As a window into a culture, language allows managers to get a feel for a people and understand their attitudes. Furthermore, an understanding of a culture's unspoken language can be just as important as speaking the spoken language. Educational aspects of a culture are also important to a company's course of action. Brain drain and reverse brain drain affects both developed and developing nations-albeit in often different ways. Highly educated scientists often flee developing nations to search for better opportunities in developed nations.
Material culture is also important to companies contemplating international expansion.
The technological aspects of a culture can determine whether a company should enter a particular market. Several tools developed to help analyze and classify cultures include the Hofstede framework and the Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck framework. This chapter focuses on the cultural aspect of national business environments. We examine the ways in which international business activity is influenced by elements of culture. Culture is the set of values, beliefs, rules, and institutions held by a specific group of people.