Cultural influence also directly affects the climate for business in general and international business in particular. National ideology determines how members of a culture view the role of business and how strong the culture's identity is. These factors in turn determine attitudes toward foreigners, foreign products, and foreign ideas. They also set the stage for nationalism, a collection of attitudes or policies designed to protect the group's cultural identity and independence. New ideas or products must be culturally compatible and that occurs when they are perceived as having an advantage over other ways of meeting a need. Nevertheless, some cultures are more resistant to changes than others. And, from what we know about diffusion of innovations in the United States, not all groups in a society are likely to adopt new products at the same time. The different groups have different demographic and status characteristics as well as values.
Social structure is another cultural variable that influences buyer behavior and motivation. There are distinctive values in traditional, inner-directed, and other-directed societies that determine attitudes toward the importance of, and change in, consumption behavior.
An important concept in analyzing the impact of culture is the role of cultural universals – the basic needs shared by all peoples. How those needs are met define cultural differences. In most cases, international marketers have little need to understand all the ways a foreign culture may differ from their own: A skeleton of cultural differences could be built by studying a culture's primary message system; however, in order to focus on the impact of culture on use or demand for a particular product or service, the manager can choose a critical message system and study how it intersects with the others. Last, it must be noted that some cultures are truly international today.
5. Complete the following sentences using words or word combinations from the text.
1) The lack of cross-cultural behavioral theory makes it necessary for the marketer … each cultural situation in which he or she wishes to sell products almost … .
2) The first step in such an analysis should be …the general sociological climate toward business, foreigners, and new products.
3) Criteria for defining such a climate are …ideology, views …foreigners, the nature and extent of nationalism, and attitudes toward and the process of diffusion of innovations.
4) There are several … to overcome in estimating cultural impact.
5) Of foremost importance is the need to …the influence of one's own culture in interpreting another.
6) Yet it is the … that may be more important to a marketer.
7) A skeleton of cultural differences could be built by … a culture's primary message system.
Discussion
Discuss the following points.
1) How does language affect our thinking patterns?
2) Do you think that our native language reflects our cultural peculiarities
3) Discuss how the relative roles of institutional and secular values have changed in your culture over the last fifty years.
4) How does the role of the family vary in different cultures?
5) Explain several different types of, and purposes for, educational systems in a society.
6) How do roles of women in the work force affect buying behavior?
7) Discuss how different class structures might affect consumption patterns in Sweden, the U.S., and Peru.
8) How might our cultural values in aesthetics affect our product preferences
9) How can the international marketer minimize resistance to new products in foreign markets?
10) What are the problems faced by international marketers in estimating the impact of culture in a foreign market?
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