ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter seeks to stimulate students’ interest in learning more about the role of culture in international business (CIB). Culture is first defined according to the different traditions in CIB literature; then an overview of some of the disagreements or controversies that plague this area of scholarship is presented. Next, the two main schools of thought in CIB literature, (a) a categorical approach to culture and (b) one grounded in social anthropology, which adopts a much more dynamic approach, are discussed. The progress the second school of thought has made establishing itself as a viable alternative to national/societal cultural frameworks embedded in the categorical school in recent years is then considered. The chapter concludes with an outline of this book's layout and a brief highlight of the essence and key insights from each of the book's chapters.
