Reflections of Culture in Global Corporate Web Sites

Hofstede (1980) found that national cultures differ along several dimensions. He believed that national cultural values and differences have existed for a long period of time and are stable. Subsequent research has both confirmed and challenged the validity of Hofstede’s conclusions for the long term. With the advent of the Internet and related networking and communication technologies, many have speculated that the ubiquitous nature of these technologies has a homogenizing effect and contributes to cultural convergence. The main objective of this study is to determine if differences in national culture are evident in the web sites of global corporations or if national cultures, as reflected through these web sites, have converged as a result of Internet usage. Introduction and Literature Review Culture can be defined as a shared set of values that influence societal perceptions, attitudes, preferences, and responses. Reviewing the literature (for overviews se