Abstract

 

With the acceleration of globalization, multinational companies have sprung up, and the scale and scope of their operations have further expanded. The cultural divide between different countries have affected the operating activities of multinational enterprises, and some enterprises have even failed to deal with such differences effectively, which has also highlighted the magnitude of cross-cultural management. As a highly centralized American retail behemoth, Wal-Mart has strong American cultural characteristics. Since entering China in 1996, Wal-Mart has accumulated some experience in the process of integrating into Chinese culture and has achieved certain results, but it also faces some problems. The root of these problems is still the differences between Chinese and American cultures. To solve these problems, Wal-Mart China needs to focus on the role of cross-cultural management in daily management, focus on the characteristics of Chinese society and employees, and implement Wal-Mart’s US headquarters. Under the premise of standardization, adjustments are made to these characteristics, so that Chinese employees and consumers can more adapt to and respect Wal-Mart’s culture, and allow Wal-Mart to develop well.

This article first systematically analyzes the basic theories of cross-cultural management, and summarizes the advanced domestic and foreign cross-cultural management theories in detail. Based on these theories, we delve into the cultural differences between China and the United States and their impact on management. In the case analysis part, Wal-Mart is used as an example to analyze Wal-Mart’s cross-cultural management model in the Chinese market, to find out some problems that Wal-Mart’s cross-cultural management faces, and to formulate corresponding countermeasures against these problems.

 

Key words: International corporation; cross-cultural management; culture

 

Contents

中文摘要

Abstract

1. Introduction 1

2.Literature Review 2

2.1 Definition of culture 2

2.2 Previous researches on cross-cultural management 2

2.2.1 Geert Hofstede ultural Dimension 2

2.2.2 Edward Hall’s high-context and low-context cultures 3

2.2.3 Yu Wenzhao’s research 4

3.Cross-cultural management mode of Wal-Mart of China 4

3.1 Corporate culture in USA and China 4

3.2 Cross-cultural management and problems of Wal-Mart in China 5

3.2.1 Cross-cultural management measures of Wal-Mart in China 5

3.2.2 Cross-cultural management problems of Wal-Mart in China 9

4.Strategies of Wal-Mart’s intercultural management 13

4.1 Reestablish corporate culture of Wal-Mart in China 13

4.2 Implement an in-depth localization strategy 15

4.2.1 Promote localization of senior executives 15

4.2.2 Promote the localization of commodities 15

5.Conclusion 16

References 18