The value systems of different religious and ethical systems have different implications for business practice. Language is one defining characteristic of a culture. It has both a spoken and an unspoken dimension. In countries with more than one spoken language, we tend to find more than one culture. Formal education is the medium through which individuals learn skills and are socialized into the values and norms of a society.
Education plays an important role in the determination of national competitive advantage.
Geert Hofstede studied how culture relates to values in the workplace. Economic progress and globalization seem to be two important engines of cultural change. One danger confronting a company that goes abroad for the first time is being ill-informed. The value systems and norms of a country can affect the costs of doing business in that country. The McGraw-Hill Companies.