Culture related research in international business focusses on cultural relativism, that is, on cultural differences between countries. It examines the implications of national culture differences and how to overcome the differences for doing business across national borders. These discussions are either framed within the emic- versus etic- debate, or under the rubric of the national culture dimensions. Our paper addresses the equally important but largely ignored question of cultural universalism in international business, that is, how nations are culturally similar. Using the GLOBE national culture dimensions data, we find significant similarities among the GLOBE nations. Our paper contributes to the cultural relativism versus universalism debate, and extends IB theory with a “universal culture” approach that we believe can enhance understanding and cooperation among international business managers. Overall, our findings have important implications for IB scholars and practitioners.

• Sunil Venaik(University of Queensland)
• Paul Brewer(University of Queensland)