences of national culture in the workplace. Until this point of time his study was the most extensive one in this specific field of research. In the following decades additional surveys carried out and were more and more popular. They built on Hofstede's culture model and modify it. For example the culture dimensions of Alfons Trompenaars or the globe study. In the following essay Hofstede's model should be examined with the help of prevailing research results, transpire comparisons and differences. This subject of national culture should be considered consistently with leadership.