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This 3 page paper discusses briefly the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVEthCul.rtf
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the terms and explains the difference between them. Discussion Well begin with some basic definitions and then expand on that. Cultural relativism arises from the fact that different cultural groups
"think, feel, and act differently" (Hofstede, 1997). There are no scientific standards that would indicate one group is "intrinsically superior or inferior to another," which means that studying various cultures
presupposes that the person conducting the research does so from a "position of cultural relativism" (Hofstede, 1997). That is, the person takes the culture on its own terms, and does
not put his own expectations or ideas of "normalcy" on it (Hofstede, 1997). Such a position "calls for judgment when dealing with groups or societies different from ones own"
(Hofstede, 1997). In this model, information about the cultural differences "should precede judgment and action," since negotiations is "more likely to succeed when the parties concerned understand the reasons for
the differences in viewpoints" between persons of varying cultures (Hofstede, 1997). Cultural ethnocentrism is "the belief that ones own culture is superior to that of other cultures" (Hofstede, 1997).
It is a mechanism of reductionism "that reduces the other way of life to a distorted version of ones own" (Hofstede, 1997). This becomes particularly important when we think about
the fact that many companies are now doing business in a global marketplace. Ethnocentrism is the idea that methods, materials, or ideas that worked in the home country will also
work abroad. Environmental differences are, therefore, ignored" (Hofstede, 1997). Any company that cannot shed its ethnocentric outlook is quite likely to fail. Ethnocentrism has other effects. It causes people to
overlook "factors in business ... because of the obsession with certain cause-effect relationships in ones own country" (Hofstede, 1997). It may also cause the company to focus exclusive only on
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