Thank you Mark, for my part I will be introducing one of the theoretical

frameworks for inter-cultural communication with reference to India and the

United States, as in our case study Outsourced. In this theory, Dr. Hofstede
proposed that cultures could be quantified in 6 different dimensions on a scale of
1 to 120. 1 being the lowest and reflecting traits in red and a maximum of 120
reflecting the traits in blue. I will give you guys more details of each dimension
as we go along.
The first dimension is power distance, this describes how a culture responds to
people with power and how it treats those who dont have it. India scores high in
this dimension, indicating an appreciation for hierarchy and a top down
structure. Whereas America scores relatively low, thus indicating that work roles
are less rigid and a less formal interaction with superiors.
Next, the 2nd dimension is individualism. This refers to the strength of ties people
have with others in their community. Cultures like America, which score high in
this area tend to believe that hierarchies are established as a means of
conveniences. India has a rather intermediate score in this dimension and
exhibits both individualistic and collectivistic traits. These stem from their belief
in the importance of family and community ties and also from Hinduism which
teaches that one is singly responsible for his actions in this life which may impact
his rebirth after death.
The next cultural dimension is Masculinity. Masculine cultures tend to exhibit,
competitiveness, assertiveness, power, ambition and materialism, whereas
feminine cultures tend to place value in relationships and quality of life. Both
India and America are in common ground and are both considered masculine
cultures because both value visible symbols of success which are important to
both cultures.
The next cultural dimension is uncertainty avoidance, this refers to how well
people cope with situations where the outcome is uncertain. India and America
have intermediate scores in this dimension showing a medium low preference for
avoiding uncertainty and are relatively open to novel ideas from anyone.
The fifth cultural dimension is Long-term orientation. This looks at how important
long-standing traditions and values are to a culture. Cultures like America with a
low score in this dimension tend to believe in being creative and are always
receptive to changes. India which has an intermediate score, tend to have a
preference for a more long-term pragmatic culture, not always following a fixed
set of values and changing the game plan if needed as they go along.
The last cultural dimension is indulgence. Indulgence stands for a society which
allows free gratification of basic and natural human desires, while restraint
stands for a society which suppresses these needs. America scores as an
indulgent society while India scores as a restraint culture. One example which
exhibits this is in how willing employees are in voicing their opinions, in that
sense Americans tend to be relatively more vocal than their Indian counterparts.

In summary, from the six dimensions we can see the subtle differences that each
culture has in dealing with situations, which may result in conflict. In the next
part of our presentation, our speaker jean will be covering more on the typical
responses when such conflicts occur. Jean, please.