Cultural distance revisited: Towards a more rigorous conceptualization and measurement of cultural differences

Cultural distance is a widely used construct in international business, where it has been applied to foreign investment expansion, entry mode choice, and the performance of foreign invested affiliates, among others. The present paper presents a critical review of the cultural distance construct, out...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of international business studies 2012-01, Vol.43 (1), p.1-11
Main Author: Shenkar, Oded
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
2011 DECADE AWARD WINNING ARTICLE
Affiliates
Business
Business and Management
Business Strategy/Leadership
Business structures
Conceptualization
Corporate culture
Costs
Cultural differences
Cultural differentiation
Culture
Expatriates
Foreign direct investment
Foreign investment
Foreign investments
International Business
International investment
Japanese culture
Joint ventures
Literature
Management
Management science
Market entry
Multinational corporations
Organization
Transaction costs
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cultural distance is a widely used construct in international business, where it has been applied to foreign investment expansion, entry mode choice, and the performance of foreign invested affiliates, among others. The present paper presents a critical review of the cultural distance construct, outlining its hidden assumptions and challenging its theoretical and methodological properties. A comprehensive framework for the treatment of the construct is developed and concrete steps aimed at enhancing rigor are delineated.
ISSN:0047-2506
1478-6990
DOI:10.1057/jibs.2011.40