Assignment on Australia in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions

Introduction of Australia in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions

Cultural values are the ones that influence the reasoning as well as the perception and as a result, there are number of different people who tend to show different kind of the behavioral patterns that may include like decision making style. All such values are also responsible for the influencing of information processing along with the emotional responses. So the cultural differencing is somehow being reflected by the spending being done by number of different consumers. This study further investigates the cross cultural consumer decision making styles also termed as CDS in the framework of the product purchase by the use of Consumer decision making styles index. Two different kind of the countries have been selected here for this study and they are Australia and the Singapore. Both of these countries are completely appropriate for the study as Singapore is one of those countries that has been dominated by the consumers of the Chinese ethnicity and the percentage is almost 75 and on contrary, Australia is a country that is being dominated by the Anglo-Saxon Ethnicity and the percentage for this is almost 80. (Hofstede, 2009)

Main purpose or aim of this study is to compare and contrast the different kind of decision making styles of the consumers in Singapore as well as the Australia and they are the finest and typical examples of the eastern as well as the western cultures in the region of Asia-pacific. Here we validate that different kind of the similarities as well as the differences lies in both of the cultures of these countries. (Hofstede G. , 2003)

Main body of the Essay of Australia in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions

Australia and Singapore are two famous countries that have their own traditions and they love following them. Here in this part we will be having an outlook and then compare Singapore and Australia in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. French and Raven five forms of the power are listed below,

1. Reward power: for compliance
2. Coercive power: threaten penalties
3. Referent power: respect
4. Legitimate power: formal structures
5. Expert power: knowledge

The coercive power is conveyed through the fear of losing the position, receiving poor performance, threatening others, and having prime projects. The reward power is conveyed by using the strategy of rewarding other individuals and it can compliance the wishes. The process can raise the promotion and take extra time for work. The legitimate power is highly recommended form of power in Australian business and Australian culture. The power is demonstrated by the key members of leadership power. This power can be used to drive the direction of company to overcome the resource needs and company issues. In Australian culture, expert power comes from multiple experiences, knowledge and skills for those who can overcome the issues and it can help in assessing the goals. The project manager is supposed to have high expertise in the challenging problems and it result in ensuring that the project stays on track. There are different possible dimensions of power that are mentioned below,

1. Lukes’ three dimensions of power:
1. First dimension: open conflict
2. Second dimension: suppress open conflict
3. Third dimension: procedural resolution
2. Hardy & Leiba-O’Sullivan:
1. Fourth dimension: in the fabric of the system

Considering the cross cultural analysis there are different patterns to be followed and these patterns include mental programming and thinking with the ongoing experiences. Hofstede’s massive study indicate outcomes of studies with the national culture dimensions and how they are accepted for the business. The high PDI countries accepts and tolerates the comfortable arrangements and low PDI countries on the basis of population face uncomfortable issues with the unequal distribution of activity and power that reduces the efficiency of outcomes.

If we explore Australia and Singapore, for Australia we can get a very good overview of the deep drivers of the Australian culture as compared to the other cultures. While talking about the Singapore, it is a multi-ethnic society having almost 77% ratio of Chinese, Indian almost 6%, Malay to be around 15% and the percentage of Expatriates to be around just 2%. (Hofstede G. , Cultural Dimensions-Country Comparison.  , 2017)

1.      Comparison of power distance in both countries:

This power distance dimension with this fact that each and every individual that lives in the society are not equal at all. It helps in expressing the attitude of the culture towards the different kind of inequalities among all of us. Power distance here can be termed as “A certain extent to which the members that are less powerful of the different organization and institutions within the same country expect and then accept power is being distributed equally to everyone”. (Burson, 2017)

Australia is the country that scores very less for this dimension of power distance like almost 36 in the number. Within the different organization of Australia, Hierarchy is being established to give convenience and superiors are always reachable and then the managers of such organizations completely rely upon the individual employees along with the whole team for their expertise. Managers and employees both of them expect to be consulted and then all of the information is being shared up frequently. At the same moment, way of communication is direct, participative and above all informal.

Coming towards the Singapore, it scores pretty high in this dimension as compared to Australia and the score is around 74. They mostly have a kind of syncretic approach towards their religion, which is one of the dominant approach in a Singapore. One important principle of this Confucian teaching is that society gets stabled and it is based upon the relationships that are almost unlike among people living in that society. Confucius is divided by five of the main relationships and they include, ruler-subject, father and son, older and the younger brother, husband and wife plus last one is senior and the junior friend. Power here in this country is considered to be centralized and managers here rely completely upon their boss and the rules which they have made. Employees here are expected to do what they have been asked to do. Control here is being expected and the attitude the manager is not kind of the Australia but here it is formal. Way of communication is indirect and the flow of information is also selective. (KANG, 2019)

2.      Comparison of Individualism in both countries:

Australia here scores around 90 in this state of dimension and is also considered as the highly individualist culture as well. This further translates towards the loosely-knit society where the expectation is people start looking after themselves along with their families as well. In such a world of business where everyone wants to have their organization successful and famous, employees are expected by the organizations to be the display initiative along with the self-reliant as well. Along with the exchange based world of the work, hiring of the employees and then their promotions things or decisions are based upon the merit or on the capabilities of an individual that what a person is capable of doing or what a person can do in the future by seeing their abilities. These are small things but I believe that they do matter a lot and carries great value. So one needs to do as much of the hard work as possible to make their position pretty strong. (Price-Robertson, 2017)

Singapore in this dimension is pretty back as compared to Australia and its score is just 20 as a collectivistic society. Here it means that the word “WE” is pretty important and it also needs to be taken seriously. There are different people who belongs to different kind of the groups like families or clans of an organization who take care of one another in the return for loyalty. Here second key principle of the Confucian teaching can be seen or considered, Family is a kind of prototype for all of the social organizations. Any person is not individual but many other people are being connected with that individual in some way or the other. Children of the family need to learn that they have to restrain themselves due to some reasons and they are, to overcome the individuality just for the maintenance of the harmony in the whole family. Harmony is only being found out when everybody living in the family saves their face in terms of the dignity, prestige as well as the self-respect. Social relations also need to be conducted in such a way everybody is capable of saving their face no matter what. Now saving face here means to give respect to the other person. Way of communication here is completely indirect and harmony of the whole group needs to be maintained no matter what. Effort also needs to be done to avoid the conflicts. Everyone in this world needs to be respected and they should be given respect no matter what and especially being a manager it is very essential that he or she gives proper respect to their employees and treat them equally no matter what. Employees when are being treated in a mannerly way they start behaving more passionately and become more motivated in completing their tasks or the given projects. So this things is much helpful and it needs to be taken seriously by all means. Justice, equality and giving respect seems small things but in whole they become really big and increases the confidence level of an employee as well as an individual too.  (Minkov, 2017)

3.      Comparison of Masculinity between both of the countries:

A high score in the Masculinity dimension shows that the society will definitely be driven through the competition, then achievement and lastly the level of success that has been achieved from that competition. This is the value of a system that gets initiated from the school life of an individual and then keeps on going with an individual for the rest of their life. A feminine society is the one where a quality of life is a key or sign of the level of success and standing in the whole crowd is not considered to be admirable at all. Here one of the fundamental issue is that what motivates the people, wanting them to have the best (Masculine) or even like doing what is in their minds or one wants to do (Feminine).

Australia here in this dimension scores around 61 and is also considered to be the Masculine society. Behavior that is being done in the school, work and then in the play areas completely relies upon the shared values which people need to strive to be one of the best which they can be and then which the winner takes all of it. People living in Australia are much proud of their success and the achievements which they have achieved in their life and it also helps in offering a basis for the training as well as the promotion decisions in the whole workplace. Conflicts are being solved out at the level of an individual and then their goal is to win. (Palmer, 2020)

Singapore here again is a few scores back in this dimension as compared to the Australia, score of Singapore in this dimension is 48 and it is the middle of a scale but still it is more towards the feminine side. Here it means that the softer aspect of the complete culture of this country like getting in level with the others, different consensus and then sympathy for the underdog has been values as well as encouraged. To be seen as a modest and humble, it is a very important thing. Conflicts are being avoided completely in the private life as well as the work life too and then the consensus at the end is very essential (Brooke, 2017). During different kind of the discussions, being cautious is very important and one should not to be persistent. Community need to support one another and respect should be given to every individual equally because this makes society a much better place to live where everyone enjoys. (Wye, 2019)

Conclusion of Australia in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions

We have analyzed two different countries, Australia and the Singapore and their some important dimensions based one the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. After analyzing I have seen that at some places different of the score was much but at some places the difference was very mild but every country has their own ways and traditions which they like to follow and no one can change them all of a sudden. This study is very much essential as it has given the exact score of different dimensions that has been discussed above. Still I believe these countries can make much more effort to make their score level even better by implementing different strategies which they find suitable for them according to their culture and needs of the people living in that country.

References of Australia in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions:

Brooke, M. (2017). Masculinity in Singapore: the residual culture of the Chinese martial artist. Sport in Society,. 20(9), 1297-1309.

Burson, J. R. (2017). CROSS CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN AUSTRALIA, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. . Institute for Global Business Research, Nashville, .

Hofstede, G. (2003). Cultural dimensions. www. geert-hofstede. com, consulta, 13.

Hofstede, G. (2009). Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions.  .

Hofstede, G. (2017). Cultural Dimensions-Country Comparison.  .

Hofstede, G. (2017). Cultural Dimensions-Country Comparison.  .

KANG, J. P. (2019). Transformational leadership and follower risk-taking: Examining the effects of psychological safety and power distance orientation.  .

Minkov, M. D. (2017). A revision of Hofstede’s individualism-collectivism dimension. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management.

Palmer, C. C. (2020). Male primary school teachers, masculinity and identity work in regional Australia. Sport, Education and Society,. 25(3), 261-273.

Price-Robertson, R. O. (2017). Relational recovery: beyond individualism in the recovery approach. Advances in Mental Health, 15(2), 108-120.

Wye, C. C. (2019). The air-conditioned man: the construction of masculinity in Singapore school choirs.