Website Design and Localisation: A Content Analysis of Malaysian Universities Websites

Design of a neutral and universal website for all countries and cultures is yet a challenging
task. It appears that there is a need for a local website to address a particular culture. To some extent,
culture dimensions can be applied to identify differences amongst cultures that may have an effect on
how people make decisions. This study is a form of continuation of the previous study (Ahmed,
Mouratidis and Preston, 2007). It applies simultaneously Hofstede’s individualism/collectivism,
power distance and Hall’s High/Low-context cultural dimensions as the main guideline to examine
the evidence of the Malaysian culture on selected local universities’ websites. A content analysis of
Malaysian universities’ web pages highlights a considerable reflection in representing its cultural
values on the local websites.

Citation:
Ahmed, T., Mouratidis, H., Preston, D. (2008) ‘Website Design and Localisation: A Content Analysis of Malaysian Universities Websites’ Proceedings of Advances in Computing and Technology, (AC&T) The School of Computing and Technology 3rd Annual Conference, University of East London, pp.119-127.