Influence of Context and Culture on Managerial Perceptions and Practices in the Turkish Software Industry

This article provides an empirical examination of the Turkish software industry to understand how its current profile, managerial practices and perceptions are shaped by the context of an emerging economy and its cultural background. In comparison to a developed economy with a very different culture, Austria, employees, know-how, and access to new technologies are perceived as less important, while productivity and sales are considered more important. Marketing to foreign countries as well as policy related factors are perceived as more important barriers, while domestic rivalry, software piracy, and e-business readiness are perceived as smaller growth barriers. The domestic market is relatively developed, but rivalry is low and dominated by large companies, many of which have a close relationship with their few clients. Generally, the companies seem to exhibit a short-sighted perspective, with a limited focus on process maturity, improvement and investments in continuous training of employees, in line with the prevailing culture.