Geometrical Measurement of Cultural Differences
针对Kogut和Singh的文化距离指数研究结果矛盾的问题，本文提出将文化视为基于霍夫斯泰德维度的权重向量，并用向量夹角测量文化差异，通过数学模拟和出口营销实证检验其效果。
Differences and similarities between countries, regions, and cultures lie at the core of international business, and they are often measured in the form of a distance index originally proposed by Kogut and Singh. Because research results using this index are ambivalent, critical observers have challenged the concept and proposed partial remedies in the form of a standardized Euclidean or Mahalanobis distance measure. This article suggests a different avenue, construes culture as a weight vector based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and specifies a geometrical difference measurement using the angle of heterogeneity between two such vectors. Its performance is assessed using a mathematical simulation and an empirical example from the field of export marketing, which considers the effect of culture on bilateral export flows.