COMPARISON BETWEEN

CHINA AND PHILIPPINES

WITH THE USE
OF DIMENSION IN
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

SUBMITTED BY: DANIEL R. DEL CARMEN

TRACY ALMANDRES D. DAMASO
SUBJECT: ORAL COMMUNICATION
SUBMITTED TO: MS. VANESSA BAYSA
DEADLINE SUBMISSION: OCTOBER 16, 2023

POWER DISTANCE
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal - it expresses the
attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us.

CHINA (80)
- At 80 China sits in the higher rankings of PDI – i.e. a society that believes that inequalities
amongst people are acceptable. are influenced by formal authority and sanctions and are in
general optimistic about people’s capacity for leadership and initiative. People should not have
aspirations beyond their rank.

PHILIPPINES (94)
- At a score of 94, The Philippines is a hierarchical society. This means that people accept a
hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification.
Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular,
subordinates expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat.

INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society
maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people's self-image is defined in terms
of "I" or "We"

CHINA (20)
- At a score of 20 China is a highly collectivist culture where people act in the interests of the
group and not necessarily of themselves. In-group considerations affect hiring and promotions
with closer in-groups (such as family) are getting preferential treatment. Employee commitment
to the organization (but not necessarily to the people in the organization) is low.

PHILIPPINES (32)
- The Philippines, with a score of 32, is considered a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a
close long-term commitment to the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family, or
extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other
societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes
responsibility for fellow members of their group.

MASCULINITY & FEMENITY

A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the
crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the
best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).
CHINA (66)
- At 66 China is a Masculine society –success oriented and driven. The need to ensure success
can be exemplified by the fact that many Chinese will sacrifice family and leisure priorities to
work. Service people (such as hairdressers) will provide services until very late at night. Leisure
time is not so important.

PHILIPPINES (64)
- The Philippines scores 64 on this dimension and is thus a Masculine society. In Masculine
countries people “live in order to work”, managers are expected to be decisive and assertive, the
emphasis is on equity, competition and performance and conflicts are resolved by fighting them
out.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact
that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen?

CHINA (30)
- At 30 China has a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance. Truth may be relative though in the
immediate social circles there is concern for Truth with a capital T and rules (but not necessarily
laws) abound. The Chinese are comfortable with ambiguity. Chinese are adaptable and
entrepreneurial. At the time of writing the majority (70% -80%) of Chinese businesses tend to be
small to medium sized and family owned.

PHILIPPINES (44)
- The Philippines scores 44 on this dimension and thus has a low preference for avoiding
uncertainty. Low UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more
than principles and deviance from the norm is more easily tolerated. In societies exhibiting low
UAI, people believe there should be no more rules than are necessary and if they are ambiguous
or do not work they should be abandoned or changed. Schedules are flexible, hard work is
undertaken when necessary but not for its own sake, precision and punctuality do not come
naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening.
LONG TERM ORIENTATION
This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while
dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritise these two existential
goals differently.

CHINA (87)
- China scores 87 in this dimension, which means that it is a very pragmatic culture. In societies
with a pragmatic orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context
and time. They show an ability to adapt traditions easily to changed conditions, a strong
propensity to save and invest, thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results.

PHILIPPINES (27)
- A very low score of 27 indicates that the Philippines are more normative than pragmatic.
People in such societies have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth; they are
normative in their thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity
to save for the future, and a focus on achieving quick results.

INDULGENCE
This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses,
based on the way they were raised. Relatively weak control is called "Indulgence" and relatively
strong control is called "Restraint".

CHINA (24)
- China is a Restrained society as can be seen in its low score of 24 in this dimension. Societies
with a low score in this dimension have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism. Also, in contrast
to Indulgent societies, Restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control
the gratification of their desires. People with this orientation have the perception that their
actions are Restrained by social norms and feel that indulging themselves is somewhat wrong.

PHILIPPINES (42)
- With a low score of 42, the culture of the Philippines is one of Restraint. Societies with a low
score in this dimension have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism. Also, in contrast to
Indulgent societies, Restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control
the gratification of their desires. People with this orientation have the perception that their
actions are Restrained by social norms and feel that indulging themselves is somewhat wrong.