Exploring cross-cultural variations in perceived soft skills among business students: A comparative analysis between Jordan and Hungary

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The study aims to examine similarities and differences in the way business students from different cultural backgrounds perceive soft skills based on Geert Hofstede’s cultural model. Four business universities in Jordan and one in Hungary were included in the study. Both samples included 313 respondents. The main reason for selecting business students was that soft skills are essential for finding a job in the professional labor market. The quantitative analysis was carried out using a questionnaire, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. The results confirmed a difference between Jordanian and Hungarian cultures in the perception of the importance of soft skills, which can be attributed to cultural differences. The Jordanian respondents gave the highest mean scores for their own skills in communication (M: 4.28), teamwork (M: 4.22), ethical skills (M: 4.17), and self-awareness (M: 4.17), while the Hungarian sample gave the highest mean score for teamwork (M: 4.29), ethical skills (M: 4.23), and empathy (M: 4.19). Furthermore, students also differed in terms of which skills they thought employers valued as necessary for a career starter. Jordanian young people gave the highest average score to responsibility (M: 4.12) and admitting when wrong (M: 4.41), while Hungarians gave the highest average score to communication (M: 4.13) and problem-solving (M: 4.10).

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    • Table 1. Sample demographics
    • Table 2. Importance of soft skills in the workplace
    • Table 3. t-test for H1
    • Table 4. Ratings of soft skills
    • Table 5. t-test for H2
    • Conceptualization
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Formal Analysis
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Investigation
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Methodology
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Resources
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Software
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Supervision
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Visualization
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Writing – original draft
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Writing – review & editing
      Mohamedbashir Baniismail, Tímea Juhász
    • Data curation
      Tímea Juhász