ESTONIAN CULTURE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF HOFSTEDE’S MODEL (CASE OF HOTEL INDUSTRY)

Maaja Vadi¹, Riin Meri²

¹University of Tartu,

²Domina Coral Bay Resort & Casino: StarCasino Ltd.

Abstract. Our study presents the measuring of Estonian culture in the framework of Hofstede’s model. The questionnaire that consists of nine cases from a hotel’s everyday activity was developed and the representatives of the hotel industry were interviewed. The position of Estonians was established in comparison with Italians and Egyptians. Two- dimensional models were composed for Estonians on the basis of the current study and the Hofstede’s findings about Italians and Egyptians. Estonians were found to be close to Germans and the Swiss rather than the Scandinavian people according to our results.

Keywords: Hofstede’s model, cultural dimensions, Estonians, Italians, Egyptians, hotel industry