ch we reach decisions. As a result we may inadvertently take a position on a subject which is not so much a reflection of our own thoughtful process, but more a reflection of the value systems on which we draw, which have, in large measure, been inherited from our parents and the people with whom we grew up.
             Hofstede have shown that a wide variety of factors ranging from the degree of personal freedom which we find appropriate in our lives, to the ways in which we view intervention by the state in business affairs, are strongly influenced by the national culture.
              National cultural differences do exist and these are associated with a certain number of shared values.
              These shared value systems influence people's attitudes in their adult working lives.
             These assumptions are supported by the results of a number of studies of transcultural businesses, all of which underline the importance of the influences of culture in the workplace. Furthermore, they point to our tendencies to attribute a "value" to our shared beliefs as a factor, which may lead to conflict between people in transcultural environment.
             Hofstede's evidence derives from his work as a psychologist for an American multinational company with operations in more than fifty countries. Hofstede has derived four dimensions in terms of which the national cultures may be compared. These dimensions are:
             1. Individualism vs. collectivism: in an individualist national culture people concentrate on looking after themselves and their close family, whereas in the collectivist culture people have broader and more diffuse commitments to an extended family or community.
             On the whole the Third World countries are collectivist and industrialized countries are individualist. The most individualist country is Australia, closely followed by the other Anglo-Saxon countries and the Netherlands.
             2. Power distance is the second dimension or the deg...