Cultures, Social Networking and SPL Model Cultures

The modern business environment has contributed to increased international operations by companies in attempts to enhance global presence and gain competitive advantage. However, international companies experience various challenges with regards to hiring and retaining employees in foreign countries or new cultures. As an individual spearheading a study in an international company, one of the major issues to address is determining the advantage or disadvantage of hiring locals or natives vs. sending present company employees for short periods of time and necessary training for those operations.

For the international company, sending present company employees for short periods of time is more beneficial than hiring locals or natives. This is primarily because the knowledge and skills required in the job in the host country are either in short supply or not present in the locals or natives. Moreover, the existing employees have adequate knowledge of the firm and its operations, which is crucial for coordinating operations in the foreign country (Atchison, Belcher & Thomsen, 2000). However, these employees should be provided with training regarding the host country, cross-cultural communication, and how to manage expatriate assignments.

Power distance is the degree with which less powerful members of the firm anticipate and accept the distribution of power unequally while uncertainty avoidance is the extent in which a culture feels comfortable or uncomfortable in unstructured situations. Individualism is the...

Masculine refers to men's values from a country to another from assertive to competitive whereas feminine are women's values from modest to caring. Generally, men's values across societies largely differ are compared to women's values.
Social Networking

Social networking has increased across the globe in the recent past. The increased use of social media has shaped business operations in several companies. This has primarily occurred because of the impact of social media in shaping consumer perspectives, particularly because social media amplifies what consumers are thinking about and acting on. While companies employ various means in their use of social media to collect information about customers, social media provides marketers with new insights and opportunities regarding new product and service. Therefore, consumers are in control of marketing processes and other aspect of business operations by companies.

The increased use of social media in this process has been fueled by the rise of a cultural-spiritual shift, which is driven by the emergence of the creative class, the rise of a new spirituality, and the birth of the civil society as a global force (Scharmer, 2009). JBS Bookkeeping, a company that creates innovative and complete accounts solutions and Verizon, a global telecommunications firm are two companies that use social media to…