tailieunhanh - Strategic Cultures of Transformative Organization_6

Tham khảo tài liệu 'strategic cultures of transformative organization_6', khoa học xã hội, kinh tế chính trị phục vụ nhu cầu học tập, nghiên cứu và làm việc hiệu quả | Part II Trans-Asian Context The Northern European Context Acculturation of Cross-border Acquisitions Cowboys in Germany Thomas Steger Mergers and acquisitions are normal events in today s world economy especially at the international level. It may be assumed that this is a topic for specialists in finance and law as a consequence of this a lot of people consider these processes completed the moment the contracts are signed Hofstede 1991 227 . However a lot of important key variables . cultural barriers inter-organizational communication and organizational climate must be taken into account Bartlett and Ghoshal 1989 Covin et al. 1996 Fey and Beamish 2001 . Underestimating them may often be a reason for a lot of failures in this field Muller-Stewens 1992 333 . Acculturation can be seen as a topic that integrates many of these variables. According to Berry 1980 215 acculturation is generally defined as changes induced in two cultural systems as a result of the diffusion of cultural elements in both directions . At first we aim to develop the theoretical background presenting a model for a better understanding of the acculturation process in mergers and acquisitions. Then a case study from an East German mid-size enterprise bought by a US-firm will be analyzed with special focus on acculturation. Finally some implications for practice and further research are considered. Theoretical Background ACCULTURATION AND THE NATIONAL FRAMEWORKS Despite the close economic relations between the US and Germany there are a few cultural differences between them Hofstede 1991 Hazucha et al. 1999 . Special mention must be made here of the quite different legal systems Pincus and Belohlav 1996 especially with regard to the labor laws . dismissal procedures and works councils . The differences between the US and Germany become even more visible when one takes into account the cultural differences between the Eastern .