We wanted to create our report on the difference of management between Japan and the United States but we were one of the last groups to choose our theme and it was already taken. So we took the last theme that was left: Europe. A lot of the European countries we wanted to study had already been taken by the other groups (such as France, Spain, and Germany), and we didn't want to study a country that had already been chosen by someone else for the presentation, because we did not want to repeat what another group had already said, or have someone repeat what we had said during our presentation. It would have been uninteresting for the class as well as for us. We decided first of all to study a Scandinavian country because they had not been chosen by other groups. We then decided on Finland because of Nokia. This company has one of the best management systems in the world, and we thought it would be interesting to see if it was due to the management style used in Finland. Besides, one of our group members is going to Finland for her Erasmus and she wanted to know a little more about this country. After having chosen Finland we decided to choose a country where the culture is completely different so we decided on the countries of southern Europe. We then decided on Greece for it is a county we don't hear a lot about. We thought it would be interesting to learn a little more on this country.
[...] There are few middle management positions, like executive, that really have the power of their title. In fact, the boss the general manager does, decides, and control everything Finland = 38: low power distance index Unlike Greece, Finland tends to establish equality in its business relationships. Their cultural background influences them in this direction. Consequently, the tasks and responsibilities will be more shared and delegated by the manager Individualism (IDV) That is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. [...]
[...] The women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine countries they are somewhat assertive and competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a gap between men's values and women's values Greece = 57: high masculinity index The direct consequence of this high index in business management is that fewer women will be in charge of high responsibilities than men. Even if this is currently changing as the index is decreasing, the effect will be a trend of assertiveness and competitiveness in the way of managing people Finland = 20: low masculinity index Unlike Greece, business positions are equally hold by men and women in Finland. [...]
[...] The Finns are pragmatic, more or less informal and like to work in teams Management style Nokia, on of the biggest Finnish companies, exerts a large influence on the functioning of the other companies of the country. Nokia represents an example to follow as of it competitively, reactivity and its rapidity to place on the market new products. Its project management with clear objectives has seduced most firms. Finnish companies have a flat hierarchy. In this type of management, the rank in the hierarchy has little importance; it is the result and the performance of each person that is the most important. [...]
[...] : Slides of our oral presentation : Finnish management vs. Greek Management Before analyzing the management of these two counties we will quickly present the important date on both counties. Finland Greece Politics Republic Republic Member of the EU Member of the EU Currency Euro Euro Capital Helsinki Athens Principal Germany, Estonia, USA, Germany, United states, business France, Japan, GB, France, Italy, Netherlands, partners Russia, Sweden GB Principal Agribusiness, chemistry, Agriculture, agribusiness, sectors naval industry, chemistry, mining metallurgy, paper, development, hotel business, textile, merchant navy, metallurgy, telecommunication tobacco, textile, tourism. [...]
[...] The machismo is frequent in the daily life, and the business world. The smile or opened behavior may be considered as signs of seduction, unlike to the North of Europe (Like Finland, where the responsibilities are equally shared between men and women) Different management styles 1 Life in a Finnish company The Finns are conscious of the dependence to the international commerce of their economy and know that their companies have to be more efficient then the others to obtain a lead on the international market. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
