Cultural regions of Canada and United States

Abstract

We consider why international business research comparing values, attitudes, and behaviors of managers from the United States and Canada shows conflicting results about cultural differences and similarities between these two nations. We argue that one reason behind these inconsistent findings is the presence of intranational subcultural regions in these nations. The second reason is that the variable(s) under scrutiny influence the generalizability of research findings. Employing Lenartowicz and Roth's (1999) framework for culture assessment, theories of cultural evolution and maintenance, and data from the World Values Survey, we test the distinctiveness of subcultural regions in the United States and Canada, at both the individual level and the regional level of analysis. Results support our hypothesized arguments.

Cultural Value Dimensions and Ethnicity within Kenya

“…Cultural research has been explored through examination of values at one of two levels: The individual-level (Rokeach, 1936 as reported in Schwartz, 1994) and the societal-level (Hofstede, 1980;House et al, 2004), while other researchers have undertaken cultural research by examining attitudes practices and tastes of participants (Dheer, Lenartowicz, Peterson, & Petrescu, 2015). The individual-level approach measures goals deemed important by individuals as a proxy variable for espoused values (Schwartz, 1992), while the societal-level approach aggregates individual values to the societal level (Rokeach, 1936).…”

“…Environmental factors influence the kind of activities that societal members engage in and the traditions practiced within a certain geographic region, leading to formation of distinct cultural groups within geographic regions (Dheer, Lenartowicz, Peterson, & Petrescu, 2015). The social identity, social categorization, and functional theories capture the essence by which distinct cultures evolve either at a societal (national), sub-cultural, or organizational level (Yoo, Donthu, & Lenartowicz, 2011).…”

“…Dheer, Lenartowicz, Peterson, and Petrescu (2015) posited that organizations can utilize similar practices such as "employee selection, training procedures, compensation, performance appraisals, organizational structure, hierarchical relations, ethical decision making, (and) competitive versus cooperative strategies" (p. 345) in societies that share similar cultural perspectives. This study will aid organizations by portraying the homogeneity or heterogeneity of Kenyan ethnic communities; thus, enabling corporations to identify the most effective management approaches to utilize.…”

“…This study will aid corporations identify communities' preferred messaging level based on each society's individualism/collectivist score, consequently ensuring effective formulation of marketing strategies. Dheer, Lenartowicz, Peterson, and Petrescu (2015) clustered the U.S.A. and Canadian populations into nine cultural groups and then validated the existence of these cultural groups using Lenartowicz and Roth's (1999) intra-regional cultural assessment framework. Dheer et al (2015) used Inglehart (1997 and Inglehart and Baker's (2000) three values and three attitudes commonly used to measure cultural perspectives to measure culture at the individual level.…”

“…Dheer, Lenartowicz, Peterson, and Petrescu (2015) clustered the U.S.A. and Canadian populations into nine cultural groups and then validated the existence of these cultural groups using Lenartowicz and Roth's (1999) intra-regional cultural assessment framework. Dheer et al (2015) used Inglehart (1997 and Inglehart and Baker's (2000) three values and three attitudes commonly used to measure cultural perspectives to measure culture at the individual level. The three values are "traditional versus secular-rational, survival versus self-expression, and postmaterialism" (Dheer et al, 2015, p. 363), while the three attitude measures are attitudes toward behavior considered unethical, attitude towards trust in general, and attitude towards the role of women.…”