| 摘要: | As technologies continue to shrink the world, more and more products and
services can be marketed globally. This implies that an important characteristic of
culture will not limit the global research of companies that eager to expand their
operations into international markets. The fact that there is a global market for a
firm does not mean that they can access the market in different countries identically.
Cultural sensitivity to differences spells the difference between global success and
failure (Keegan, 2002). Therefore, companies make crucial decisions, such as those
associated with global operations, which decisions are influenced not only by tangible
factors, but also by less obvious, but no less important factors such as national cultural
values (Bearden, et al., 2006).
Specially, today’s multinational managers face an environment that is drastically
different from the environment that multinational managers faced in the past. To
understand the many national cultures in which the company operates, managers need
to be able to compare their own cultures with those of other countries. It serves an
important role as a basis for extensive research on cross-cultural management. This
does not suggest, however, that these companies can ignore cultural factors.
House et al. (1997) and substantial empirical evidences mentioned that leader
attributes, behavior, status, and influence vary considerably as a result of culturally
unique forces in the countries or regions in which the leaders functions. From a
practical viewpoint, because the meaning of specific leadership actions and behaviors
are influenced by the cultural context, we need more information to helps leaders
practice everyday leadership (Smith, 1997). Global managers who want to work
effectively across continents and cultures still require specific cultural information to
lead successfully (House, et al., 2004). The knowledge of national culture values
and associated leadership profiles can assist global managers enact effective
management practices. Specially, today’s multinational managers face an
environment that is drastically different from the environment that multinational
managers faced in the past. To understand the many national cultures in which the
company operates, managers need to be able to compare their own cultures with those
of other countries.
National culture remains a major focus in the international business literature.
A research of the Social Science Citation Index reveals that, from 1987 to 2004,
Hofstede’s Culture’s Consequences (1980, 2001) were cited nearly as frequently
(2858 citations)( Bearden, 2006).
The Rough Set Theory method is useful for exploring data patterns because of its
ability to search through a multi-dimensional data space and determine the relative
importance of each attributes with respect to its output. The major purpose of this
study is to examine the relationship between national culture and organizational
leadership by using Rough Set Theory method. |
