Assignment 1 - to be submitted in week 6
Introduction to the Culture of the Country
I. Include short profiles of the company, the product to be exported and the country with which
you wish to trade.
II. Brief discussion of the country’s relevant history
III. Geographical setting
a) location
b) climate
c) topography
IV. Social institutions
a) Family
i) The nuclear family
ii) The extended family
iii) Dynamics of the family
(1) Parental roles
(2) Marriage and courtship
b) Education
i) The role of education in society
(1) Primary education (quality, levels of development, etc)
(2) Secondary education (quality, levels of development, etc.)
(3) Higher education (quality, levels of development, etc.)
ii) Literacy rates
c) Political System
i) Political structure
ii) Political Parties
iii) Stability of government
iv) Special taxes
v) Role of local government
d) Legal System
i) Organization of the judiciary system
ii) Code, common, socialist, or Islamic-law country?
iii) Participation in patents, trademarks and other conventions
e) Organizations
i) Group behavior
ii) Social classes
iii) Clubs, other organizations
iv) Race, ethnicity and subcultures
f) Business customs and practices
V. Religion and aesthetics
a) Religion and other belief systems
i) Orthodox doctrines and structures
ii) Relationship with the people
iii) Which religions are prominent?
iv) Membership of each religion
v) Any powerful or influential cults?
b) Aesthetics
i) Visual arts (fine arts, plastics, graphics, public arts, colors etc.)
ii) Music
iii) Drama, ballet, and other performing arts
iv) Folklore and relevant symbols
VI. Living conditions
a) Diet and nutrition
i) Meat and vegetable consumption rates
ii) Typical meals
iii) Malnutrition rates
iv) Foods available
b) Housing
i) Types of housing available
ii) Do most people own or rent?
iii) Do most people live in one-family dwellings or with other families?
c) Clothing
i) National dress
ii) Types of clothing worn at work
d) Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities
i) Types available and in demand
ii) Percentage of income spent on such activities
e) Social security
f) Health Care
VII. Language
a) Official language(s)
b) Spoken versus written language(s)
c) Dialects
VIII. Executive Summary
After completing all of the other sections, prepare a two-page (maximum length) summary of the
major points and place it at the front of the report. The purpose of an executive summary is to give
the reader a brief glance at the critical points of your report. Those aspects of the culture a reader
should know to do business in the country but would not be expected to know or would find
different based on his or her home country should be included in this summary.
IX. Sources of information
X. Appendixes
