Cultural Effects on Distance Learning Applications: a Comparison of Long Term Oriented and Short Term Oriented Cultures

We focus on Global Software Development from the users’ perspective and find that cultural differences impact IS success. With ever expanding globalization, applications are increasingly being accessed by culturally diverse groups. Many times this was not planned by the developers who designed the applications for an assumed homogeneous population Thus, software developers need to take into account the cultural differences of their potential users. This is especially true for Distance Learning (DL) applications in which geographical boundaries virtually disappear. This study focuses on DL applications to demonstrate that culture matters in software development. In this study we use rarely applied cultural dimension of long-term orientation (Hofstede & Bond, 1988; Hofstede, 2001) to investigate the impact culture has on DL success as measured by perceived interaction difficulty, satisfaction, and self-reported learning. Designers of DL applications need to incorporate features that appeal to both short-term and longterm oriented cultures. Short-term oriented cultures value efficiency; therefore, they will tend to prefer tools that streamline the process such as email, automated quiz taking and grading, the ability to submit work online, and applications that load quickly. We expect Mediterranean countries will lean towards the short-term orientation side of the scale and, thus, will value these efficiencies. Longterm oriented cultures value effectiveness; therefore, they will tend to prefer tools that enrich the process such as discussion boards, chat rooms, and perhaps an “electronic student lounge” with the ability to exchange bios, stories, and pictures. We expect some Mediterranean countries will also appreciate these tools.