A Case Study on Cross-Cultural Differences: A Failure Story

Abstract

Following the globalization trend in the world, Turkey and Belgium have become good business partners in the international arena. Belgium, with its geographically and politically critical location and high Turkish population has been a very attractive European country for Turkish investors. However, there are still Turkish companies leaving Belgium possibly due to adaptation problems to business culture in Belgium. In this chapter, cultural differences between Belgium and Turkey are investigated using qualitative research method with a single company case study. The results of the study indicate that differences between Turkish and Belgian cultures are mainly due to language, communication and relationship building styles, different level of individualism, and future orientation.