ABSTRACT
The outgroup determinant directly concerns matters of differences in social norms, cultural background, values, expectations - another way to describe it is perhaps as the need to be an 'insider'. Differences in social norms, cultural background, values, expectations are a key element of cross-cultural business ventures, and the effects of these differences were almost painful to observe on the Moose joint venture. A good deal of Americans had stayed on at the joint venture in various capacities after the withdrawal of the American partner, and they were able to provide some balance to the above description. The accounts above suggest that the Russians and the UK sides of the venture saw themselves as exactly that - different sides. On the issue of small things, while the Russians would tend to socialise in the smoking room, the westerners would tend to do this more in the billiards room.
