Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Cross-Cultural Issues In The Management Of German-Owned Business Subsidiaries In Hampton Roads, Teja Ulrich

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

'Culture' can be described as patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that distinguish one cultural group from another. Cultural diversity is therefore likely to introduce variety to organizations in which individuals from different national backgrounds are working together. Although this variety bears the potential for an improvement of the cognitive development in the organizations, managers of multicultural business organizations tend to perceive cultural diversity as a disadvantage. This thesis attempts to identify the impact of cultural differences between Germans and Americans on organizations in which German managers work with American employees. German managers of eight business subsidiaries in the Hampton …