As commerce becomes more global, greater
numbers of people are conducting business
across national and cultural boundaries. Cul-
ture-clash will continue to vex all aspects of
international business as a result of this phe-
nomenon. Culture colors people’s sense of
identity and their perceptions of others. Differ-
ences in management style and organizational
behavior can often be traced back to cultural
influences. Cultural miscommunication is
costly. Such communication can be intimate,
such as the interaction between two coworkers,
or can take place in a more public arena, such as
in an advertising campaign. With the increased
recognition that culture affects all facets of
international industry comes the challenge for
librarians to provide information that will
enable business professionals to operate suc-
cessfully in culturally-diverse environments.
Cultural diversity in business literature
Examples abound in college textbooks of cultur-
al mistakes made in business. Even the brand-
name giant Coca-Cola, now recognized
throughout the world, was marketed incorrectly
in the 1920s when the Chinese characters that
sounded like the word Coke translated as “bite
the wax tadpole” (Terpstra, 1991). While social
scientists have been examining the relationship
between culture and behavior for almost a
century, business researchers have been explor-
ing the complexities of cultural diversity as they
relate to business for the past 20 years. A wealth
of marketing and management literature now
exists which addresses the concept of cultural
diversity in the workplace and much of it can be
traced to the globalization of business.
Influential authors such as Geert Hofstede in
his book Cultures Consequences: International
Differences in Work-related Values, published in
1980, recognizes culture as the defining force in
understanding work habits. Today, researchers
have taken the lead from authors like Hofstede
and have constructed theoretical models for
examining cultural differences between diverse
groups. In recent years, some, like the diversity
expert Fons Trompenaars, have criticized the
bulk of this literature as written from a narrow
viewpoint (Hall, 1995). Trompenaars questions
what he views as the trend of management to
enforce a type of Anglo-Saxon culture in
12
The cultural dimension
of international business
Susan Frey-Ridgway
The author
Susan Frey-Ridgway is Reference Librarian at Walter E.
Helmke Library, Indiana University, Purdue University, Fort
Wayne, USA.
Abstract
International business endeavors require people to communi-
cate across cultural and national boundaries. For the past 20
years scholars have explored the ways in which culture
influences work habits and values, communication styles, and
business practices. Along with the trend toward a global
economy, there is today a greater recognition among special-
ists that cultural differences affect all facets of international
business. Because of this, librarians serving practitioners and
scholars of international business are challenged to provide
information aimed at making the business professional more
productive in culturally diverse environments. Provides a brief
overview of the topic of cultural diversity in business litera-
ture. Follows this with an extensive bibliography of current
English-language works offering theoretical and applied
approaches to this theme. Includes an annotated list of
organizations involved in the cultural aspects of international
business.
Collection Building
Volume 16 · Number 1 · 1997 · pp. 12–23
© MCB University Press · ISSN 0160-4953