“As no two cultures or two individuals are quite alike, the cultural differences and potential incompatibilities that the interactants bring to a specific encounter can add complexity to the counseling experience.”.which is said by Carmella H. Woll(1996). As is widely known that the culture play a very important role in people’s lives, such as that the way of thinking and doing are all related to the culture. According to what Hofstede found that the different culture and social background will make people’s behavior and thinking mode be different. It is illustrated that the marketing is a societal process,which means that the individuals and groups in different countries gain the things what they need and want through the methods of freely …show more content…
There are different ways to define the international marketing by Usunier(2002). Firstly, international marketing is a wide view of emphasizing on the foreign market operations, in this way, which is near the concept of international business. Secondly, international marketing can be considered as a design of marketing strategies for foreign markets in some ways,which means international marketing is based on marketing, including consumer behavior and marketing research. Finally, international marketing can also be defined as using marketing concepts and practices to improve the internationalization process of marketing knowledge.
3.The influence of culture on international marketing
If a company try to enter in a foreign market, what can not be avoided is the culture differences. According to Greet Hofstede 's Cultural Dimensions, there are five dimensions of culture, which are power/distance(PD), individualism(IDV), masculinity(MAS), uncertainty/avoidance index(UAI), long term orientation(LTO). PD is the extent to which the members of organizations have less power who accept and expect that the unequal power. It suggests that a level
Global marketing is defined as marketing on a worldwide scale, or taking commercial advantage of global operational differences, similarities and opportunities in order to meet global objectives. Marketing managers are also tasked with the responsibility of “wringing the pennies out of the activities.” Basically, they are responsible for and add value to their activities that will contribute to a higher value in the mind of their consumers. Managers must understand the role of their salespeople as marketers – they must collaborate and support them. They must work with their supply chain functional managers to accommodate international customer preferences. Communication must flow up and down the chain quickly in order to respond to emerging international marketing threats and opportunities. It is essential to monitor the firm’s global marketing efforts in a global market.
Marketing is the process of searching for options for accumulating profits by identifying the demands of the people and satisfying their needs with appropriate products. In today’s globalized business world, marketing can play a vital role in establishing trade blocks all over the globe with competitive and cutting edge market, research, policies, strategies and activities.
Societies have different cultures and people in each culture are grown and raised with a set of norms, values, and beliefs. These shared values and beliefs are learned from their childhood through their adulthood. Culture is not something which everyone is born with, but it is something which everyone learns while growing up. It does not only influence the daily lives, but it also influences the business activities which take place in that particular society. Many of us work with people who have different backgrounds and that makes it important for us to understand the differences between cultures. So, although cultures might look similar, there are differences in many aspects which distinguish them from each other. There are five cultural
" The influence of culture on advertising effectiveness in China and the USA: A cross-cultural study", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 78, No. 1, pp. 137-137 31 Iss.
In internationalization, the most challenging decision faced by the company to choose between standardization and adaptation in its operations, products or services. It has been one of the important and most popular research topics since 1960s to understand whether standardization is better or adaptation for marketing mix in international marketing. The increasing role of international expansion of business across the borders has also increased the focus of companies towards the international marketing strategies. It is also a biggest challenge for companies to better understand the different needs and choice of customers due to the huge differences among the cultures from various nationalities. This leads to the dilemma in the mind of marketers to understand which strategy is effective and good - standardization or adaptation. There is a significant impact of standardization or adaptation on all avenues of business such as research & development, structure, marketing mix, production, finance and marketing mix. The attitude of a company towards the culture of a particular country in which it is going to enter or start its operations decides to choose between standardization and adaptation. Consider the different views and arguments for each standardization and adaptation, this essay critically analyze which strategy is better to choose for international marketing.
Cultural Differences in Hofstede’s Six Dimensions According to Professor Geert Hofstede, dimensionalizing a culture requires a complex analysis of a multitude of categories including differing nations, regions, ethnic groups, religions, organizations, and genders. Hofstede defines culture as "the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another". Throughout his many years of contribution as a social scientist, he has conducted arguably the most comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture, leading to the establishment of the Six Dimensions of National Culture. From this research model, the dimensions of Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term Orientation, and Indulgence are defined according to their implication on individual countries, which when comparatively examined provide a broad understanding of cultural diversity as it relates to the workplace. Identification and Definition of the Six Dimensions In initially defining each of Hofstede's dimensions, a foundational understanding of the six categories is established, from which a greater understanding of different cultures can be built off of.
Steve Kafka, an American of Czech origin and a franchisor for Chicago Style Pizza, has decided to expand his business into the Czech Republic. He knows it is a risky decision; when he became a franchisor, he had to overcome a lot of difficulties. Steve anticipates he will face some of these difficulties again at the new location in Prague, Czech Republic. Although he was born in the United States, he has family and friends in the Czech Republic, speaks Czech fluently, and has visited the country of his origin several times. He knows the people and the culture. In this paper, I will analyze the cross-cultural differences between the United States and Czech Republic, determine comparative advantages in this country, and recommend ways to minimize the risks of establishing a franchise overseas.
Mooij,M de.2004.Consumer Behavior and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and Advertising. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Our economic development will forever be defined as our ability to succeed internationally. PwC forecasts India’s real annual GDP growth until 2050 at 8.9 percent, Vietnam’s at 8.8 percent, and China’s at 5.9 percent. The list of fast-growing emerging markets goes on and on. The U.S. forecast is a meager 2.4 percent, comparable with most Western economies. The domestic companies that are likely to see incremental growth in the coming decades are those that are not only doing business internationally, but that are developing the strategic skill set to master doing business across cultures. Cross-cultural core competence is at the crux of today’s sustainable competitive advantage. For example, political environment will tell us, as to how and why political leaders control, whether and how of international business. Legal environment, both national and international will tell us about many kinds of laws by which business firms must work. The cultural environment will tell us about attitudes, beliefs and opinions important to business people. Economic environment will tell us about the economic system being followed by the host country, which may or may not be different from home country. It will also explain the variables such as level of development, human resources, Gross Domestic Per Capita and consumption patterns that determine a firm’s ability to do business. Geography will tell us about location, quantity, and quality of the world’s resources.
Svensson, G., 2001. 'Globalization' of Business Activities: A 'Global Strategy' Approach, Management Decision, 39(1), pp.6-18.
The Hofstede model of national culture differences, based on research carried out in the early seventies, is the first major study to receive worldwide attention. This influential model of cultural traits identifies five dimensions of culture that help to explain how and why people from various cultures behave as they do. According to Hofstede (1997) culture is Ù[ collective programming of the mind? This referring to a set of assumptions, beliefs, values and practices that a group of people has condoned as a result of the history of their engagements with one another and their environment over time. In this study, culture refers to a set of core values and behavioural patterns people have due to socialisation to a certain culture. The author̼ theoretical framework will be applied to compare differing management practices in China and the West. The five measurements of culture identified by the author are:
Regardless of the success of your company on a national scale, to engage yourself in a successful venture outside of your borders requires several critical elements that one must acknowledge and apply with great care. One of those requirements would be to thoroughly research the cultural environment in which you wish to launch your product no matter how popular and indispensable you believe it might be. In the past, many national giants have hit the wall when introducing a foreign market or launching a new marketing campaign because of the cultural gap they encountered on the other side of their borders. Another way of preventing a flop on an international market is to carefully study the economical past of this country, which might differ quite a bit from the one the company flourished in. In addition to the previous precautions, it Would be advise to make sure that your product will blend seamlessly within the spending habits of the consumers. Overall, meticulous market studies and patience often constitute the way to success on a foreign soil.
The differences in other cultures vary from beliefs to ways of life, or norms, of the different societies. The importance of understanding and sensitivity to other countries’ differences is crucial to a business’ success. “Lack of familiarity with the business practices, social customs, and etiquette of a country can weaken a co...
International Marketing, at its simplest level, involves the firm making one or more marketing mix decisions across national boundaries (Jobber, 2010). At its most complex level, it involves the firm establishing manufacturing facilities overseas and coordinating marketing strategies across the globe (Jobber, 2010). There are various reasons for going global, some of which are: to find opportunities beyond saturated domestic markets; to seek expansion beyond small, low growth domestic markets; to meet customers’ expectations; to respond to the competitive forces for example the desire to attack an overseas competitor; to act on cost factor for example to gain economies of scale in order to achieve a balanced growth portfolio. The methods of market entry that could be used are indirect exporting (for example, using domestic –based export agents), direct exporting (for example, foreign –based distributors), licensing, joint venture and direct investment. I found this par...
Miroshnik, V. (2002). Culture and international management: a review' The Journal of Management Development 21(7): 521-544