CROSS CULTURAL ISSUES

IN
INTERNATIONAL
MARKETING
•Globalization is an inevitable* process in the
21th century , and so is the cross-culturalization.
•Marketing is now a world-encompassing**
discipline.
•The claim for a “a right to culture” by national
cultures can be important criteria*** for trade
policy making

*inevitable: unavoidable, inescapable, certain

**world-encompassing: surrounding the world
***criteria : standard or principle
What is Culture?
 The sum total of values, attitudes, behaviours and
symbols that are transmitted within groups and
communicated to successive* generations.

Culture is a significant** lens that influences the

way people think, perceive and act.

*Successive : continuous, sequential

**significant: important, consequential; meaningful
What is Cross Culture?
 Intersection* of two or more
cultures is Cross-culture.

*intersection: crossing ,convergence

Understanding Cross
Culture
 Cross Cultural Communication in
Business
• Effective communication with customers, suppliers and
associates in different countries.
• Effective negotiations
•Predict trends in social behaviour
•Understand ethical standards in various countries
•Predict consumer reactions to advertisements, promotions
• Promote employee-management relationships
•Understand local government policies
Dimensions of Cross Culture
 Hofstede’s Four Dimensions

• Power Distance
• Individualism vs. Collectivism
• Masculinity vs. Femininity
• Uncertainty Avoidance
 Power Distance
Measures how subordinates respond to power and authority.

High-power distance countries

Latin America,most Asian & African countries

Low-power distance countries

US, Britain, most of the rest of Europe

 Individualism Vs. Collectivism
The extent to which the self or the group constitutes the
center point of identification for the individual.

Individualistic Culture
France, Germany, South Africa, Canada

Collectivist Cultures
Japan, India, Mexico, Korea
 Masculinity vs. Femininity
Dominant values are Success, Money and Things

Feminine pole countries - Values good working

relationship with their supervisors; working with people
who cooperate well with one another and living in an area
desirable to themselves and to their families.
Sweden; France, Israel, Denmark, Indonesia

Masculine pole countries - Values a high opportunity for

earnings, getting the recognition, having an opportunity for
advancement & challenging work to do.
US, Japan, Mexico, Hong Kong, Italy, Great Britain
 Uncertainty Avoidance
The extent to which uncertainty and ambiguity* are
tolerated.
Strong uncertainty avoidance countries
South Korea, Japan and Latin America

Weak uncertainty avoidance countries

US, Netherlands; Singapore, Hong Kong, Britain

* ambiguity: not clarity

Correlates of Cross Culture
 Correlates of Cross-Culture
 Language
•spoken
•written
 Non-verbal communication
•body & facial expression
•gestures
 Meta Communication
Symbols
•company & religious logos
 Body language

•In Buddhist Thailand never cross legs.

The sole of the foot is the furthest part from
heaven and the least sacred. To show the
bottom of the foot to someone is to show
disrespect
 Facial Expressions
 Smiling in Japan is strongly associated with
nervousness, social discomfort, or sorrow

Raised eyebrows mean different

things in different cultures:
• North America Interest/Surprise
• U.K Scepticism
• Arab World “No”
• India & China Disagreement
Barriers in Cross-Cultural
Communication
 Barriers in Cross-Cultural
Communication
•Semantics*
•Barriers caused by word connotations**
•Barriers caused by tone differences
•Barriers caused by differences among perceptions

*semantic: study of the meaning and use of words and phrases

**connotation : inferred meaning
 Barriers caused by SEMANTICS

Same word may mean different things to different

people. Some words may not even translate
between cultures.
Example: English terms such as efficiency , free
market and regulation are not directly translatable
into Russian
 Barriers caused by WORD CONNOTATIONS

Words imply different things in different languages.

Example: Negotiations between Americans and

Japanese executives ,for instance, are made more
difficult because the Japanese word ‘hai’ translates as
“yes” but its connotation may be “ yes,I’m listening”,
rather than “yes, I agree”.
 Barriers caused by TONE DIFFERENCES

In some cultures , language is formal , in others it is

informal. In some cultures , the tone changes
depending on the context : people speak differently at
home , in social situations and at work.
 Barriers caused by differences among PERCEPTIONS

People who speak different languages actually

view the world in different ways.
Example: Thais perceive “no” differently than do
Americans because the former have no such word in
their vocabulary.
Steps Towards Effective
Cross-Cultural Marketing
 Cross-Cultural Marketing

Is defined as the strategic process of marketing

among customers whose culture differs from
that of marketer’s own culture at least in one of
the fundamental cultural aspects.
 Points to Remember
 Be aware of your own culture
 Understand and respect others
 Believe in mutual* sharing and learning
 Assume differences until similarity is proven
 Determine where the differences lie
 Determine how to best overcome the differences
 Find common ground: build bridges
Be Supportive
 Keep It Simple

*mutual: shared by each of pairs