.

GEOGRHAPHY

Indonesia is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia, lying between the Indian

Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is located in a strategic location astride or along major sea
lanes connecting East Asia, South Asia and Oceania. It is the world's largest island country.
[1]
 Indonesia's various regional cultures have been shaped—although not specifically
determined—by centuries of complex interactions with its physical environment.
It is the largest archipelagic country in the world, extending 5,120 kilometres. According to the
country's Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Indonesia has 17,504 islands  scattered
over both sides of the equator, around 6,000 of which are inhabited.[74] The largest
are Java, Sumatra, Borneo (shared with Brunei and Malaysia), Sulawesi, and New
Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea). Indonesia shares land borders with Malaysia on
Borneo, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea, and East Timor on the island
of Timor, and maritime borders with Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Palau,
and Australia.
 ECONOMY

The economy of Indonesia is the largest in Southeast Asia and is one of the emerging

market economies of the world. Indonesia is a member of G20 and classified as a newly
industrialised country.[22] It is the 16th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the 7th
largest in terms of GDP (PPP). Estimated at US$40 billion in 2019, Indonesia’s Internet
economy is expected to cross the US$130 billion mark by 2025.[23] Indonesia still depends on
domestic market and government budget spending and its ownership of state-owned
enterprises (the central government owns 141 enterprises). The administration of prices of a
range of basic goods (including rice and electricity) also plays a significant role in
Indonesia's market economy. However, since the 1990s, the majority of the economy has been
controlled by individual Indonesians and foreign companies.[24][25][26]
 GEOGRHAPHY

The Republic of Colombia is situated largely in the northwest of South America, with some
territories falling within the boundaries of Central America. It is bordered to the northwest
by Panama; to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru;[1] and it
shares maritime limits with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican
Republic, and Haiti.

Colombia has a land size of 1,138,910 km2 and it is the 25th largest nation in the world and the
fourth-largest country in South America (after Brazil, Argentina, and Peru).[4] Colombia's
population is not evenly distributed, and most of the people live in the mountainous western
portion of the country as well as along the northern coastline; the highest number live in or
near the capital city of Bogotá. The southern and eastern portions of the country are sparsely
inhabited, consisting of tropical rainforest, and inland tropical plains that contain large estates
or large livestock farms, oil and gas production facilities, small farming communities, and
indigenous tribes with their territories. Colombia has the 35th largest Exclusive Economic
Zone of 808,158 km
 ECONOMY

The economy of Colombia is the fourth largest in Latin America as measured by gross

domestic product.[18] Colombia has experienced a historic economic boom over the last decade.
In 1990, Colombia was Latin America's 5th largest economy and had a GDP per capita of only
US$1,500, by 2018 it became the 4th largest in Latin America, and the world's 37th largest

Petroleum is Colombia's main export, making over 45% of Colombia's exports. Manufacturing
makes up nearly 12% of Colombia's exports, and grows at a rate of over 10% a year. Colombia
has the fastest growing information technology industry in the world and has the longest fibre
optic network in Latin America.[19] Colombia also has one of the largest shipbuilding industries in
the world outside Asia.

CULTURE
Colombia's geographical disposition, with the hostility of its terrain and the abrupt

variety of its climate, has always greatly hindered travel and communications,

which has contributed to fostering widespread regionalism. Despite this

regionalism, soccer is the bond that unites Colombian society, also divided into

economic classes. Another celebration that also holds the Colombian people

together is carnival. Carnival occupies a very important place in Colombian culture

and is a highly anticipated party year after year.

Music is an essential part of the culture of Colombia, with a great fondness for

cumbia and vallenato throughout the country. Artists like Shakira have popularized

Colombian music worldwide. Gabriel García Márquez is the most outstanding

figure in Colombian literature, Colombia being the common denominator of all his

literary works. Fernando Botero and his unmistakable and world-renowned style of

the abstract, the greatest exponent of the Colombian art scene.

CULTURE

A cultural element that unites the regional and the national is religion: the

monotheistic principle of Pancasila remains firm. Although Islamism predominates

in Indonesia, in many areas it appears interwoven with traditional customs. Some

territories are Christian or animistic, and Bali practices its own form of Hinduism.
Religion is in daily life: mosques and mushollas (oratories) are always full, and

there are exciting daily Hindu ceremonies in Bali, delighting visitors.

HOFSTEDE DIMENSIONS

POWER DISTANCE:At 67 Colombia scores high on the scale of the PDI, so it is a

society that believes that inequalities amongst people are simply a fact of life. This
inequality is accepted in all layers of society, so a union leader will have a lot of
concentrated power compared to his union management team, and they in turn will
have more power than other union members. A similar phenomenon will be
observed among business leaders and among the highest positions in government.

INDIVIDUALISM: At a score of 13 Colombia is amongst the lowest Individualist

scores; in other words, it lies amongst the most collectivistic cultures in the world,
beaten only by Ecuador, Panama and Guatemala.
Since the Colombians are a highly collectivistic people, belonging to an in-group
and aligning yourself with that group’s opinion is very important. Combined with the
high scores in PDI, this means that groups often have their strong identities tied to
class distinctions. Loyalty to such groups is paramount and often it is through
“corporative” groups that people obtain privileges and benefits which are not to be
found in other cultures. At the same time, conflict is avoided, in order to maintain
group harmony and to save face.

Relationships are more important than attending to the task at hand, and when a
group of people holds an opinion on an issue, they will be joined by all who feel
part of that group. Colombians will often go out of their way to help you if they feel
there is enough attention given to developing a relationship, or if they perceive an
“in-group” connection of some sort, however thin. However, those perceived as
“outsiders” can easily be excluded or considered as “enemies”. The preferred
communication style is context-rich, so public speeches and written documents are
usually extensive and elaborate.

MASCULINITY: At 64 Colombia is a Masculine society – highly success oriented and

driven. Colombians are competitive and status-oriented, yet collectivistic rather
than Individualist. This means that competition is directed towards members of
other groups (or social classes), not towards those who are perceived as members
of your own in-group.
People seek membership in groups which give them status and rewards linked to
performance, but they often sacrifice leisure against work, as long as this is
supported by group membership and by power holders.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE: At 80 Colombia has a high score on Uncertainty

Avoidance which means that as a nation they are seeking mechanisms to avoid
ambiguity. Emotions are openly expressed; there are (extensive) rules for
everything and social conservatism enjoys quite a following. This is also reflected in
religion, which is respected, followed by many and conservative. Rules are not
necessarily followed, however: this depends on the in-group’s opinion, on whether
the group feels the rules are applicable to their members and it depends,
ultimately, on the decision of power holders, who make their own rules. In work
terms this results in detailed planning that may not necessarily be followed in
practice.

LONG TERM ORIENTATION: With a low score of 13, Colombian culture is

classified as normative. People in such 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.

INDULGENCE: Scoring a very high 83 in this dimension, Colombia is shown to be

an Indulgent country. People in societies classified by a high score in Indulgence
generally exhibit a willingness to realise their impulses and desires with regard to
enjoying life and having fun. They possess a positive attitude and have a tendency
towards optimism. In addition, they place a higher degree of importance on leisure
time, act as they please and spend money as they wish.

INDONESIA

POWER DISTANCE: Indonesia scores high on this dimension (score of 78) which
means that the following characterises the Indonesian style: Being dependent on
hierarchy, unequal rights between power holders and non power holders, superiors
in-accessible, leaders are directive, management controls and delegates. Power is
centralized and managers count on the obedience of their team members.
Employees expect to be told what to do and when. Control is expected and
managers are respected for their position. Communication is indirect and negative
feedback hidden. High Power Distance also means that Indonesian co-workers
would expect to be clearly directed by the boss or manager – it is the classic Guru-
Student kind of dynamic that applies to Indonesia. Westerners may be
considerably surprised with the visible, socially acceptable, wide and unequal
disparity between the rich and por.

INDIVIDUALISM: Indonesia, with a low score of (14) is a Collectivist society. This

means there is a high preference for a strongly defined social framework in which
individuals are expected to conform to the ideals of the society and the in-groups to
which they belong. One place this is visible clearly is in the aspect of the Family in
the role of relationships. For example, In Indonesia, if one wishes to marry, it is
important to meet a woman’s family because the family is so important to her. If a
man wants to be taken seriously by a woman, he has to visit the latter’s family and
introduce himself formally to the parents of the girl. It is inappropriate to court a
woman and formalize the relationship without informing the parents of the girl first.
Another example of collectivist culture of Indonesia is in the equation between child
and parent.

MASCULINITY: Indonesia scores (46) on this dimension and is thus considered

low Masculine. While not entirely like most North European countries who are very
low in Masculinity and thus considered Feminine, Indonesia is less Masculine than
some other Asian countries like Japan, China and India. In Indonesia status and
visible symbols of success are important but it is not always material gain that
brings motivation. Often it is the position that a person holds which is more
important to them because of an Indonesian concept called “gengsi” – loosely
translated to be, “outward appearances”. It is important that the “gengsi” be
strongly maintained thereby projecting a different outward appearance aimed at
impressing and creating the aura of status.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE: Indonesia scores (48) on this dimension and thus

has a low preference for avoiding uncertainty. This means that there is a strong
preference in Indonesia toward the Javanese culture of separation of internal self
from external self. When a person is upset, it is habitual for the Indonesian not to
show negative emotion or anger externally. They will keep smiling and be polite, no
matter how angry they are inside. This also means that maintaining work place and
relationship harmony is very important in Indonesia, and no one wishes to be the
transmitter of bad or negative news or feedback. Another aspect of this dimension
can be seen in Conflict resolution.

LONG TERM ORIENTATION: Indonesia’s high score of 62 indicates that it has a

pragmatic culture. In societies with a pragmatic orientation, people believe that
truth depends very much on situation, context and time. They show an ability to
adapt traditions easily to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and
invest, thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results.

INDULGENCE: The low score of 38 in this dimension shows that Indonesia has a
culture of Restraint. Societies with a low score in this dimension have a tendency
to cynicism and pessimism. Also, in contrast to Indulgent societies, Restrained
societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control the gratification of
their desires. People with this orientation have the perception that their actions are
Restrained by social norms and feel that indulging themselves is somewhat wrong.