What is your opinion of the manner in which Anna Håkansson prepared for her business trip? Could she have done a better job here? If so, how?
In my opinion, Anna’s preparation was a good jumping off point but was inadequate. While her comparison of Bahrain and Sweden using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (Steers, 2013) and her study of the structure of Arab extended families and the role this family structure plays in the decision-making process was a good start, she failed to study up on the changing business landscape in Arab nations. In private business, the traditional paradigms of the extended family structure are eschewed in favor of a meritocracy (Steers, 2013), where traditional roles do not factor in so heavily. Had she focused some …show more content…
Another thing to keep in mind along with all of the generalizations that one can make about a particular culture is the fact that within these broad frameworks all cultures allow for individuality. There are also many different subcultures within each culture, and these all have their unique characteristics as well. These generalizations about culture can only serve to explain, rather than to predict behaviors (Steers, 2013). When doing business abroad, it is important to consider the individual first, and seek to understand them within the context of their culture. In the case of Anna and Nahed, the fact that Nahed holds the position that she does flies in the face of all of the broad generalizations that can be made about Arab culture due to the fact that their private business culture varies wildly from their social and institutional cultures in that they are meritocracies where the normal hierarchies are eschewed in favor of a …show more content…
While Sunnis and Shiites both fall under the umbrella of Muslim, the cultures of the two groups differ, especially with regards to power structures, in that Sunnis elect their leaders, and Shiites follow a line of succession based on who is appointed by the Imam (Grant, 2015). These cultural differences between two Muslim subcultures may also carry over into how the two different groups may structure power within companies as well. There is also no clear consensus about the role culture plays in global business (Steers, 2013, Chapter
In my opinion, Anna’s preparation was a good jumping off point but was inadequate. While her comparison of Bahrain and Sweden using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (Steers, 2013) and her study of the structure of Arab extended families and the role this family structure plays in the decision-making process was a good start, she failed to study up on the changing business landscape in Arab nations. In private business, the traditional paradigms of the extended family structure are eschewed in favor of a meritocracy (Steers, 2013), where traditional roles do not factor in so heavily. Had she focused some …show more content…
Another thing to keep in mind along with all of the generalizations that one can make about a particular culture is the fact that within these broad frameworks all cultures allow for individuality. There are also many different subcultures within each culture, and these all have their unique characteristics as well. These generalizations about culture can only serve to explain, rather than to predict behaviors (Steers, 2013). When doing business abroad, it is important to consider the individual first, and seek to understand them within the context of their culture. In the case of Anna and Nahed, the fact that Nahed holds the position that she does flies in the face of all of the broad generalizations that can be made about Arab culture due to the fact that their private business culture varies wildly from their social and institutional cultures in that they are meritocracies where the normal hierarchies are eschewed in favor of a …show more content…
While Sunnis and Shiites both fall under the umbrella of Muslim, the cultures of the two groups differ, especially with regards to power structures, in that Sunnis elect their leaders, and Shiites follow a line of succession based on who is appointed by the Imam (Grant, 2015). These cultural differences between two Muslim subcultures may also carry over into how the two different groups may structure power within companies as well. There is also no clear consensus about the role culture plays in global business (Steers, 2013, Chapter