1. Explain the idea of cultural dimensions in your own words.

- The idea behind cultural dimensions is the description and possibility to compare any
country based on 5 traits which are power distance, individualism vs. collectivism,
masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, indulgence and long term
orientation.
- Power distance implies the degree to which less powerful members of a country's
institutions and organizations expect and tolerate unequal power distribution.
- Individualism vs. collectivism is a variable used to establish whether a society forms
strong groups where individuals protect each other with unquestioned loyalty
(collectivism) or the societal ties are more loose (individualism).
- Femininity vs. masculinity indicates whether people are motivated by a desire to be
the best (masculine) or by a desire to enjoy what they do (Feminine).
- Uncertainty avoidance reflects the degree to which people of a society are threatened
by ambiguous or uncertain events and have developed beliefs and institutions to
prevent them.
- Indulgence establishes the amount to which people attempt to exert control over their
desires and impulses
- Long term orientation how every community must preserve some ties to its own past
while dealing with present and future difficulties

2. Use the Hofstede Insights website (link below) to explore the ranking of different countries
in different dimensions of culture.
--> Select 3 different countries.
--> Select countries from different cultural area and the same cultural are. Take a screenshot
of the bar chart created by the countries you selected and attach it to your own doc file.
--> Get to know the dimensions of culture and choose the two that you will analyze in more
detail. Write a short analysis on both dimensions.
For this assignment I picked 3 countries which are Moldova, Russia and Finland. All three

countries are strongly tied to my life - I was raised in Russia, but my family is originally from

Moldova and one year ago I moved to Finland due to my studies. By looking at the bar chart

we can see that the indications of cultural dimensions are almost identical for Russia and

Moldova. Personally, I was not surprised by such resulta and they can be easily explained by

taking into account the fact that Russia and Moldova used to constitute a state called the

USSR. Thus, the same cultural backgrounds that imply conservatism, high power distance,

authoritarianism, collectivism and unwillingness to accept changes. On the contrary Finland

is really different from the post soviet countries despite the fact that it’s geographically close

to the Russian Federation. According to the given chart, the indications of cultural

dimensions in the Finnish society are purely polar to Russian and Moldovan ones. From my

point of view, this finding can be attributed to the fact that over the last century Finland was

forming as an independent state based on democracy and liberal values compared to their

eastern neighbours.

I also would like to take a closer look at two cultural dimensions called Individualism vs.

Collectivism and masculinity vs. femininity. Considering collectivism, Russian and

Moldovan Societies demonstrate an early integration and a close commitment to a strong,

cohesive ‘in-group'. These cultures promote strong interpersonal interactions in which

everyone takes responsibility for and protects their fellow members. Most other cultural

standards are rooted in loyalty. Offense results in humiliation and the loss of face in these

civilizations, while reputation is a subject of paramount importance. Once again, the reason

for this can be found in the fact of mutual past for both countries. The Soviet Union was a

country entirely based on collectivism values and they were highly promoted throughout th4e

existence of the state. On the contrast, Finland features a strong desire for a social structure
in which people are simply required to care for themselves and their close relatives Offense

generates shame and a loss of self-esteem in individualist driven societies like Finland, the

employer/employee relationship is a contract based on mutual benefit, hiring and promotion

choices are meant to be based only on advantage and management is the management of

individuals.

Regarding feminine vs. masculinity, Finland scores 26 on this dimension and is thus

considered a Feminine society. Hence, in Finnish society the focus is on “working in order to

live”, managers strive for consensus, people value equality, solidarity and quality in their

working lives. Conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation. Incentives such as free

time and flexibility are favoured. Focus is on well-being, status is not shown. An effective

manager is a supportive one, and decision making is achieved through involvement. Whilst

Russia and Moldova score relatively low on this dimension indicating that it is a somewhat

feminine culture. This means that society is guided by a sense of humility and justice. Thus,

in these cultures, people place a high priority on equality, solidarity, and excellence in their

labor. Conflicts may be dangerous because they jeopardize everyone's well-being; they are

addressed via compromise and discussion.