Cultural Analysis of Russia

Question: Discuss about theCultural Analysis of Russia. Answer: Introduction National culture of a country tells about the environment, culture, language, behaviour and patterns of the market etc. this report is basically describing the market culture of Russia compared to Singapore in terms of Personal Communication, Values and Attitudes, social structure and the education. Along with this, there will be the comparison with the Singapore including business style, manager managing style and negotiation ways. Culture can be described as the various range of the obtained or learnt behaviour by the human being of the country. There are unique and different behaviours in the human society. So, a society can be easily differentiated by observing the different culture. The culture includes beliefs, norms, morals, knowledge, ethics, customs, law and many other factors. This report will focus on the cultural differences between the Singapore and Russia. Country Description Russia is the largest country in the world. The country has rich culture and distinguished itself in terms of vast history and geography. The organizations who wish to develop the successful business with the penetration strategy, the Russian market is suitable for them. For the organization, it is very important to understand the Russian social and business culture. Russia has made the valuable contribution to the work culture (Guseva, 2013). This country has given not only great classics but also fine arts to the world. Along with this, Russia is one of the top emerging markets in the world. It is also considered as the most difficult place to do business. From the business operations to cultural trends, Russia is the country of evolution. The transition of the Russia has challenging and ongoing culture. The Russian approach is different from the western approach in terms of identifying, managing and solving the problems (RUSEMB, 2016). Key Attributes of the Country Before starting the business in the Russia, it is very important to understand culture and background of the country. The key factors of the country are as follows: Collectivism: Because of its history, there is a strong societal skills and that is reflected in the business practices of Russia. Russia has diverse climate conditions which is very helpful in cooperation and collaboration. The climate condition of Russia is very helpful to gain competitive advantage and also has been important for the survival. There is the sense of togetherness in the Russian culture. Togetherness is the important traits that differentiate the Russian Culture from Western culture. In the organization, people work together in the organized and self-managed group of people (GASME, 2016). Equality: This is an important concept of the Russian business that people get equal treatment and that supports the inequality and promotes the equal benefits to the employees. In the Russian market and the Russian business, the equality is very important strategy to gain the mutual advantage. Russia believes in the co-equal (Burgess Sharar, 2014). Resources: Russia is the vast and diversified nation. There are largest resourcesof raw material, oil and gas revenues that are helpful to increase the economy of Russia. In the big cities of the country, there is a consumer economy and because of this, the financial position of the country is raising and investors have trust on Russias economic scenario (Bergelson, 2013). Cultural Analysis The culture of Russia has a long history. Russia has a long tradition of arts in terms of philosophy, literature, music, architecture, animation and it has the power to influence the world. The country also has the combination of mixed material culture and traditional culture in technology. Now a day, the culture of the Russia got seventh rank in terms of heritage in the National Brands Index. Along with this, the culture of Russia is also involved in modern organization and international tourism (Maclachlan, 2010). The analysis of Russian culture is given below: Aesthetics The Russian market of Aesthetics is very difficult to measure. The reason is that there is lack of official bodies that regulate the market. But according to a report by Research and Market, the market of Russian Aesthetics is booming and also going from strength to strength. According to the research, The Russia is growing compared to many European countries. In terms of medicine market, Russia was ranked 14th in the world aesthetics medicine market. Personal Communication The communication style in Russia is influenced by the English language. Many young entrepreneurs use English language while other uses European language. With the different cultures, business managers use written method rather than speaking the words. By this, the businessmen build the relationship with their partners. In Russia, people listen silently and use little obvious body language. This is the cultural characteristics of Russian people. Russian wait and think before responding at any point (Aleksanteri news, 2015). Education Russia has one of the best education systems in the world. The percentage of literacy in Russia is 98% that is the higher percentage compared to western European Countries. In the education system of Russia, there are both basic education and higher education and in Russia, the education is compulsory for every child between the ages of 6 and 15. Values and Attitude The attitude of Russian People to life is driven by the climate, culture and the size of the country. Russians have preference towards the judgement attitudes. Russians are always ready to raise their voice on any matter, and they expect everyone to be morally judged. Many Russians have the attitude of having no control over the world. Along with this, Russian always thinks and behaves logically (MasterRussian, 2015). Manners and Customs There are still many customs and rituals celebrated in the Russia. The people in Russia still celebrate the pagan holidays and there are many people who believe in legends. Old traditions in Russia are passed on from generation to generation. Social Structure The social structure of Russia is different in terms of human rights of its people. The country is far from the particular laws. The country makes policies for human rights. The reason of this is that the society of Russia never lived in democratic command (Laruelle, 2015). Figure 1: Social Structure of Russia (Source: Laruelle, 2015) The social structure of Russia is given in the figure. This is the standard of living in Russia. The standard of living is higher but is different in every region. The employees who are in financial sector, they get the highest salary in Russia. Apart from this, there is one more thing i.e. the people of Russia consider themselves strangers in interacting with others having same nationality. Comparing with Singapore Before comparing both of the countries, it is important to understand the market culture of Singapore. Singapore is the multiethnic country having the mixture of Chinese, Indian, and Eurasian societies. Singapore is the suitable place for the businessmen for doing business. There is the business culture for all the religions. But there are many rules, policies and protocols that are compulsory to follow by the businessmen (Wood, Miller Gold, 2010). The difference between Singapore and Russia in terms of business culture is as follows: Managers Managing Style In the most corporate of Singapore, managers try to stick and follow the proper management policies. Majority of the companies have top-down management style in Singapore that brings innovation and creativity in the business (Mun Ying, 2009). On the other hand, as stated above, managers in the company are centralized and directives. Company uses hierarchy of management i.e. senior manager, middle manager and lower manager. Business Style In Singapore, business style is very straight forward and very formal as compared to other western countries. There are very strict rules and protocols to operate the business. The people of Singapore are very sensitive but they control their behaviour in public. The business culture in Singapore is competitive and has strong work ethics. On the other hand, in Russia, business cards are important for ding the business. There are many principles that are concerned for informal environment but still there are totally formal environment in business style of Russia (Stewart, Sprinthall, and Kem, 2002). Negotiation Ways In Singapore, companies use negotiation style in the formal way. They value the business relationship rather than short term gains they do not confronts anyone in the negotiating time. Along with this, they avoid the conflicts (Zarkada-Fraser and Fraser, 2001). On the other hand, Russian only negotiates when they consider that another party is serious in negotiation. They show patient in negotiation and see the negotiation as win-lose. During the negotiation, Russian confronts another party (Shikhirev, 2000). Hofstedes Study of Culture Hofstede had developed the dimensions to measure the culture of a nation. There are five dimensions developed by Hofstede of national culture. By the dimension, Hofstede became able to identify how the patter of culture of behaviour solve a problem how the behaviour of the country can be compared with other cultures. Figure 2: Hofstede Cultural Analysis (Source: Puffer Naumov, 2000) Power Distance This dimension shows the attitude of the culture towards the distribution of power. It believes that the distribution of power should not be equal. Russia is the highest power distance country in the world and it has scored 93% in terms of power holding. Individualism This dimension focuses on the degree of interdependence a society maintained by the members. In this dimension, Russia has scored lower. It has scored 39% because of diverse relationship in the country (Puffer Naumov, 2000). Masculinity This dimension indicates that the society is dependent upon the competition, achievements, and success. Russia has scored 36% because of having status symbol. There is the fact that Russians at workplace as well as when meeting a stranger rather understate their personal achievements, contributions or capacities. Uncertainty Avoidance This dimension focuses on the fact that future can never be known. Scoring 95 Russians feel very much threatened by ambiguous situations, as well as they have established one of the most complex bureaucracies in the world. Long Term Orientation This dimension discuss about how the society maintains the past and deals with challenges for present and future. With a very high score of 81, Russia is definitely a country with a practical and realistic mindset. The Russians show the capability to adapt the traditions and to change the conditions. Conclusion The report has been described about the Russian and culture and the market environment of the country. From the above discussion, it has been analyzed that various range of the obtained or learnt behaviour by the human being of the country. There are unique and different behaviours in the human society. Russia is the largest country in the world. The country has rich culture and distinguished itself in terms of vast history and geography. For the organization, it is very important to understand the Russian social and business culture. From the business operations to cultural trends, Russia is the country of evolution. The transition of the Russia has challenging and ongoing culture. Focusing on key attributes of Russia, it has been observed that Russia has diverse climate conditions which are very helpful in cooperation and collaboration. The climate condition of Russia is very helpful to gain competitive advantage and also has been important for the survival. Comparing with Singapor e, it has been analyzed that both the countries have little similarities but in negotiation style, negotiates when they consider that another party is serious in negotiation. But it is easy to do in business in Russia compared to Singapore because but there are many rules, policies and protocols in Singapore that are compulsory to follow by the businessmen. References Aleksanteri news. (2015). culture and Russian society. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri/english/news/newsletters/AN_15_3-4.pdf Bergelson, M. B. (2013). Russian cultural values and workplace communication styles. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://russcomm.ru/eng/rca_biblio/b/bergelson03_eng.shtml Burgess,M. K., Sharar, D. A. (2014). Doing Business in Russia: The Importance of Employee Preparation and Support. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-hr/pages/russia-employee-preparation-support.aspx GASME, (2016). Russian Social and Business Culture. . Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://www.globalsmes.org/news/index.php?func=detaildetailid=541catalog=26lan=en Guseva, N. (2013). doing business in russia. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://russland.ahk.de/fileadmin/ahk_russland/Dokumente/Berufsbildung/Programme_Doing_Business_in_Russia_HSE_DAAD_2013_0209.pdf Kuznetsov, A., Kuznetsova, O., (2005). Business Culture in Modern Russia: Deterrents and Influences. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://businessperspectives.org/journals_free/ppm/2005/PPM_EN_2005_02_Kuznetsov.pdf Laruelle, M. (2015). The Russian World: Russias Soft Power and Geopolitical Imagination. . Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://globalinterests.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/FINAL-CGI_Russian-World_Marlene-Laruelle.pdf Maclachlan, M. (2010). challenges of doing business in Russia. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/challenges-of-doing-business-in-russia/ MasterRussian. (2015). Russian Culture. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://masterrussian.com/russianculture/Russian_Culture.htm Mun, C. W. Ying, S. H. (2009). Singapore and Asia in a Globalized World. Singapore: World Scientific. Puffer, S., Naumov, A., (2000). Measuring Russian Culture using Hofstedes Dimensions. 45(4). 709718 RUSEMB. (2016). Russian culture. Retrieved on 21st November 2016 from https://www.rusemb.org.uk/russiaculture/ Shikhirev, P. (2000). Introduction to Russian Business Culture. Moscow: Novosti. Stewart, D.W., Sprinthall, N.A. and Kem, J.D. (2002). Moral reasoning in the context of reform: A study of Russian officials. Public Administration Review 62, 3, 282-298. Wood, J. Miller, J. Gold, B. A. (2010). Living in Singapore. Eleventh Edition Reference Guide. Singapore: American Association of Singapore Zarkada-Fraser, A., and C. Fraser. (2001). Moral decision making in international sales negotiations. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing 16.4, 274-292.