National Culture's Role in International Business

Multinational companies are influenced by national culture. Members of a multinational corporation are influenced by national culture. National culture itself is influenced by many variables such as economy and politics that, again, influence multinational corporations and their members. §Especially in international business, culture is treated as an all-purpose variable for all kinds of difficulties that occur and only little attention is paid to all other relevant factors that might come into account.§This book gives a more detailed view and a more gradual distinction on how national culture influences a multinational company on an organizational and on an individual level. Moreover, the other side of the coin is discussed: How far culture is determined by its environment. §The three levels of analysis - culture in its environment, on an organizational and individual level - are treated separately and consecutively, implications for management are drawn. The aim is to provide the reader with a more detailed distinction of what situations, phenomenons or problems in international business are really culture-driven and - which ones are not.