Chapter 5 Culture, Management Style, and Business Systems 141 2000 2010 United Kingdom Canada Germany Netherlands Japan Norway United States S. Korea Mexico Italy 1700 1775 1473 1435 1821 1455 1814 2512 1888 1861 1647 1702 1419 1377 1733 1414 1778 2193 1866 1778 a sense of purpose—derives from company loyalty and frequently results in the Japanese employee maintaining identity with the corporation. Although this notion continues to be true for the majority, strong evidence indicates that the faltering Japanese economy has affected career advancement patterns25 and has moved the position of the Japanese “salary man” from that of one of Japan’s business elite to one of some derision. Japan’s business culture is gradually shifting away from the lifelong employment that led to intense com-pany loyalty. Now even Japanese formality at the office is bowing to higher oil prices; ties and buttoned collars are being shed to leave air-conditioning thermostats set at 82 degrees. We can get some measure of the work–personal life trade-off made in different cul-tures with reference to Exhibit 5.1. As a point of reference, 40 hours per week times 50 weeks equals 2,000 hours. The Americans appear to be in the middle of hours worked, far above the northern Europeans26 and way below the South Koreans. Most Americans are getting about two weeks of paid vacation, while in Europe they are taking between four and six weeks! In South Korea and other Asian nations, Saturday is a workday. Although we do not list the numbers for China, the new pressures of free enterprise are adding hours and stress there as well. However, the scariest datum isn’t in the table. Even though hours worked in the United States have decreased in the past five years, Americans still work 20 hours more per year than they did in 1990, with 40 percent of Americans leaving vacation days unused.27 Trends show that those with more education actually enjoy less leisure time than the educated.28 Thank you Max Weber! We wonder: How will things be in 2020? Affiliation and Social Acceptance. In some countries, acceptance by neighbors and fellow workers appears to be a predominant goal within business. The Asian outlook is reflected in the group decision making so important in Japan, and the Japanese place high importance on fitting in with their group. Group identification is so strong in Japan that when a worker is asked what he does for a living, he generally answers by telling you he works for Sumitomo or Mitsubishi or Matsushita, rather than that he is a chauffeur, an engineer, or a chemist. Indeed, Mitsubishi has a corporate mausoleum, where employees’ ashes may rest with those of colleagues, extending company loyalty from cradle to grave—and beyond! Power and Achievement. Although there is some power seeking by business man-agers throughout the world, power seems to be a more important motivating force in South American countries. In these countries, many business leaders are not only profit oriented but also use their business positions to become social and political leaders. Related, but different, are the motivations for achievement also identified by management researchers in the United States. One way to measure achievement is by money in the bank; another is high rank—both aspirations particularly relevant to the United States. Exhibit 5.1 Annual Hours Worked Source: OECD, Labor Market Indicators, 2012. 25George Graen, Ravi Dharwadkar, Rajdeep Grewal, and Mitsuru Wakabayashi, “Japanese Career Progress: An Empirical Examination,” Journal of International Business Studies 37 (2006), pp. 148 – 61. 26The long-standing practice in France, however, of taking Wednesdays off, is increasingly under attack. See “Weird About Wednesday,” The Economist, September 21, 2013. 27“What Makes Americans Skip Vacations?” The New York Times, September 7, 2014, p. 9. 28“Nice Work if You Can Get Out,” The Economist, April 19, 2014, p. 67.
Cateora_InternationalMarketing_17e
To see the actual publication please follow the link above