1.

Introduction Culture is defined by Hofstede as a collective programming of the human mind in a way that one can distinguish between two groups of people based on an undertanding of their cultural differences (2001: 9). Adler (2002: 16), however, defines it as a way of life, as stereotyped human behaviour as trasnmitted from one generation to the next through things like language and imitation. Again, House et al (2004: 15) hold culture to be certain shared processes that include shared ways of thinking, human reactions, feelings, identities, social structures, the ways in which technology is used and even the ways in which history, religeon or language are percieved or experienced. The distinction between two different groups of people based on culture actually consists of distinguishing between two different sets of values, behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that are shared within the specific group and even transmitted collectively within the members. It is this difference in culture national culture being one vital kind or mnaifestation of basic cultural attributes - that characterizes people of specific nationalities ofr effectively distinguishing between the people of two different countries so that different national cultrual expectations need to be addressed by multinational enterprises when trying to do successful business across national boundaries.

2. National culture and its dimensions Hence,it is obviously important here to first understand what national culture actually is. Leung et al (2005) observes that national cuture is the culture of a national group which esentially comrpises certain beliefs, norms,behavioral patterns and values. There are many factors like ecology, language, history, wars, traditions, religeon, etc. that help shape such national culture

and also gets refelcted in the national laws, educational institutions, political structures, emotional expectations, social and behavioral structrues and considerations, adoption of technology and so on. While scholars like Schwartz (1999: 25) do not hold culture as demarcating national boundaries, there are those like House et al (2004: 22) who observe that culture can differ within national borders as well. Triandis ( 1994: 19) even cautions against considering culture in terms of narrow criteria and advises that culture is actually a complex whole derived from many different criterions. However, in as much as the people of different countries hold their own distinct set of values, opinions, beliefs, reactions, behavioral patterns, social outlook and sense of identity that may be similar or dissimilar from one national group to another, it becomes critically neccesary for nultinational enteprises like hospitality and tourism buisnesses to be aware of culture in all its manifestations in the different coutries of operations in order to do business in a sustained and proftiable manner. These national culture aspects or dimensions are actually what Hofstede (1980) referred to as national culture dimensions or cultural dimensions of national variability.

3. Hofstedes concept of cultural dimensions 4. Effect of national culture on international hospitality enterprises 5. Applying Hofstedes cultural dimensions concept to global hospitality businesses 6. Discussion and conclusion 7. References