Culture: business behaviors, consumer behaviors
Coffee, soft drinks, Internet usage, shopping habits, liquid soap,
and food storage
How is clothing related to culture?
How are consumer products like detergent related to culture?
How are foods related to culture?
How is cleanliness related to culture?
How are toys related to culture?
Parts of Culture
Who shops? What appliances are in the home?
Norms - rules of business and consumer behavior:
e.g. why take a business person to dinner? why wear
ties?
Roles - who does what, who drives? Who buys toys?
Values - what is liked- what is a “good” beer?
Beliefs - what is true - medicine and cures
Customs - what is done routinely
Rituals - a set of repeated behaviors, any behaviors regarding your
product?
Artifacts - things associated with customs, rituals - e.g. special
coffee cups
Defining Culture
It provides meaning and order
It lets us know how to structure business meetings.
It helps us to understand how consumers think.
It endures yet changes: learned,interrelated, shared
Self Reference Criterion - what do things mean in terms of what I am
used to?
Cultural Universals - what is common to all cultures? How are
these commonalities translated into products that meet the unique needs
in specific markets? How are methods of purchase adjusted for each market?
How are methods of communicating adapted?
Defining Culture in Terms of Consumers
The A-B-C-D Paradigm - a framework for building a system of understanding
Consider the products in our cases
Can they access your product? how do they find out about products?
What is the buying process? Who shops?
What are consumption behaviors? What are the effects of social class,
culture, households, etc?? How is the product used?
How do they dispose of the product? Habits and enviromental rules
Elements of Culture
Material Life - what do average people have? Which appliances are common
in the home?
Language - how do they talk about specific products?
spoken, silent - is there a consumer language?
Vocabulary, Idioms, Grammar, Cultural references, Understanding the
Foreigner
Social Interactions - Friendship - how are products used? e.g. when
are coffee or soft drinks consumed? When are toys given? What types
of toys?
Language of Space - how are stores arranged?
Language of Time: ptime and mtime
Aesthetics - what is beautiful - e.g. music
Elements of Culture (cont)
Religion
Marketing in an Islamic Framework
People in the US are not used to the impact of religion on legislated
behaviors
Are any of these products regulated by religious custom? Are
any prohibited?
McDonald's examples - let's consider their web site
Saudi Arabia is a good example
Education - can be surprising -
look up Costa Rica and South Africa for literacy
But - what is literacy? Consumer literacy
Cross - Cultural Comparisons
High- versus Low-Context Cultures
Cultural Homogeneity
homophilous vs heterophilous (major differences within)
Hofstede’s Classification Scheme
power distance, uncertainty avoidance,
individualism, masculinity, longtermism
Uncertainty Avoidance vs Power Distance
Masculinity vs. Individualism
How are these characteristics used in business interactions? In consumer
situations?
Behavior Patterns
Cultural Exclusives: persons who are not members of the culture should
not do what? Do any behaviors involve your products?
Cultural Imperatives: all persons are expected to do, even when
visiting - your products?
Cultural Adiaphora; It is up to you
http://www.jetro.go.jp
Factual vs. interpretive knowledge
The toy is a soldier vs. the toy is warlike and forbidden
The soles of your shoes are showing vs. the soles of your shoes are
insulting!!!
Product Preferences
Preferred product attributes may differ significantly or may be quite
similar as we move from country to country
Even if the attributes are the same, the level of importance given
to each may differ based on the beliefs and value system
Attributes are likely to be related to the customary ways of meeting
unmet needs in specific cultures - how is the need typically met? Is our
product presenting a new way of meeting those needs?
Cross Cultural Negotiations
Stages of Negotiation Process
non-task soundings
task-related information exchange
persuasion
concessions and agreements
Cross Cultural Negotiations (cont)
Employ an Agent or Advisor
Involve a Mediator
Induce the Counterpart to Follow One’s Own Negotiation Script
Adapt to Counterpart Negotiation Script
Coordinate Adjustment of Both Parties
Embrace the Counterpart’s Script
Improvise an Approach
Effect Symphony
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