National Cultures 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 eco-nomy 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 environ-ment. The three levels of analysis - culture in its environment, on an organizational and individual level - are treated separately and con-secutively, 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.