"Aboriginal people share a common commitment to address the economic challenges facing their communities. Though not widely recognized, many communities throughout the country are beginning to experience economic success in areas ranging from small business development to larger scale commercial projects. Aboriginal people can, and have, succeeded on “their own terms”, adapting mainstream business practices to their own strongly held values and cultures. For complex reasons, others continue to struggle.
"Based on a case study of a Native-operated criminal justice organization, this article uses Hofstede'sfive dimensions of national cultural differences to examine the connections between cultural values and management practices. It concludes that Hofstede's dimensions can provide insights into the differences between Native and non-Native cultures and how Native organizations may draw on traditional cultural values to improve organizational effectiveness. In general, Native cultures are described as collectivist, egalitarian, adaptive, and tolerant.
"This study examines the historical development of corporate governance structures in First Nations communities in British Columbia, where development corporations are employed to assist privately-owned and community-owned entrepreneurial enterprises. First Nations entrepreneurial activity functions in an environment where business must market to a global economy while preserving traditional values, beliefs and other cultural elements. A brief history of First Nations and their enterprise development efforts is presented.
"Almost a decade after the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP, 1996) - an international decade dedicated by the United Nations to Indigenous People - it is timely to reflect on the state of the Aboriginal economy, on what has been achieved in Aboriginal economic development, how success is measured, and what barriers persist.
