A comparison of Costa Rican and German culture according to Hofstede's Dimensions

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject Sociology - Culture, Technology, Nations, grade: 1,5, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (Wirtschaft), language: English, abstract: Through this term paper, the reader is given an understanding of the Costa Rican and German culture and an instrument to play the Costa Rican and German social game. In order to play the social game, it is advisable to take a closer look at the unwritten book and thus be able to understand the rules. Developing strong skills in communication and conflict resolution is increasing in value and importance due to an internationally linked world. For this reason, the topic of culture is addressed with a special focus on two contrasting societies. The aim is to show the reader some specific peculiarities of the Costa Rican and German culture. First, the concept of culture is discussed. It will be explained what culture is and how it is created. Furthermore, it will be described how culture influences individuals and which role countries play in it. In the next step, the reader is introduced to Hofstede's six Dimensions of National Culture. These serve as a tool for classifying and analysing cultures and their values. It will be explained how Hofstede's dimensions were developed, what they mean and what values they represent. After the dimensions have been presented, Costa Rica´s and Germany's achieved scores are mentioned. Typical Costa Rican and German behavioural patterns, values and characteristics are then assigned to all dimensions. Then, an attempt to explain the achieved results is made on this basis. At the same time, it is intended to draw attention to the values lying behind the behaviours.