How the Cultures of Norway, United Kingdom and Greece Differ - Essay Example

It defines how people of a particular nation interact among themselves and with others. Culture has a vital role to play in operation at various forefronts. As the culture differs in various parts of the world so does the way, different countries are run.

Situated away from the cultural centres, Norway has a strong culture flourishing from the ninth century. The unique Norwegian Farm Culture sustained to this day is closely related to the country’s history and geography, due to the scarce resources, harsh climate and ancient property law. Romanticism has a great influence on the Norwegian language and media. With the continued support of the government for various activities like exhibitions, cultural projects etc, Norwegian culture flourished in areas of art, literature and music. Present Norwegian culture is a melting pot of various backgrounds and cultures. Norwegians are mainly egalitarian people who mainly focus on fairness, equal rights and open-mindedness. They like people for their nature and not what they do or how much money they have. They are honest and sincere in their relationship and have a simple way of living. Norwegian food has diversified in recent years and all types of food are available along with seafood.  Every year Norwegian food festival is celebrated in late August to celebrate different kinds of food.  Music has an important role to play in Norwegian history. It has been passed down the generation and mainly includes instrumental and vocal music. The traditional musical instrument includes Hardingfele followed by Harp. The traditional dress is Bunad, an elaborate dress with a lot of embroidery and jewellery. From a business perspective, there are certain attributes in the culture of Norway like informal style, individual interests, Transactional relationships and direct communication.

History defined the United Kingdom as a developed power, a major power and comprising of four major countries-England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, each of which has retained its distinct culture. But with the cultural influence of the west, there were changes in United Kingdom’s culture. Humanism, Protestantism and representative democracy developed. With the evolution of the industrial revolution in the UK, there were major changes in the field of agriculture, manufacturing and transportation which impacted socio-economic culture. Formerly a homogeneous society, Britain has become more diverse with people from different parts of the world living there. British are known for their stiff upper lip and blitz spirit. They still live up to grin and bear attitude in situations of embarrassment. They are reserved and private people and are sticklers for adherence to protocols. British cuisine follows a specific set of traditions and customs of cooking. However British has absorbed the cultural influence of those who settled in Britain. British cuisine’s international significance is limited to full breakfast and Christmas dinner. Britain has made a lot of progress in the field of music with the British invasion and British-pop evolving. Traditional music is centuries old and has contributed to a lot of genres. It supports major orchestras and was among the two main countries in the development of rock music. The UK has been at the forefront in the development of theatre, movies, radio and television. The UK has played a major role in scientific developments from the times of the scientific revolution. The Royal society serves as a centre for science and is the oldest society developed. From the perspective of business, British are formal and look for a long-term relationship in Business.   

The culture of Greece has developed over a thousand years with the influence of the Roman Empire, British Empire but according to historians the credit for the present face of Greece goes to the Greek War of Independence which revitalised Greece and gave birth to a single entity with its multi-faceted culture. Greece is a country of diverse cultures influenced by its location between the East and West. The Greeks are very proud of their culture and speak of their culture with intense passion and define their culture as a definition of national and ethical belonging. The music of Greece is an assimilation of East and West due to the influence of both.  Music, poetry and dancing were an important part of ancient Greece day to day life. But with the opera compositions coming in the 19th century, Greece produced many great artists. Folk music takes its origin from ancient Greece. Greek cuisines are famous for their good quality and amazing taste of food and wine. Same dishes are cooked differently or with different ingredients depending on the region.

On the other hand, Norway has an individualistic index less than the UK also has collectivism together with individualistic. Collectivism is followed in the sense that decisions are taken based on consensus. But Greece having a very low individualistic index is a collectivistic country. Collectivistic countries give more importance to group welfare than to individual goals. People are interdependent on each other. Collectivism makes collective actions easier. Thus collectivism has an advantage in coordinating production processes. Although collectivism generates static gains it does not have any effect on the growth of the country in the long run.