The first cultural difference between Ian Kennedy and Mr.

Abdullah is that both of

them have two different time systems. Mr. Ian has a monochromic time system,
which means that he likes doing one thing at a time, at that thing has to be done
at the exact time it was scheduled. This time system is very common in Western
countries, as scheduling is a very important part of the society.
Mr. Abdullah on the other hand has a polychromic time system, which indicates
that he values human interaction over time and material things, according to
Edward Halls theory of cultural factors. In his case, there is a lesser concern for
getting things done they eventually get done, but in their own time. This may
explain why he made Ian wait an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes, because
when the Irish businessman entered the room, it was filled with other men with
whom Mr. Abdullah spent time before the initial meeting, thus proving, that
human interaction is valued over scheduled meetings.
Mr Ian is also used to an universalist dimension, in which people believe that
each circumstance, and each relationship, dictates the rules that they live by.
Their response to a situation may change, based on what's happening in the
moment, and who's involved. Mr Abdullah on the other hand is in a particularist
dimension, in which people believe that each circumstance, and each
relationship, dictates the rules that they live by. Their response to a situation may
change, based on what's happening in the moment, and who's involved. That is
why Mr. Abdullah seems to be more engaged in meaningless small talk rather
than business negotiations with Mr. Ian. The Iranian businessman naturally feels
like he has to please the majority in the given situation, and that are the men in
his room that he has been talking with for some time, rather than Mr. Ian.
Ian is also neutral when it comes to showing emotions, that is why he would like
to talk to Mr. Abdullah in privacy, in order to stick to the point of the meeting. To
do so he is waiting for the other men to leave the room. Mr. Abdullah on the other
hand has an emotional way of expressing his emotions and is carried away by the
atmosphere the men are creating in his room, having a positive attitude about it
and is not bothered by his men in communicating with Mr. Ian about the real
estate.

Both Iran and Ireland score low in the long-term orientation. People in short-term
orientation societies have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth;
they are normative in their thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a
relatively small propensity to save for the future, and a focus on achieving quick
results. So we can say that both want quick results in their own way.
There are a lot of cultural differences between Ireland and Iran. Luckily, one of
the similarities is just that, both are short-term oriented and do not think that
much about the future. They both focus on the present and the past. The same
way Mr. Ian is focused entirely on what he is supposed to do, and that is
negotiate with Mr. Abdullah, the same way the Iranian businessman is to keep the
small-talk and make everyone happy. Same desire, different goals. Mr. Ian should

realize that he is the outsider in this environment, and should just play along. Not
take it too serious that there are a lot of people in the room, as it is a collectivist
environment. Focus on doing what the rest of them are doing until he would
remain alone with Mr. Abdullah and talk about the issues that he wanted to in
privacy. If those are not confidential, then Mr. Ian may as well just talk about
them in front of everyone.

The main difference between Rade and his boss are that Rade comes from an
communitarian country, and that is Yugoslavia, where people believe that the
group is more important than the individual. The group provides help and safety,
in exchange for loyalty. The group always comes before the individual. In this
case, Rades daughter, Lana, is part of his group and he only has the best
intentions for her. He wants to help her in the best way he can and assure her a
good future, and what better way would it be if not work with him? Nepotism
doesnt even go through Rades head when considering doing what he is doing
for Lana.
The boss mentality on the other hand is an individualistic dimension of looking at
the world. People from with this dimension believe in personal freedom and
achievement. They believe that you make your own decisions, and that you must
take care of yourself. That is why, Rades boss, despite seeing that Lana has the
best qualification for this job, sees is at something that would not suit German
norms, and perhaps, the companies image in the eyes of other employees.
When it comes to similarities, both Rades and his boss cultures show a high
uncertainty avoidance score. Countries exhibiting high Uncertainty Avoidance
maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox
behaviour and ideas. In these cultures there is an emotional need for rules (even
if the rules never seem to work) time is money, people have an inner urge to be
busy and work hard, precision and punctuality are the norm, innovation may be
resisted, security is an important element in individual motivation.
Both cultures respect set rules and hard work. The only difference in here is that
in Rades culture it is more than normal to give a helping hand to family/friends.
In the German culture on the other hand, just as mentioned earlier, it is more
about individual achievments.
Rade should accept the fact that these are the norms in individualistic countries
and there is nothing to be upset about. His boss on the other hand should also be
aware of the communitarian attitude that people with eastern European heritage
have, and therefore understand that there should be no thoughts of nepotism or
privileging the family for own benefit.