China, Mexico & the USA: Entrepreneurial Ethics

Abstract

An introduction into who Geert Hofstede is and the result of the study of cultures he’s cultivated leads us to his 6 dimensional cultural theory as well as an organizational dimension theory. This focus of this paper is to use the 6 dimensional model to compare both Mexico and the United States within the service sector. The 6 dimensions include power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, long term orientation versus short term orientation and indulgence versus restraint. Although the organizational model he’s developed serves to describe cultural behaviors within a business environment, this paper aims to identify the characteristics on a national level and how they translate down to the micro/employee level in the service industry. The maid, the construction worker, the behaviors even at the macroeconomic levels all reveal the characteristics Hofstede identifies within his research. Other examples include public service positions within the government of both countries including the armed forces and the president of Mexico and of the United States (Carraher, 2015). Another implicit example includes the indulgent behaviors common in both countries. All the examples provide proof supporting Hofstede’s 6D cultural theory. On the flipside, both countries consist of regions or areas within each country that are different and thus have their own nuances of culture that have not been identified. Industries or businesses seeking to expand in different areas of each country should be aware that the either country as a whole do not share entirely the exact same social norms or culture and further research would be necessary to investigate areas of interest in business expansion or growth. We also examine the USA and China in terms of ethics.