Dimensions of Culture

Implications on Consumer
Behavior
CULTURE
 Is defined as the complex whole that
includes knowledge, belief, art, law,
morals, customs and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by humans as
members of society.

--D.J. McCort &

Naresh K. Malhotra
Characteristics of Culture
 Culture is invented-ideological component
-technological ,,
-organizational ,,
 Culture is learnt
 Culture is shared
 Culture satisfies needs
 Cultures are similar but different
 Culture is not static
Cultural Values
 Are enduring beliefs that a given
behaviour or outcome is desirable or
good.
--Milton J Rokeach
Our values, as enduring beliefs, serve as
standards that guide our behaviour across
situations and over time.
Cultural values-categories
(G.Hofstede)
 Other oriented
 Environment oriented
 Self-oriented
Other-oriented values
 Are those that represent a society’s view
of the proper relationships between
individuals and groups within that society.
Other oriented values
 Individual/ collective
 Youth/ age
 Extended/ limited family
 Masculine/ feminine
 Competitive/ cooperative
 Diversity/ uniformity
Environment-oriented values
 Set down directions concerning a society’s
relationship to its economic, technical and
physical environment.
Environment oriented values
 Cleanliness
 Performance/ status
 Tradition/ change
 Risk taking/ security
 Problem solving/ fatalistic
 nature
Self-oriented values
 Are those that reflect the desirable goals
and approaches, to life of individual
members of a society.
Self oriented values
 Active/ passive
 Sensual gratification/ abstinence
 Material/ non-material
 Hard work/ leisure
 Postponed gratification/ immediate
gratification
 Religious/ secular
Cultural differences in non-verbal
communication
 Time
 Space
 Symbols
 Friendship
 Agreements
 Things
 Etiquette