A person is not born with a culture, but it is acquired from the socialization process that begins at birth. Human cultures vary considerably from one another but although different in some respects, cultures resemble one another to a considerable extent. Once a culture has been learned, it tends to persist. Culture enables us to communicate with others, through a language that we have in common. Culture makes it possible to anticipate how others in society are likely to respond to actions.
Culture provides the knowledge and skills necessary for meeting sustenance needs.
Culture helps us to identify with others of similar background. One of the biggest problems in business is ethnocentrism, which is the belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group, overriding concern with race. These groups tend to take for granted their own values. Americans take for granted our large degree of freedom, independence, personal accomplishments, and self expression. We are informal, have little regard for tradition, are possessive, and regard time as a resource not to be wasted.