The United States And China - 1255 Words

I decided to write my paper on the United States and China. Upon comparing the two countries on the Hofstede s Six Dimensions of Culture, this is the results I got out of it. The first dimesion of culture is the power distance. When I compared the two, the United States was at a 40. China was double that at 80. So what exactly is power distance? Well, it is defined as,†the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. It has to do with the fact that a society’s inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders.†() The next part that was compared was individualism. The United States scored higher in this dimension at 91,†¦show more content†¦Within American organisations, hierarchy is established for convenience, superiors are accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams for their expertise. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is shared frequently. At the same time, communication is informal, direct and participative to a degree. The society is loosely-knit in which the expectation is that people look after themselves and their immediate families only and should not rely (too much) on authorities for support. There is also a high degree of geographical mobility in the United States. Americans are the best joiners in the world; however it is often difficult, especially among men, to develop deep friendships. Americans are accustomed to doing business or interacting with people they don’t know well. Consequently, Americans are not shy about approaching their prospective counterparts in order to obtain or seek information. In the business world, employees are expected to be self-reliant and display initiative. Also, within the exchange-based world of work we see that hiring, promotion and decisions are based on merit or evidence of what one has done or can do. Masculinity A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the â€Å"winner† or â€Å"best-in-the-field†. This value system starts in childhood and continues throughout one’s