All countries have their own national culture, with their own norms, beliefs, attitudes, and values. Every organisation in the world also has their own organisational culture, just like any other social group. Because of the increased globalization throughout the world, more companies are becoming multinational corporations. This means that they go through a market entry process when they enter a foreign market. This can lead to their already established organisational culture being affected by the national culture in the foreign country. The effect of national culture on organisations is a well-researched area. However, the research on how the organisational culture is affected by national culture as an organisation goes through international market entry leaves much to be discovered.  The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how, and if the organisational culture of Swedish organisations is affected by national culture when they establish themselves on the United States market. It was also investigated how Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture can aid in the explanation of the potential organisational culture change, and if the index scores of the five dimensions for Sweden and the United States correspond to the differences later indicated by our research. The effect of leadership and market entry strategy on the organisational culture was also investigated. The qualitative data collection in this thesis comes from semi-structured interviews with companies who help Swedish companies in their market entry process, managers of Swedish companies who have established themselves on the United States market, and one human resource manager within a Swedish company which has moved to the United States. This data lays the basis for the results of this study, and we identify themes relevant to the purpose and research question of this study.  The conclusion of this thesis shows that the organisational culture of all the companies we have interviewed has been influenced by national culture to some extent. The factors which are identified to have had the largest impact on the organisational culture of these companies are market entry strategy, leadership, and the newly found themes; culture-carriers and laws and legislation. It is also concluded how Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions within organisational culture are affected by the national culture.  In the conclusion of this thesis, the importance of the cultural knowledge and awareness of the factors which influence organisational culture possessed by managers is emphasised. Practical and theoretical implications are also provided both for organisations and future research.

Cette thèse étudie la phase d’évaluation de la créativité, ses antécédents et ses effets. Dans le premier article, j’étudie l’impact de la culture sur le processus d’évaluation de la créativité, posant la question de la manière dont la créativité est évaluée dans différentes cultures. L’étude inductive des versions française et américaine de Top Chef, un concours destiné aux cuisiniers professionnels, révèle des différences culturelles frappantes à la fois dans les processus d'évaluation et dans la fréquence et la valence des critères. Dans le deuxième chapitre de cette thèse, je tente d'expliquer le mécanisme derrière l'un des prismes majeurs par lequel les évaluateurs forment leur jugement concernant la créativité, à savoir le statut du créateur. Je soutiens que l’effet du statut du créateur sur l’évaluation de sa créativité diffère en fonction de son identité de spécialiste ou de généraliste. J’émets l'hypothèse et obtiens confirmation par une étude empirique longitudinale du contexte de la haute cuisine américaine que le statut du créateur n'est bénéfique à son évaluation de la créativité que lorsque le créateur a une identité de spécialiste. Enfin, dans la troisième partie de cette thèse, je me focalise sur la créativité en équipe et développe un modèle théorique où le processus d'évaluation explique pourquoi les équipes ne sont pas toujours un terrain propice à la créativité. Je propose de distinguer conceptuellement les différents processus d'évaluation et d'étudier leur impact respectif sur la capacité de l'équipe à sélectionner son idée la plus créative en vue de son application. / The objective of the present dissertation is to gain a better understanding of how people assess creativity, and of the antecedents and outcomes of this creativity assessment process. In the first essay, I address the question of how people in different cultures assess creativity. In an inductive study of the French and US versions of Top Chef, a professional chefs’ competition, striking cultural differences emerge both in the moves used at each step of the assessment process and in the frequency and valence of the criteria. In the second part of this dissertation, I focus on the cues upon which evaluators rely to assess creativity. In particular, I disentangle the mechanism underlying the relationship between the creator’s status and the evaluation of his or her creativity. I develop the role of a specialist identity and argue for a complementary effect with the creator’s status. I hypothesize and find evidence that the creator’s status is only beneficial for his creativity evaluation when he has a specialist identity. Finally, in the third part of the dissertation, I focus on team creativity and develop a theoretical model where the assessment process provides an explanation as for why teams are not always the breeding ground for creativity. I propose to conceptually distinguish between different team assessment processes and to explore their respective impact on team’s ability to select its most creative idea for further implementation.

Secteur bancaire en Serbie est souvent vu comme un phénomène de groupe, ce qui peut influencer les individus qui en font partie. La perception individuelle, les valeurs et les pensées sont souvent influencées par le contexte culturel dans lequel nous habitons. Les valeurs représentent un certain type de système qui influence la manière dont nous générons et recevons certaines informations, qui motive nos actions et qui fait que nous adoptons un modèle comportemental. Elles nous différencient d’autres systèmes de valeur. L’étude a pour but d’enquêter sur les effets de la culture nationale sur la perception des salariés dans les banques serbes à l'égard de la qualité du service. L’étude inclue une analyse documentaire de la culture générale, de la culture nationale ainsi que des dimensions culturelles. Elle comprend également la culture des organisations et la qualité du service, tout en explorant des lacunes de la littérature, ce qui préconise la réalisation de recherches plus approfondies. Afin de combler les lacunes, un modèle de recherche a été développé. Ce dernier a illustré une relation possible entre les dimensions de la culture nationale et celles du service bancaire de qualité. Le modèle a été utilisé comme cadre de référence au cours de la recherche sur le terrain. Cette recherche empirique a été menée dans huit banques en Serbie. Les principaux résultats obtenus indiquent qu’il existe une influence majeure de la culture nationale sur la qualité du service bancaire. Aussi, l'étude a révélé que les banques en soi influencent la perception globale qu'a l'employé du service bancaire de qualité. / Culture is often seen as a group phenomenon, which influences individuals in it. The individual’s perception, values and thoughts are often influenced by the cultural context in which they are living in. The values represent certain type of system, which influences how we generate and receive certain information, motivates our actions and behavioral pattern, and differentiate us from the members of other value systems. This study investigates the effect of national culture on the employee’s perception in Serbian banks, towards the service quality. The study includes a literature review about culture in general, national culture and cultural dimensions, organizational culture, service quality, exploring gaps in the literature which calls for further research. In addressing one of the gaps, a research model has been developed, which illustrated the possible relationship between the national culture dimensions and bank’s service quality dimensions. The model has been utilized as framework and guided us during the empirical research. The empirical research was conducted in eight banks in Serbia. The main findings suggest that there is significant influence of national culture on bank’s service quality. Secondly, study found that banks per se have influence on employee’s perception regarding bank’s service quality.

Relationship/collaborative selling, as opposed to traditional, transaction oriented selling, stresses the need to form relationships with prospects and customers across all stages of the buyer-seller relationship (Jolson, 1997). The problem is that applying the relationship selling process to all types of customers may lead to inappropriate interpersonal interaction if the customer's orientation is only short-term in nature (Jackson, 1985a, 1985b). Anderson and Narus (1991) make the point that significant variations within industries (i.e., hotel industry) can exist in the buyer's expectation of working relationships with sellers, from a collaborative relationship desire to a transactional (i.e., discrete) relationship. This study developed and empirically tested a model of international buyer-seller relationships in the hospitality industry. The model analyzed several relationships: 1) the relationship between National Culture (Hofstede, 198oa, 1980b & 1997) and the interpersonal interaction "success" variables (i.e., structural bonding, social bonding, communication content, communication style, and trust) in the buyer-seller relationship (Wilson, 1995); 2) the relationship between the "success" variables and the outcomes of the buyer-seller relationship (i.e., relationship commitment and long-term orientation of the buyer); and 3) the relationship between the level of knowledge of the selling strategy used by the salesperson and the buying preferences of the buyer, as perceived by the salesperson. In addition, each of these relationships was examined in terms of the differences that may exist in base of operation of the salesperson (i.e., North America or Asia). The study specifically focused on the hotel industry salesperson and the relationship he or she has with his or her top account. The cross-cultural differences were captured by use of a sample of salespeople that were based either in North America or Asia. The results of this study showed that the relationship/collaborative selling strategy is not necessarily appropriate for all selling situations, but the salesperson may not be knowledgeable enough of his or her customer's preference for interpersonal interaction to be able to identify that fact. It also indicated that different importance is placed on different "success" variables in the buyer-seller relationship in different bases of operation. Specifically, trust is more important in North America than Asia, but it is still an important factor in both selling environments. It was also concluded that social bonding might be overrated in regards to the top account buyer-seller relationship. The conclusion can be made that more emphasis needs to be placed on the building and maintaining of trust than the need to "build a relationship" through social bonding, at least with the top account. The implications of the study can be applied to the improvement of how sales training is taught on a global basis. / Ph. D.

Yes / This study explores how aspects of perceived national culture affect the information security attitudes and behavior of employees. Data was collected using 19 semi-structured interviews in Ireland and the United States of America (US). The main findings are that US employees in the observed organizations are more inclined to adopt formalized information security policies and procedures than Irish employees, and are also more likely to have higher levels of compliance and lower levels of non-compliance.

A large amount of research has been conducted in order to seek explanations that clarify e-commerce acceptance throughout the world; however, there is a gap in the research as to how e-commerce acceptance is attributable to national culture. Two previous studies (Yoon, 2009), (Capece, et al., 2013) used Hofstede’s five dimensions of national culture in conjunction with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a means to filling this gap with perspectives on low-acceptance populations (China in 2008 and Italy in 2013). The study presented in this paper is a continuation of the previous work, offering a perspective on a high-acceptance population (Sweden). The main research question is about investigating how Swedish e-commerce acceptance is related to national culture, and the answer is sought by probing on the Swedish perspective of e-commerce in the light of the TAM, e-commerce trust, and Hofstede’s five dimensions of national culture in an online survey. The data is analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and compared to the findings of the Chinese and Italian precursors. Furthermore, an attempt is made to explain the contrast between the comparably high e-commerce acceptance in Sweden to the lower degrees of acceptance in China and Italy.

The relation between Culture and Business has caught researchers’ attention long ago; itis not hard to find studies relating to these topics. According to Hofstede et al. (2010, p.18), Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars (2012, p. 8), and Erez and Gati (2004, p. 5),culture can be defined in many levels, for example, organizational culture, and national culture. The field of Business also contains several disciplines, for example, International Business Management, Project Management, and Project Governance. However, not somany studies can be found studying the relation between National Culture and Project Governance; therefore, this study is focused on this relation.This study is designed following a qualitative approach in order to clarify the relation between National Culture and Project Governance Principles. Case studies are used targeting the IT industry of three countries, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan. These cases also contain the classical theory of cultural dimensions from Hofstede. Hofstede’s dimensionsare Power Distance (PDI), Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance(UAI), Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS), Long-term Orientation (LTO), and Indulgencevs. Restraint (IDU). They are applied in this study for distinguishing the differences between countries. This study is also based on the definition of Project GovernancePrinciples from Garland (2009), Klakegg (2008), and Müller et al. (2013). ProjectGovernance Principles are split into two categories as well, hard/ structural principles andsoft/ behaviour principles.In order to clarify the link between National Culture and Project Governance Principles,this thesis’ authors interviewed 19 people, including 10 project managers and 9 experts.All of them have a long experience dealing with Project Management in the three selected countries. Their answers are based on the knowledge and experience of Project Management and Project Governance, as well as their opinions about their own national culture. After analysing the interviews, the authors consider that differences between these three countries in Project Governance and Project Governance Principles do exist. On the other hand, there are also some similar parts, for example, the influence ofcustomers’ orientation and preference. Moreover, respondents, Project Managers and Experts, all mentioned it is also necessary to be aware of the globalized environment, inother words, there is no influence of a single national culture in one country anymore.However, they all admit the importance of their own national culture as well. All these findings from this study encourage further and deeper study in the future.

The aim of this study was to determine a Green approach towards systems development methodologies and to investigate influences that affect the adoption of Green Information Technologies and Green Information Systems in South Africa. A literature review was done in order to determine which empirical is required to achieve the research objectives. The positivistic paradigm was found to be the most suited paradigm for this study. A survey was used as the research method and conducted in South Africa. The data was collected using a questionnaire, after determining that it was the most suited data collection method. The questionnaire was validated using structural equation modelling in order to determine if the data that was collected is valid. The valid data was then evaluated using different statistical methods, such as correlations, t-test, ANOVA tests and Cross-Tabs. The study revealed that the different characteristics of organisations can influence different aspects, such factors that inhibit or motivate the adoption of Green IT and Green IS. Interestingly, characteristics of individuals had no impact. It was also revealed that organisational culture and national culture had an impact on factors that motivate the adoption of Green IT initiatives. / MSc (Computer Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Globalisation has led to a rising need for sustainable efforts, not least in the fast fashion industry which is associated with unsustainable procedures in order to meet consumers’ needs and desires. In the fast fashion industry, collections of ecological fabrics, fair working conditions as well as higher quality are examples of sustainable actions. Additionally, the increasingly globalised world has created a demand to comprehend how the deeply rooted national culture affects consumers in the international fast fashion industry. The main target segment of the fast fashion industry is the Millennial generation and should thereby be further emphasised. The relevance of these topics led to the formulation of following research question: How does national culture affect Millennials’ perception of sustainability and intended buying behaviour in the fast fashion industry? The literature review introduces the five identified themes which are considered relevant in relation to the area of research; the Millennials, sustainability, fast fashion, sustainable consumer behaviour and culture. To finalise the literature review, a conceptual framework is presented which explains the connection between the themes. Furthermore, the thesis adopts a qualitative research method with an abductive approach. Therefore, four cross-cultural focus groups of 28 Millennials with seven different nationalities are conducted. This method is considered the most suitable for this thesis’ research area and purpose. Further, the empirical findings and the analysis are combined into one chapter which creates a discussion between the literature review, especially Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture, and the gathered data. Finally, the conclusion includes the answer to the research question, theoretical and practical implications, limitations and suggestions for further research. The results of this thesis indicate that national culture affects the perception of sustainability and the intended buying behaviour in the fast fashion industry in a complex manner, since the impact of national culture depends on the combination of dimensions. Furthermore, certain dimensions appear to be more dominant and decrease the impact of others.

Since the People's Republic of China opened its market to the rest of the world, an enormous necessity to negotiate with Chinese business partners has arisen. Businessmen from the Czech Republic as well as those from all over the world face Chinese counterparts more and more often. Business relations are becoming deeper and negotiating skills play one of the key roles in the successful process of entering the Chinese market. Good interpersonal relations with Chinese business partners seem to be of great importance for creating and maintaining long-term business relations. This work mainly focuses on fundamental cultural determinants which influence the Chinese business behaviour. The goal of this thesis is to identify the core cultural factors which might cause misunderstandings or even conflicts in cooperation within any Czech-Chinese business negotiation. Through critical interviewing existing relevant literature the author studied specifics of Chinese business behaviour and defined areas requiring further research. According to the analysis of methods being used in managerial research and the aim of the thesis the author designed her own research to explore the above mentioned areas in detail (to identify the key problematic aspects of Czech-Chinese business negotiation process). Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with Czech businessmen and analyzed by using grounded theory. The work provides models of Chinese business negotiation behaviour, points out its specifics and concludes by designing a Czech-Chinese cross-cultural training.