Examining the Use of Hofstede’s Uncertainty Avoidance Construct as a Definition or Brief Comparison in Ethics Research

Abstract

The goal of this research was to determine the manner in which Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance construct has been incorporated into international research. Hofstede's work is often referenced in this realm of work, but how, specifically, is it used? This study provides a framework of this dimension from Hofstede's work that other researchers can use as a resource for planning articles and/or as a benchmark upon which to develop further studies. During our data gathering, we identified 118 articles in the Journal of International Business Studies (i.e., the outlet for his initial article) that used Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance. Three articles mentioned uncertainty avoidance in the research notes and 15 used uncertainty avoidance to support positions taken in the literature review. Forty-one articles used uncertainty avoidance while explaining their research hypotheses. Of the remaining 59 articles, 29 used Hofstede's data to compare countries using composite indices, and 30 used uncertainty avoidance as an independent or control variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Business Research is the property of Canadian Center of Science & Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)