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Cultural Malleability in an East Asian Context

An Illustration of the Relationship between Government Policy, National Culture, and Firm Behavior

Hong Kong Baptist University

Leonard Karakowsky

York University

Research in cross-cultural management and cultural diversity has often implicitly viewed national culture as a stable, enduring characteristic that can affect individual and organizational behavior. This article draws attention to the utility of considering national culture as a malleable rather than a fixed construct. Based on this conception of national culture, the authors examine the potential impact of culture and cultural change on business strategy. This examination is based on observations of differential business strategy employed among firms in Singapore compared to firms in Hong Kong and Taiwan. These differences, viewed as a reflection of cultural differences, suggest that significant partial changes in national culture can occur in a relatively short period of time. Although much of the previous literature has emphasized the factors of socioeconomic development and technological advancement as sources of influence on cultural change, this article considers the influence of government policies on national culture and business behaviors.

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