Cultural differences Russian companies encounter in Finnish markets

Abstract

The research problem of the thesis is cultural differences that Russian companies face in Finnish markets. The thesis is meant to help Russian companies by providing information on how to manage cultural differences. The thesis consists of empirical and theoretical data. The theoretical data used in the theory part describes research about business culture in general and business cultures of Finland and Russia. The empirical data is a survey, conducted by using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed in Russian and English languages and sent by email to 70 respondents, out of which 40 responded. From 40 respondents 20 were Russians and 20 were Finns. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions. It began with general questions about background information. Also there were questions connected with the five dimensions model of the Hofstede research. And in order to get more accurate information open questions were asked too. The results of the survey are very surprising because they differ in many aspects from Hofstede’s theory on Finland and Russia. Based on the information gathered from the respondents the recommendations on how Russian companies should manage cultural differences in order to succeed in Finnish markets have been found and explained. Keywords: Culture, Cultural Differences, Finland, Russia.