instructions are attached
Part 1: Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions
Familiarize yourself with Hofstedes research and cultural dimension by reading through the linked websites or delving deeper on your own using google. Then briefly:
1. Summarize the 5 or 6 dimensions identified. (no more than 1 page or so) (10 points)
2. Think of a hypothesis / research question based in finance for each dimension. (no more than 2 sentences for each) (30 points) Note: this part requires you to think about different aspects of finance and apply cultural concepts you are reading about. This is hard! I am not looking for perfection. Just a hypothesis!
For example, and it is okay to use this in your submission (note: I copied the first part from the first link to save time; you summarize, not plagiarize!):
Power Distance:
Summary: Power distance describes the degree to which members of society expect and accept an uneven distribution of authority, resources, and privileges. The threads of this dimension of culture run through social institutions and organizations such as schools, political bodies, the family, and the workplace. Countries with high PDI scores are generally those with stark hierarchies, where the less powerful are taught to know their place and respect authority. High PDI scores correlate with deferential relationships between students and teachers, children and parents, wives and husbands, employees and employers, subjects and rulers.
Brady Hypothesis: In countries with more power distance, there may be a larger degree of actively managed mutual funds compared to passively managed funds as the population knows fund managers may have special resources and privileges that make it more likely they can outperform a passive index. (I totally made up this hypothesis on my own. No clue if it is true. I just connected the definition with an area of finance).
Links:
https://www.reservations.com/blog/resources/power-distance-index/#pdi
https://geerthofstede.com/research-and-vsm/dimension-data-matrix/
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-theory/
Part 2: Classic Papers in Cultural Finance (51 points)
The following academic papers are available. What I want you to do is read the abstract, introduction, and conclusion of each paper. If you want to read more, that is okay, but you definitely do not have to. Then answer for each paper
1. What are 2 or 3 main findings in the paper?
2. Based on the findings, assume you were financial professional / consultant, what is one piece of advice you would give a client based on the findings (note, in real life never trust academic research!)?
The PDFs of the papers are attached
Paper 1: Individualism and Momentum Around the World
Paper 2: When Firms Talk, Do Investors Listen? The Role of Trust.
Note: while the level of trust is not a Hofstede dimension, it has become widely used in cultural research.
Paper 3: Lost in Translation: The Effect of Cultural Values on Mergers Around the World
