idualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance index, and long-term orientation (Hofstede, 2005, p. 1). Power distance represented the degree of ôequality or inequalityö between people in a countryÆs society, individualism is concerned with the degree to which a society ôreinforces individual or collective achievement,ö and masculinity pertains to the degree to which a society does or does not ôreinforce the traditional masculine work role model of male control and powerö (Hofstede, 2005, p. 1). The uncertainty avoidance index refers to the degree of tolerance in a society for behavior that is uncertain or ambiguous. Long-term orientation measures the degree to which a society does or does not ôembrace long-term devotion to traditional valuesö (Hofstede, 2005, p. 1).
Swedish society exhibits a greater degree of uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and long-term orientation than the United States, while the U.S. exhibits a higher degree of masculinity and individualism. Now that these cultural dimensions of society are illustrated, the following analysis of the differences between cultures will be viewed within this differential framework. Many of the cultural differences between the U.S. and Sweden are subtle and many are not. One of the most subtle differences is wrought by the phenomenon known as globalization. In this respect, Sweden and U.S. society offer lucrative markets to corporations lije the Gap, Starbucks, and McDonaldÆs. However, because of differences in lifestyle, even these similar products are offered in subtly different ways to consumers. For example, Geier (1996, p. 22) that at Swedish ski-resorts throughout the country, McDonaldÆs ôoffers a ski-through windowö for consumers.
While the above cultural difference is related to differences in lifestyle practices between Americans and Swedes and is subtle, other cultural differences are not so superficial. One of these is represented by the...