The reflections of cultural differences on international businesses: Identifying the experiences of Turkish companies in Somalia

Even though the humanity proceeds towards a more global and homogenous culture, cultural diversity among countries will remain for a long time. Beyond the fact that the culture affects the daily life and the interaction among people deeply, it has an enormous influence on the way people make business in firms. Furthermore, the success of international businesses heavily depends on how good the managers know about the culture in which the company operates. Firms that operate in a different culture struggle with the problems arisen from the cultural differences between home and host countries. This study aims to identify the reflections of the cultural differences on the international firms, within the scope of Somalia and Turkey, from the perspectives of managers of Turkish firms operating in Somalia. The data used in this study, where qualitative research model is used, has been gathered through a series of interviews with 23 Turkish managers. The findings suggest that the participants point to great differences between Somalia and Turkey in terms of both the elements of national culture and the dimensions of national cultures, developed by Hofstede. According to the participants, similarities between the two cultures is limited to sharing the same religion. Keywords: International business, Culture, National culture, Cultural differences, Somalia, Turkey.