Preface
This book is aimed at demonstrating how the theory and insights of cultural anthropology
can positively influence the conduct of international business. To date, anthropologists
have given embarrassingly little attention to this subject, and writers in the field of
international management and marketing, although acknowledging the importance of
the cultural dimension, have dealt with it in a cursory and anecdotal fashion. This bookwhich
explores the contributions that cultural anthropology can make to the more effective
and humane conduct of international business--can serve the interests of both the
international business community and the discipline of anthropology, which is continually
searching for new, nonacademic environments in which to make practical contributions.
Specifically, the book takes a fourfold approach to understanding the cultural
dimension of international business.
I. Culture-General Approach: Making the Connections between
Anthropological Theory (Generalizations) and International Business
Chapter 2 provides an in-depth look at the concept of culture, what generalizations
hold true for all cultures of the world, and the implications of those generalizations
for international business. This chapter is predicated on the notion that it is
impossible for anyone to master all of the specific cultural facts about the thousands
of cultures found in the world today. Thus, a more conceptual approach is needed. The
chapter begins with various definitions of the culture concept, followed by some important
generalizations that can be usefully applied to any cross-cultural situation. The
importance of these cultural generalizations for the conduct of international business
is then discussed.