2025 Williams Blog

 Hello guys, Today I will be talking about Hofstede model which compares indulgence and restraint in different cultures.  When it comes to Japan, Hofstede classifies it as a restrained culture. To be more restrained can be shown in multiple different aspects of life. The main parts which we also discussed in class were for example; Happiness & Attitude, Leisure Time, Friendships.  I was not suprised at all by the fact that Hofstede gave Japan a score which reflect the restrained cultures. I think its shown very obvious in living here. Japan has extremely strict social norms which the people follow. When comparing it to a country like USA which is extremely different you see the culture differences very easily. Maybe because tourist are not following the social norms some Japanese hate gaijins D: When comparing to Sweden the differences are also quite big. Swedes are indulgent people. The biggest difference in the previously mentioned examples is for me ...

 Hello guys, When it comes to shopping culture I personally really like it. The people working in the shops are always very nice and are trying to communicate without them speaking english. So that is nice. When it comes to the process of buying stuff, the Japanese way shares a lot of similarities to the Swedish way. In Japan you are not supposed to tip. In Sweden you can tip however its not mandatory like some countries... You also cant bargain in Sweden when shopping. In Japan they scream welcome when entering, in Sweden we dont do that haha however in Sweden you can expect the people working the shop to atleast have a smile on their face and they always wish you a good evening or something like that. What I find most difficult with the shopping culture here is cash. Most of the places take card however if a place only takes cash I feel like ive travelled back in time. In Sweden, the usage of cash is non existent. I havent had cash on me for as long as I can remember. With cash s...

 Hello guys! Today I will be talking about long term and short term orientation. When it comes to Japan ive come to understand they are very long term oriented. This means they prioritise future satisfaction instead of directly. I think this can be noticed clearly in Japans rapid economic growth after WW2 as companies was working with the future in mind. Also one of the signs of the long term orientation is rapid economical growth. Another characteristic of long term orientation is modest view of yourself. This is also sonething heavily connected to Japanese culture as modesty or Kenkyo which its called is a big part of their culture. Kenkyo means that Japanese people often emphasize humility, group harmony and respect (Japan intercultural consulting).  When it comes to Sweden we are more of the short term orientation according to Hofstede. Now maybe im confused about the meaning of the different orientations but I would like to say that its very uncommon to meet someone in Sw...

 Hello guys, Today I will be talking about everyones favorite subject, politics. When it comes to how Japan is being ruled ive come to understand they have multiple parties however there is only one that always is in power, the Liberal Democratic Party. When it comes to comparing it to Sweden I would say there are several similarities. In Sweden we also have multiple parties. However the rulling party is often the biggest on the right or left block. In Sweden an election is held every 4th year and in my humble opinion the rulling block changes quite often. This can effect the country negatively since I feel no major changes can be made in a 4 year period as compared to the Japanese politics where the rulling party can make plans for many years ahead.  Sweden also shares other similarities with Japan. The biggest one being the similarity with the royal family in Sweden and the Emperor of Japan. Both are a symbolic head of state and have no real power. Fun fact by the way is tha...

 Hello guys, Today I will talk about uncertainty avoidance. As a swede I feel we are quite neutral in the question. It depends a lot on different lines of work. For me, I see Swedish people as people open to taking risk which can also be seen in the large amount of entrepreneurs and startups the country has. However I also feel Swedish people can be scared of taking risk as they don’t want to face the consequences if the risk were to play out bad. I feel a mix of the both can be a good way for a society to develop. I feel this differs from Japanese people because I feel the avoid risks and uncertainty at all costs. I feel people are not encouraged to for example start their own company and instead it’s better to for example stay in the family business as the ie system mentions. I feel the chance to take risks it’s very good thing because for me, I would feel more free.

 Hello guys! Today I will be talking about business culture. The Japanese business culture is being on time to work everyday and if the boss wants to grab a drink after work, well then you join! Without talking about work culture I will try to compare the Japanese culture to Swedish. Here in Japan, its quite common for co-workers to go out and have drinks after work. This is something I like since I feel its great for boosting morale and team spirit. However doing it to often would be to much. In class we discussed how ofter we want to go out and have drinks with our co-workers. I put once a month, however... you should only go out if you have exceeded expectations in regard to goals put up by the boss. I see no point going out for drinks if we didnt for example sell a single product. I wonder if Japanese companies think the same or they just go out for any reason. The Swedish business culture varies alot between different line of work. For example, real estate agents go out and dr...