Rules of Conduct Are Culturally Specific

Norms of propriety are culturally and locally specific: the Korean hotel staff graciously declined a tip not because they preferred less money but because, in their cultural rule system, excellent service was their duty rather than a beneficent act above the call of duty, illustrating that conduct -- not utility maximization -- governs behavior and that both parties' apparent 'irrationality' dissolves once propriety is understood.