CULTURE AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
ANG 6930 Section 7077 / GEB 6930 Section 4425
Dr. Roy Crum
Office: 309 Stuzin
Phone: 392-0115
Office Hours: T R 11:45-1:15
E-mail:
rcrum@ufl.edu
Dr. Anita Spring
Office: 451 Grinter
Phone: 392-7102 x:308
Office Hours: T 1-4 pm
Email: aspring.ufl.edu
or springanita@earthlink.net (for attachments)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Culture and International Business explores the opportunities and
challenges of the global economy from both anthropological and business perspectives.
Students will develop a more complete understanding of the complex cultural and economic
issues that determine the success of multinational ventures, from NGO programs in developing
countries to large corporate investments in foreign economies.
Culture and International Business begins with a thorough conceptualization of “business” and
“anthropological” notions of terms like culture, communication, social organization, value,
wealth, trade, and labor. Next it explore the politics of the global market, the role of
entrepreneurship across cultures, the evolution of multinational businesses, and how business,
marketing, and advertising practices vary around the world. The course concludes by examining
some of the more controversial issues in globalization (e.g., wages, the environment), and
inquiring how these are shaped by different concepts of the roles and responsibilities of
governments and corporations. Cross-cultural concepts of gender and how these can affect
international business activities are discussed throughout the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Students are expected to attend all classes and have read the
readings in advance. The following are the course assignments:
1. A team project comparing and contrasting the anthropological and business aspects of
international business.
2. Several short (3-4 page) papers on cases which address the unique business and cultural
issues found in different regions of the world.
3. An individual case project that explores a relevant issue in a country or region of the
student’s choosing.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Ferraro, Gary P. 2002. The Cultural Dimension of International Business. Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Prentice Hall. (Available at Goering’s)
2. Ricks, David A. 1999. Blunders in International Business. 3rd edition. Malden, Massachusetts:
Blackwell Publishers. (Available at Goering’s)
3. Jordan, Ann T. (editor) 1994. Practicing Anthropology in Corporate America: Consulting and
Organizational Culture. Napa Bulletin 14, American Anthropological Association. (Available
from the instructors)
4. Reader of Articles. (Available at Custom Copies)
1
TOPIC 1: Introduction to Basic Concepts
I. Introduction:
Why understanding culture is important in international business
Goals of the course
II. Culture: Anthropological vs. other definitions
Basic anthropological concepts:
Cultural relativity
Business culture
Real and ideal behavior
Corporate culture
Emic vs. etic
Intercultural management
READINGS:
* Ferraro, Chapters 1 and 2.
* Ricks, Chapter 1 pp. 3-9.
* Burkhalter, S. Brian
1989 If Only They Would Listen: The Anthropology of Business and the Business of
Anthropology. In Applying Anthropology: An Introductory Reader. Aaron Podolefsky and Peter
J. Brown, eds. Pp. 165-170. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing.
* McCurdy, David
1998 Using Anthropology. In Applying Cultural Anthropology: Readings. Gary Ferraro, ed.
Pp. 66-72. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing.
* Siwalop, Sana
1989 What’s an Anthropologist Doing in My Office. In Applying Anthropology: An
Introductory Reader. Aaron Podolefsky and Peter J. Brown, eds. Pp. 171-172. Mountain View,
California: Mayfield Publishing.
III. Business: What is a “business”?
Ownership issues in business
Production
The proper role of the state in the economy
Distribution
Public vs. private ownership of the means of
Warehousing
production
Marketing
Market equilibrium allocation of resources
Controls on economic activities or on allocation of value created
Examples of the spectrum: USA, Sweden, Cuba
Recent Developments
VIDEO: “Cultural Awareness in Business”
READINGS:
* Hayek, Frederich
1938 Freedom and the Economic System. Contemporary Review, April:434-442.
* Niehans, Jurg
1990 Karl Marx. In A History of Economic Theory: Classic Contributions, 1720-1980.
Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. PAGES 137-144 ONLY.
2
TOPIC 2: Communication
I. Forms of Communication:
Language
Gender and language
Language diversity
Non-verbal behavior
II. Language and business communication:
Different concepts of the verbalized, written, and body language.
The importance of “face”
VIDEO: “The Cultural Environment of International Business”
READINGS:
* Ferraro, Chapters 3 and 4.
* Ricks, Chapter 1 (pp. 9-15) and Chapter 5
* Harris and Moran, Global Leaders and Communication (in reader)
* Adler, Nancy J. and John L. Graham
1989 Cross-Cultural Interaction: The International Comparison Fallacy? Journal of
International Business Studies (Fall):515-537.
* Ferraro, Gary
1998 The Need for Linguistic Proficiency in Global Business. In Applying Cultural
Anthropology: Readings. Gary Ferraro, ed. Pp. 98-105. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.
* Chen, Ming-Jer
2001 Chapter 7: Never Say “No”: Communicating with the Chinese. In Inside Chinese
Business: A Guide for Managers Worldwide. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
* Nakane, Chris
1974 The Social System Reflected in Interpersonal Communication. In Intercultural
Encounters With Japan: Communication--Contact and Conflict. John C. Condon and Mitsuko
Saito, eds. Pp. 124-131. Tokyo: The Simul Press.
* Earley, P. Christopher
1997 Chapter 3, Pp. 42-55: Face and Social Context. In Face, Harmony, and Social Structure:
An Analysis of Organizational Behavior Across Cultures. New York: Oxford University Press.
3
TOPIC 3: Concepts of “Value” and “Wealth”
I. Value:
Anthropological definitions of “Value”
Temperaments cross-culturally and by gender
Attitudes and ideals cross-culturally
Attitudes toward time, work, wealth, consumption, achievement, change,
and risk
Considerations of gender and culture
Role of the leader
View of life and approach to the world: scientific method, karma, que sera
sera, etc.
Business definitions of “Value”
Creating value, not maximizing “profits” is what counts
The Risk/Return relationship
Cash flows, not accounting net income
Rate of return versus total dollar return
Timing of cash flows
Expected return versus required return
READINGS:
* Ricks, Chapter 6.
* Ferraro, Chapter 5.
* Condon, John C.
1974 The Values Approach to Cultural Patterns of Communication. In Intercultural
Encounters With Japan: Communication--Contact and Conflict. John C. Condon and Mitsuko
Saito, eds. Pp. 124-131. Tokyo: The Simul Press.
* Epstein, Cynthia F.
1988 Chapter 4: It’s All in the Mind: Personality and Social Structure. In Deceptive
Distinctions: Sex, Gender, and Social Order. New Haven: Yale University Press.
* Jain, Uma
2001 Transcending Cultural Boundaries for Human and Organization Development:
Experiences of International Exchanges Between India and the United States. In Handbook of
Organizational Behavior. 2nd edition. Robert T. Golembiewski, ed. Pp. 737-756. New York:
Marcel Dekker.
II. Wealth:
Wealth can mean different things to different people
For whom do businesses create wealth?
Stakeholders
Shareholders
Companies versus governments: are they fungible?
Are government or corporations responsible for addressing social issues?
Globalization debates, the living wage, the environment, etc.
What are the implications of corporate altruism?
4
READINGS:
* Dunning, John H.
1999 Some Paradoxes of the Emerging Global Economy: The Multinational Solution. In
International Business Organization: Subsidiary Management, Entry Strategies, and Emerging
Markets. Fred Burton, Malcolm Chapman, and Adam Cross, eds. Pp. 5-21. New York: St.
Martin’s Press.
* Miller, Janice S., Peter W. Horn, and Luis R. Gomez-Mejia
2001 The High Cost of Low Wages: Does Maquiladora Compensation Reduce Turnover?
Journal of International Business Studies 32(3):585-595.
* Ralston, David A., Nguyen Van Thong, and Nancy K. Napier
1999 A Comparative Study of the Work Values of North and South Vietnamese Managers.
Journal of International Business 30(4):655-673.
5
TOPIC 4: Social Organization of Societies and Businesses
I. Anthropological Concepts of Social Organization and Related terms:
Family and kinship
Networks and Associations
Roles, norms, and achieved versus ascribed status Gender considerations
Societal social organization
Corporate social organization, cross-culturally
Patriarchy and Paternalism: role of company in family life
Status of various occupations
READINGS:
* NAPA Bulletin 14: Organizational Culture: The Anthropological Approach, by Ann Jordan
and Organizational Culture: The Management Approach, by Nancy Morey and Robert Morey.
* Costa, Janeen Arnold
1995 The Social Organization of Consumer Behavior. In Contemporary Marketing and
Consumer Behavior: An Anthropological Sourcebook. John F. Sherry, Jr., ed. Pp. 213-244.
Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
II. Corporate Social Organization:
What is so special about the modern corporation?
Forms of business organization
What the modern corporation does
How the modern corporation differs from the 19th century corporation
READINGS:
* Adler, Nancy J. and Dafna N. Izraeli
1994 Where in the World Are the Women Executives?. Business Quarterly 59(1):89-94.
* Issac, Robert G. and Douglass C. Pitt
2001 Organization Culture: It’s Alive! It’s Alive! But There’s No Fixed Address!. In
Handbook of Organizational Behavior. 2nd edition. Robert T. Golembiewski, ed. Pp. 113-144.
New York: Marcel Dekker.
*Kilduff, Martin
2001 Hegemonic Masculinity and Organizational Behavior. In Handbook of Organizational
Behavior. 2nd edition. Robert T. Golembiewski, ed. Pp. 599-608. New York: Marcel Dekker.
III. Religion and Society:
Religion and Values
Religion and economic development, business
Islamic prohibitions on interest and Judeo-Christian concept of interest
Asian Belief Systems
READINGS:
* Chen, Ming-Jer
2001 Chapter 4: Roles and Rules of the Social Fabric. In Inside Chinese Business: A Guide
for Managers Worldwide. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
6
TOPIC 5: Practical and Political Factors in a Global Market
I. Why do people Trade?
Acquire commodities, scarce goods, exotic goods, status goods
Build and nurture alliances
Maintain social relationships
READINGS:
* Brian, Robert
1990 Business Friends. In Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. 7th
edition. James Spradley and David W. McCurdy, eds. Pp. 293-298. New York: HarperCollins
Publishers.
II. Why do Countries Trade?
For many of the same, basic reasons people have always engaged in exchange
Mercantilism
Absolute Advantage
Comparative Advantage
Assumptions of theories of specialization
READINGS:
* Porter, Michael E.
2000 The Competitive Advantage of Nations. In Transnational Management: Text, Cases,
and Readings in Cross-Border Management. 3rd edition. Christopher A. Bartlett and Sumantra
Ghoshal, eds. Pp. 216-239. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
III. Anthropological Considerations of Trans-Cultural Trade:
Influence of policies on economic activities
Legitimized versus non-legitimized power
Policies: Business enablers and constraints
READINGS:
* NAPA Bulletin 14: Practical Implications of Organization Culture Where Americans and
Japanese Work Together, by Jill Kleinberg
* Eames, Elizabeth A.
2000 Navigating Nigerian Bureaucracies. In Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural
Anthropology. 10th edition. James Spradley and David W. McCurdy, eds. Pp. 294-302.
Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
* McCaffey, Janet
1998 Creatively Coping with Crisis: Entrepreneurs in the Second Economy of Zaire (the
Democratic Republic of Congo). In African Entrepreneurship: Theory and Reality. Anita Spring
and Barbara McDade, eds. Pp. 37-50. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
IV. Concepts of Labor and Capital:
First and Third worlds
Multinationals
7
READINGS:
* Fuentes, Annette, and Barbara Ehrenreich
2000 Women in the Global Factory. In Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural
Anthropology. James Spradley and David W. McCurdy, eds. Pp. 164-171. Needham Heights,
Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
* Robbins, Richard H.
2002 Chapter 2. In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Pp. 32-58. Boston: Allyn
& Bacon.
8
TOPIC 6: Entrepreneurship and Business
I. Entrepreneurship:
Definition of Entrepreneurship
Cross-cultural variation
Formal and informal sector; scale and size, characteristics
Local versus global
Gender considerations in entrepreneurship across cultures
READINGS:
* Begley, Thomas M. and Wee-Liang Tan
2001 The Socio-Cultural Environment for Entrepreneurship: A Comparison Between East
Asian and Anglo-Saxon Countries. Journal of International Business Studies 32(3):537-553.
* Coulter, Mary
2000 Chapter 1. In Entrepreneurship in Action. Pp. 2-32. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
* Gattiker, Urs E. and John Parm Ulhoi
2001 Entrepreneurial Phenomena in a Cross-National Context. In Handbook of
Organizational Behavior. 2nd edition. Robert T. Golembiewski, ed. Pp. 389-414. New York:
Marcel Dekker.
* Spring, Anita and Barbara McDade
1998 Entrepreneurship in Africa: Traditional and Contemporary Paradigms. In African
Entrepreneurship: Theory and Reality. Anita Spring and Barbara McDade, eds. Pp. 1-36.
Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
* Spring, 2002: Gender and the Range of African Entrepreneurial Strategies: The “Typical” and
the “New” women Entrepreneurs. In African and African American Business: Historical and
Contemporary Perspectives. Alucine Jalloh and Toyin Falola, eds. Rochester: University of
Rochester Press. (In Press)
9
TOPIC 7: The Evolution of Multinational Businesses
I. Traditional and Modern Corporations:
Evolution of Western Corporations
What a modern corporation does
Forms of business organization
Non-western corporations, past and present
READINGS:
* Hofsteade, Geert
1980 Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad?.
Organizational Dynamics (Summer):42-63.
* Perlmutter, Howard V.
2000 The Tortuous Evolution of the Multinational Corporation. In Transnational
Management: Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management. 3rd edition. Christopher
A. Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal, eds. Pp. 73-82. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
II. Why the rise of multinational enterprises?
Product life cycle
Internalization
Value chain management
READINGS:
* Ricks, Chapters 7 and 8.
* ADDITIONAL READINGS ON MULTINATIONALISM (Tourism, Baby Formula) TO BE
ADDED SOON.
10
TOPIC 8: How Business Practices, Marketing, and Advertising Vary Across Cultures
I. Business Practices:
Structure of corporations in other cultures
Decision-making in other cultures
Management practices in other cultures
Performance evaluations in other cultures
READINGS:
* Ricks, Chapter 2.
* Fadiman, Jeffery A.
2000 Chapters 4, 5, and 9. In South Africa’s ‘Black’ Market: How to Do Business with
Africans. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press.
* Reeves-Ellington, Richard H.
1995 Anthropology and Total Quality Management: Improving Sales Force Performance in
Overseas Markets. In Contemporary Marketing and Consumer Behavior: An Anthropological
Sourcebook. John F. Sherry, Jr., ed. Pp. 169-208. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
II. Marketing and Advertising
Considerations of culture and gender
Marketing to urban and rural/peasant markets
READINGS:
* Ricks, Chapters 3 and 4.
* Arnould, Eric J.
1995 West African Marketing Channels: Environmental Duress, Relationship Management,
and Implications for Western Marketing. In Contemporary Marketing and Consumer Behavior:
An Anthropological Sourcebook. John F. Sherry, Jr., ed. Pp. 109-161. Thousand Oaks,
California: Sage Publications.
* Van Rij, Jeanne
1998 Trends, Symbols, and Brand Power in Global Markets: The Business Anthropology
Approach. In Applying Cultural Anthropology: Readings. Gary Ferraro, ed. Pp. 110-115.
Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing.
* Gladwell, Malcolm
2000 Listening to Khakis: What America’s Most Popular Pants Tell Us about the Way Guys
Think. In The Gender and Consumer Culture Reader. Jennifer Scanlon, ed. Pp. 179-191. New
York: New York University Press.
* Robbins, Richard H.
2002 Chapter 1. In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Pp. 1-31. Boston: Allyn
& Bacon.
* Sherry Jr., John F.
1995 Marketing and Consumer Behavior: Into the Field. In Contemporary Marketing and
Consumer Behavior: An Anthropological Sourcebook. John F. Sherry, Jr., ed. Pp. 3-44.
Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
* Weems, Robert E.
2000 Consumerism and the Construction of the Black Female Identity. In The Gender and
Consumer Culture Reader. Jennifer Scanlon, ed. Pp. 179-191. New York: New York University
Press.
11
TOPIC 9: Issues in Globalization:
Global level, country level, and multinational corporations
The development cycle: Can countries skip stages of economic development?
Economic power
Political power
Sovereignty
Dependency
Comparative Advantage
READINGS:
* NAPA Bulletin 14: The Bridges Process: Enhancing Organizational Cultures to Support
Diversity, by S. Kanu Kogod.
* Christmann, Petra and Glen Taylor
2001 Globalization and the Environment: Determinants of Firm Self-Regulation in China.
Journal of International Business Studies 32(3): 439-458.
* Giovannini, Maureen J. and Lynne M. H. Rosansky
1990 Anthropology and Management Consulting: Forging a New Alliance (pages 1-31).
NAPA Bulletin 9, American Anthropological Association.
* Harris, Marvin
1987 Chapter 6. In The Sacred Cow and the Abominable Pig. New York: Touchstone.
* McPhail, Kathryn and Aidan Davy
1998 Chapters 1-3. In Integrating Social Concerns Into Private Sector Decision Making: A
Review of Corporate Practices in the Mining, Oil, and Gas Sectors. World Bank Discussion
Paper, 384. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
* Reeves-Ellington, Richard H.
1994 Corporation Anthropologists at Work in the Third World. In What Can Multinationals
Do for Peasants?. V. Sutlive and T. Hamada, eds. Pp. 219-255. Studies in Third World Societies
Publication Number 49. Williamsburg: College of William and Mary.
* Robbins, Richard H.
2002 Chapter 7. In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Pp. 194-220. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon.
12
CASE STUDIES
Additional cases may be added depending on student interest
COURSE READINGS RELATED TO AFRICA:
* Arnould, Eric J.
1995 West African Marketing Channels: Environmental Duress, Relationship Management,
and Implications for Western Marketing. In Contemporary Marketing and Consumer Behavior:
An Anthropological Sourcebook. John F. Sherry, Jr., ed. Pp. 109-161. Thousand Oaks,
California: Sage Publications.
* Eames, Elizabeth A.
2000 Navigating Nigerian Bureaucracies. In Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural
Anthropology. 10th edition. James Spradley and David W. McCurdy, eds. Pp. 294-302.
Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
* Fadiman, Jeffery A.
2000 Chapters 4, 5, and 9. In South Africa’s ‘Black’ Market: how to Do Business with
Africans. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press.
* Kuada, John, and Olav Jull Sorensen
2000 Chapter 7. In Internationalization of Companies from Developing Countries. New
York: International Business Press.
* McCaffey, Janet
1998 Creatively Coping with Crisis: Entrepreneurs in the Second Economy of Zaire (the
Democratic Republic of Congo). In African Entrepreneurship: Theory and Reality. Anita Spring
and Barbara McDade, eds. Pp. 37-50. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
* Spring, Anita
1998 Entrepreneurship in Africa: Traditional and Contemporary Paradigms. In African
Entrepreneurship: Theory and Reality. Anita Spring and Barbara McDade, eds. Pp. 1-36.
Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
* Spring 2002: Gender and the Range of African Entrepreneurial Strategies: The “Typical” and
the “New” women Entrepreneurs. In African and African American Business: Historical and
Contemporary Perspectives. Alucine Jalloh and Toyin Falola, eds. Rochester: University of
Rochester Press. (In Press)
COURSE READINGS RELATED TO ASIA
* Begley, Thomas M. and Wee-Liang Tan
2001 The Socio-Cultural Environment for Entrepreneurship: A Comparison Between East
Asian and Anglo-Saxon Countries. Journal of International Business Studies 32(3):537-553.
* Chen, Ming-Jer
2001 Chapter 4: Roles and Rules of the Social Fabric. In Inside Chinese Business: A Guide
for Managers Worldwide. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
* Chen Chapter 7: Never Say “No”: Communicating with the Chinese. In Inside Chinese
Business: A Guide for Managers Worldwide. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
* Christmann, Petra and Glen Taylor
2001 Globalization and the Environment: Determinants of Firm Self-Regulation in China.
Journal of International Business Studies 32(3): 439-458.
* Condon, John C.
13
1974 The Values Approach to Cultural Patterns of Communication. In Intercultural
Encounters With Japan: Communication--Contact and Conflict. John C. Condon and Mitsuko
Saito, eds. Pp. 124-131. Tokyo: The Simul Press.
* Earley, P. Christopher
1997 Chapter 3, Pp. 42-55: Face and Social Context. In Face, Harmony, and Social Structure:
An Analysis of Organizational Behavior Across Cultures. New York: Oxford University Press.
* Jain, Uma
2001 Transcending Cultural Boundaries for Human and Organization Development:
Experiences of International Exchanges Between India and the United States. In Handbook of
Organizational Behavior. 2nd edition. Robert T. Golembiewski, ed. Pp. 737-756. New York:
Marcel Dekker.
* Nakane, Chris
1974 The Social System Reflected in Interpersonal Communication. In Intercultural
Encounters With Japan: Communication--Contact and Conflict. John C. Condon and Mitsuko
Saito, eds. Pp. 124-131. Tokyo: The Simul Press.
* NAPA Bulletin 14: Practical Implications of Organization Culture Where Americans and
Japanese Work Together, by Jill Kleinberg
* Ralston, David A., Nguyen Van Thong, and Nancy K. Napier
1999 A Comparative Study of the Work Values of North and South Vietnamese Managers.
Journal of International Business 30(4):655-673.
* Reeves-Ellington, Richard H.
1995 Anthropology and Total Quality Management: Improving Sales Force Performance in
Overseas Markets. In Contemporary Marketing and Consumer Behavior: An Anthropological
Sourcebook. John F. Sherry, Jr., ed. Pp. 169-208. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
COURSE READINGS RELATED TO LATIN AMERICA
* Miller, Janice S., Peter W. Horn, and Luis R. Gomez-Mejia
2001 The High Cost of Low Wages: Does Maquiladora Compensation Reduce Turnover?
Journal of International Business Studies 32(3): 585-595.
COURSE READINGS RELATED TO EUROPE
* Begley, Thomas M. and Wee-Liang Tan
2001 The Socio-Cultural Environment for Entrepreneurship: A Comparison Between East
Asian and Anglo-Saxon Countries. Journal of International Business Studies 32(3):537-553.
14