Global Business Environment
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Chapter 10 : Social and Cultural Environment in Developed Countries
Social and cultural environment in the
United States
Demographic trends and their impact on business in
the USA
Social and cultural environment in Japan
Social class in
Japan
Demographic issues
Other cultural elements and their influence on business
Hofstede’s Analysis for Japan
Social and
cultural environment in Germany
Society and social class, Hofstede’s analysis
Culture and communication in German business
Social and cultural environment in France
Hofstede’s analysis
Culture and communication in France
Social and cultural environment
in the UK
Cultural etiquette and communication
Social and cultural
environment in Canada
Cultural etiquette and communication
Social
and cultural environment in Italy
Characteristics of Italian
culture
Social and cultural environment in Australia
Characteristics of Australian culture
Chapter Summary
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The USA is one of the highly developed countries in the
world. Its society and culture have played an important role in this
development. Some of the salient features of the social and cultural environment
in the USA are its rich ethnic diversity which is a result of continuous
immigration, its aging population, its workforce diversity, its high life
expectancy and low infant mortality rates.
Japanese society and culture have evolved from the days of the feudal lords.
However, some traces of feudal society can still be seen in Japanese business
practices. Japan has the lowest birth rate in the world. But this may lead to
problems in the future as there could be labor shortages. The German society
shows all the traits of a highly industrialized country. |
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It has low marriage rates, delayed marriage and
child-bearing, low fertility rates, small household size, high
divorce rates, and extended life expectancy. Germans are known for
their punctuality. France also has a rich ethnic background. It is
home to people from different ethnic backgrounds such as Celtic,
Latin, Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese and Basque
minorities.
The UK is also the home to different ethnic groups such as the
English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi,
other Asians and those from the Caribbean’s. Canada ranks high in
life expectancy and literacy rates. It recognizes both English and
French as official languages. The ethnic composition of Italy
includes Germans, French, Slovenes, Albanians, Greeks and Italian.
Italy has a high literacy rate of 97% and 98% of the population is
Roman Catholic.
Australia has a significant percentage of Asian population which was
7% in 2003. In the Australian culture, one can see traces of English
culture, the culture of the indigenous people, and that of the
various immigrant communities.
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