The values that influence organizational behavior vary in different cultures. For example, some cultures are individualistic and people focus on themselves and their families, while other cultures are collectivistic and people display interest in the welfare of the group. Another example is variation in taking risk. Some cultures are high in uncertainty avoidance and are risk-averse while other cultures accept risk and as a consequence are more likely to undertake entrepreneurial activity.

Researchers have discovered that some cultures have a value system based on Confucian work dynamism characterized by a long-term orientation and values of thrift and persistence. Two countries that exhibit these values are China and Japan.

Countries low on Confucian work dynamism are short-term oriented, and focus on the here and now. From the perspective of organizational behavior, the primary concern of these countries is quarterly profit performance and frequent employee evaluation creating expectations for rapid career development.

From the perspective of international OB one consequence of the economic crisis in Asian is reexamination of the cultural values underlying the rapid economic growth of Asian societies. For example, the often cited advantages of the long-term perspective of values underlying Asian business discussed in Chapter 2 "Culture and Organizational Behavior" in International Organizational Behavior, have been questioned. Indeed, one element of organizational behavior that is changing as a result of the crisis, are long-term employment practices with the lay-off of employees, and consequently, the culture and organizational structure of many companies.

1. http://www.tdc.org.hk/main/china.htm
   This Web site contains a wide variety of information on China and is an excellent introduction to contemporary issues affecting Chinese society and organizations.
   
   Another issue is the extent that Chinese work values exist in other Asian countries. Web sites that offer an enormous amount of information on all Asian countries are:
2. http://www.asianbusinesswatch.com
3. http://www.mcb.co.uk Asia Pacific Management Forum

Yet another issue is how do Chinese work values compare with the Protestant Ethic or the work ethic in Western societies? Have the values of the Protestant Ethic--hard work, savings and investment, honesty--changed over the past two decades? If so, how has behavior in organizations changed? The following Websites have information that will help you examine Western work values.

1. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/scdt/businessmap/engdoc/0.html
   This Web site from Strategis Canada is organized by province allowing you to find out almost everything about a particular Canadian province you may be looking for. In addition, these pages provide thoroughly prepared and presented listings and information on worldwide company directories, Canadian investment opportunities, and more.
   
   
2. http://www.industry.net/
   This site, USA Industry Net, has a large amount of data on current activities of American business including a searchable data base.

Finally, does the data you have collected suggest that Asian values and Western values are becoming more similar or increasingly different? What are the implications of your conclusions for the study of International Organizational Behavior?

• Present your findings concerning Confucian work values and its relationship to the Protestant Ethic in a 2-3 page paper.