"IMPACT OF CULTURE ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING"

AUTHOR: MD. JOYNAL ABDIN BBA (GUB), MBA (SEU) CELL: +88 - 01813-318620 E-MAIL: mdjoynal@gmail.com

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Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1267863

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EXECUTIVE SUMMERY Culture is the totality of our life style & personality. At a glance is can be said that, culture is that what we are i.e. our way of dressings, specking, eating, thinking, learning, attitude, believes, values, norms etc all included in our culture. International marketing is the marketing activities of a company outside their country of origin. Culture has a great impact on international marketing. A marketer must have to study about the local culture in-depth before offering a product to them. Because of every marketing promotion has done to promote the product i.e. communicating product feature to the customers and influence customers to buy it. To have an effective communication one must send the message according to the receivers culture, customs and learning process. There are some major barriers by which effective communication can be hampered. Self Reference Criterion (SRC) and Ethnocentrism can make the effort worthless. Here we can draw an example how SRC can make all effort worthless. As we know that Disney land is a name of success in the amusement park business around the globe. But when they have started their journey in France they faced a tremendous problem and fall in billion Dollar loss. In USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan they earned a great amount of profit. But why they failed in France? Disney management started a study and fined out that self Reference Criteria of American managers make the French people hart. As a result they do not used to be here in Parish Disney Park. Not only in France out of every ten US managers eight have to replace from Saudi Arabia within three month of their joining. It is because they fail to cope with the Saudi culture and customs. It is human nature that, everything want to judge according to self learning process and Cultural measurement. But a single thing can have different meaning in different culture. For example showing thumb carries the signal of all right to the western but it carries a serious negative meaning to the Bengali rural people. For this reason a marketer in international market must have to convert his all thinking into the culture of the local people. Sometime marketer fails to make this conversion successfully as a result they fail to have local people attention and make huge loss.

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Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1267863

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OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY As the topic of my study is Impact of culture on international marketing this paper must have to make crystal clear thought of the following understanding: Identified elements of culture and examined how they affect marketing practices Described national and regional character and cultural variability worldwide Discussed impediments to mutual understanding and cooperation Analyzed the global consumer culture Examined the depth and effect of different cultural influences on international marketing Nature and Impact of Cultural Environment on International Marketing Knowledge of a culture can be gained by probing its various aspects but which aspects? Since culture is such a vast concept, it is a vast concept; it is desirable to develop a field for cultural understanding. From the viewpoint of a marketer, one way of gaining cultural understanding is to examine the following cultural elements within a country: material life, social interactions, language, aesthetics, religion and faith, pride and prejudice, and ethics and mores.

METHODOLOGY We know that research has done based on two types of data e.g. Primary data and Secondary data. Primary data are collected from the respondents directly for the current research. Secondary data are the information collected from pre published articles or books. Here in this paper we collect mainly secondary data to prepare this paper. We also add our personal thinking, teachers lecture and local peoples thinking about the topic. In this sense, this paper consists of both types of information Primary and Secondary data.

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Primary data is our thinking, teachers lecture and local peoples opinion about the topic. Secondary data is the ideas collected from some specialists articles we collect from internet.

PERIOD OF THE STUDY July & August 2008.

BENEFIT OF THE STUDY This study consists of a clear picture of cultures impact on international marketing. So this paper can be helpful for the marketers in following issues: a. Marketer should be more conscious about local consumers expectations. b. Advertisement should be constructed after thinking about the cultural views of locality. c. Product design and packaging should hold local traditions accordingly. d. Self Reference Criterion should be abolished. e. Ethnocentrism should be void. f. Finally, an international marketer must have to convert all his thinking into local peoples thinking according to their culture & customs.

LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY As a full time student we have to attend several classes, examinations, & other works during this study as a result some limitations may be here in this paper. Limitations may be described as follows: A. Time is limited so elaborations may not be done as it should do. B. We have budget constraint as a result we did not get access to some specialized articles. These may equip this paper up to a standard.

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BEGINNING Before discussing the impacts of culture on international marketing lets try to define
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Culture & international marketing clearly. Identify the elements of culture and examine how they affect marketing practices around the world. Describe national and regional character based on dimensions such as time orientation, business practices, gift giving, socializing, gender roles, and materialism Discuss cultural variability in terms of the Hofstede dimensions with appropriate examples and address cultural change in a marketing context Address the self-reference criterion and ethnocentrism and describe how they impeded mutual understanding and cooperation, with direct negative effects on marketing practices Describe the global consumer culture as it manifests itself around the world

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Then we will discuss cultural variability in terms of the Hofstede dimensions with appropriate examples and address cultural change in a marketing context. Address the self-reference criterion and ethnocentrism and describe how they impeded mutual understanding and cooperation, with direct negative effects on marketing practices.

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DEFINING CULTURE & INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

A. CULTURE: Culture is that what we are! Our way of speaking, eating, dressing, believes, norms, values and judgment everything included in our culture. Studying culture of a nation includes the overall study of a nations lifestyle, living standards, way of interaction everything they do from the morning up to go to the bed in late night included their culture. Not only that, believes, values, norms, and judgment also included into their culture.

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According to some specialists culture can be define as follows: a. Culture is a continuously changing totality of learned and shared meanings, rituals, norms, and traditions among the members of an organization or society. b. Set of commonly held values, a way of life of a group of people includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and habits. c. Everything that people have, think and do as members of their society. d. An integrated system of learned behavior patterns those are characteristic of the members of any given society. e. Dutch management professor Geert Hofstede refers to cultures as the software of mind and argues that it provides guidance for human being how to think and behave; it is a problem solving tool.
f. Anthropologist & Business consultant Edward Hall provides a

definition even more relevant to international marketing managers: The people we were advising kept bumping heads against an invisible barrier, we knew that they were up again was a complete different way of organizing life, of thinking and of conceiving the underlying assumption about the family and the state, the economic system and even the man himself. g. Hodson, former U.S ambassador to Japan describe culture as a thicket this last metaphor holds hope for struggling international marketers. According to the ambassador thickets are tough to get through, but effort and patience often leads to success. h. Most traditional definition of culture is Culture is the sum of the values, rituals, symbols, beliefs, and thought process that are learned, shared by a group of people, and transmitted to generations to generations.

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THE ORIGIN OF CULTURE

The origins; elements, and consequences of culture can be shown in the following figure at a glance:

Origins

Geography (Climate, Topography, Flora, Fauna, Histor Technology and political economy

Adaptation

Socialization / Acculturation Peers

Social Institutions (Family, Religion, School, Media, Government, Corporations)

n Imitatio

Elements of Culture (Values, Rituals, Symbols, Beliefs & Thought Process)

Application Consumptio n decisions & Behaviors Consequences Management Style

Figure: Origins, Elements, and Consequences of Culture

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B. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: In general understanding, international marketing is the marketing activities of a company outside its home country territory. Lets try to know the specialists views; I. International marketing is the performance of business activities design to plan, price, promote and direct the flow of companys goods and services to consumers or users in more than one nation for a profit. Here the author has given priority to the 4ps of marketing i.e. Product, price, place (Outside the home country), promotion and distribution. The most significant part of this definition is more than one nation. If transaction occurs inside the territory than it is known as domestic or native marketing. The last and final part is for a profit, if any transaction occurs without profit then it may know as donation or grants. But to be international marketing transaction must be occurred for a profit. II. International marketing is the profitable transactions of goods & services between two or more countries.

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ii.

IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS OF CULTURE AND EXAMINE HOW THEY AFFECT MARKETING PRACTICES AROUND THE WORLD.

Culture is a wide topic its elements include everything of a nations day to day living. Major elements of culture are as follows: A. Language (Spoken/Written Language): Same language can provide difference meaning in different culture. One particular language can have several regional formats. For example, in Bangladesh & West Bengal we are speaking Bangla but it has a clear distinction. Not only that, inside Bangladesh the people of Chittagong, Sylhet and North Bangle all speaks Bangla but in different tone and with different special words. A marketer must have to know the local language and tone to do marketing well. Otherwise he will fail to communicate his product or service to the local communities. Translator can be used in this purpose but its costly and may not be such effective. B. Nonverbal communication: Not only verbally but sometimes people used nonverbal body language or other means of communications like, Proxemics, Postures, Orientations, Oculesics Chronemics Haptics Kinesics Paralinguistic Appearances, Olfactions. One particular body sign may carry different opposite meaning to the people of different language. For example we can say that, show thumb to some body means he is neglecting any effect or actions of the person to home it is shown on the person who show in Bangladeshi rural culture. Showing thumb is a negative sign according to Bangladeshi rural culture. But in the Western society it means all right. A marketer must have to know the local meaning of body language or postures and gestures that being used by the general people of that community. Otherwise serious mistake can be done and all market promotions may be worthless. C. Low versus High Context Cultures: Low-Context cultures: What is said is precisely what is meant High-Context cultures: the context of the message the message source, his or her standing in society or in the negotiating group, level of expertise, tone of voice, and body languageare all meaningful. D. Religion and Its Impact on Marketing Practice: Religion is another powerful element of culture having most powerful impact on

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consumer behavior which controls buying process & product choice resultant on major impact on marketing as well as international marketing. For example we can say that beef & pork both is protein provider. But consumers are not same only for religious effect. Muslim can not select pork in his menu & a Hindu can not select beef in his menu. A marketer must have to think about the religion on the local community before offering a product to them. View point of different religions as follows: i. ii. iii. iv.
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Protestant Religion stresses hard work and frugality Judaism stresses education and development Islam focus on rules for social interaction Hinduism encourages family orientation and dictates strict dietary constraints Buddhism stresses sufferance and avoidance of worldly desires Business days Business day of a community also be selected based on their religious believes. For example most Muslim country celebrate Friday as a holiday because of Jumma prayer on the other hand Christians prefer Sunday as weekly holiday. Gender roles Role of male female in the family, society as well as in the economy also be selected by following their religious instructions. For example according to the Islamic law Men will lead the family women are followers it is well practiced in the Muslim society on the other hand there are some tribal people their religious trends to offer female leadership. Women are family leader as well as wealth holders. In a men leadership society usually male choice is valuable in case of product selection & vice versa. Gift giving Giving gift to anybody is a very responsive action of culture. But choice of selecting gift item also determine by the local peoples practiced religion. Religious impact on human action should not be neglected. Because it plays a vital role in every aspect. Marketing practices marketing pattern of a community also regulated by the religion. For example most of the devoted Muslim family used not to go in the market. Though this trend in reducing with the modernization but till now it is a vital fact in many localities.

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E. Cultural Values:
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(1) Enduring beliefs about a specific mode of conduct or desirable endstate. (2) Guide the selection or evaluation of behavior (3) Are ordered by importance in relation to one another to form a system of value priorities (4) Enculturation: Process by which individuals learn the beliefs and behaviors endorsed by ones own culture (5) Acculturation: Learning a new culture (6)Assimilation: Maintenance of the new culture, and resistance to new cultures and to ones old culture F. Cultural Norms: Norms are derived from values and defined as rules that dictate what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable (A) Imperative: What an outsider must or must not do (B) Exclusive: What locals may do but an outsider cannot (C) Adiaphora: What an outsider may or may not do G. National/Regional Character: Time Orientation: The people of different region of the world are habituate to do their jobs according to different times. Time orientation can be divided in two times. M-time & P-time people. Monochromic time or (M-time) people think only one thing at a time. But Polychromic people used to think about a lot of work at a time they are P-time people. Business Hours business hour of different community differs based on their native culture. For example, business hour in Indian subcontinent is ten am to five pm. But it is eight am to two pm at most of the western countries. Socializing we human being is socialized animal. Our social ethics or actions are regulated by our culture. Culture reflects our individualism or collectivism nature of the society. Most of the western society used to practice individualism thinking rather than collective one. But we in Indian sub-continent used to think about family life, social role in a word collective achievement. Gender Roles Gender role is mainly dominated by the culture. In male lead society father is the owner of wealth as a result he used to dominate in the family. On the other hand in some area mothers are the wealth owners, as a result they used to take major decisions of the family according their choice. Not only that, in male dominating culture males used to have more than one married

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on the other hand women used to have more than one married at a time in female dominated culture. Other for example, access (transportation by bicycle, personal automobile, public transportation H. Cultural Variability: Power Distance Power distance means the distance between two people during mutual interaction. We the Muslims and Indian sub continental people used to be closer during interaction. On the other hand the western Christians used to hold a gape between two interactive people. Muslim thinks that westerns are not friendly and they think Muslims are pushy. But it is because of their culture power distance is barring here. Uncertainty Avoidance we are always try to avoid uncertainty and happy with that what can be found certainly. But on the other hand westerns are risk lover. They used to take challenges during any action. Masculinity versus Femininity Culture define the priority of decisions in the family, society and in the country. In some tribal community live in the northern region of India they are mother lead society, wealth owner and earning member is mother in the family. As a result women decide what ought to be, what have to do. On the other hand in male dominant society father is the owners of wealth and earning member of the family. As a result here fathers decision is the final one. This masculinity and femininity has a great impact in case of product selection / brand choice and final purchasing decision. As a marketer he must have to know what types of society he is offering product. Who has to be highlighted in their promotional campaign and advertisements? Individualism versus Collectivism Maximum western country is suffering from their individualistic mentality. I have this, I have done it, I want it, etc. but in our sub continental culture we think collectively. We have this, we have done it and we need it. This individualistic and collective thinking has a great effect on their product choice as well as purchase of product. I. Cultural Change & Marketing: Marketers need to identify the symbolic elements that are important to a market segment and use them effectively in creating the marketing mix.

In an advertisement, if the above are perceived as faces, censors might erase them; if Pageare perceived as a vase, they would not be altered. they 12 9/14/2008

J. Obstacles to Cultural Understanding: Ethnocentrism: A related belief that a particular culture is superior to another and that strategies that are used in the home country will work just as well abroad. The Self-Reference Criterion: The unconscious reference to ones own value system K. Global Consumer Culture: * Shared consumption-related symbols and activities those are meaningful to segments * Often attributed to the diffusion of entertainment from the US to the rest of the world L. Global Consumer Culture Trends:
Proliferation of transnational firms and the related globalize capitalism

Global brands
Globalize consumerism and the desire for material possessions

Homogenization of global consumption M. Material Culture: This includes technology and economic aspects of that country. N. Social Institution: This includes the consideration of social organization, education system, and political system of the foreign country. The belief and family system its kinds are also be considered. And the last but not the least, is the language of the foreign market. A firm desirous of entering international market must consider these factors and it should also evaluate the degree of influence and involvement of these factors, on the decision of international marketing policies. There is also a tendency, commonly present in all economies, to regard foreign goods as the things of social status. One more reason for the

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indication towards foreign products is the inferior nature of the domestic products; this feature is more common to the developing economies. Thus for a successful international marketing, proper understanding of the culture is essential. O. Material Life: Material life refers to economics, that is, what people do to derive their livelihood. The tools, knowledge, techniques, methods, and processes that a culture utilizes to produce goods and services, as well as their distribution and consumption, are all part of material life. Thus, two essential parts of material life are knowledge and economics. Material life refers the standard of living and degree of technological advancement. Suppose a large proportion of a hypothetical population is engaged in agriculture. Agricultural operations are mainly performed by manual labor; mechanization of agriculture is unknown. Modern techniques of farming such as use of fertilizers, pesticides, and quality seeds are unfamiliar. Opportunities for multinational business in a primitive environment will be limited. People live in urban centers and have such modern amenities as television, cars, VCRs, newspapers, and so on. Money is the medium of exchange. In such a culture, business across national boundaries would make sense. The material life of any given society will fall on a continuum between traditional and industrialized poles. For example, Brazil and Pakistan are both developing countries, but the study of material life in the two countries would show that Brazil is ahead of Pakistan, offering market opportunities for electrical appliances, stereos, and television sets. In Pakistan, which is still emerging from total dependence on farming, agricultural tools would be more important. P. Social Interactions: Social Interactions Social interactions establish the roles that people play in a society and their authority/responsibility patterns. These roles and patterns are supported by societys institutional framework, which includes, for example, education and marriage. Consider the traditional marriage of a Saudi woman. The womans father chooses the husband-to-be. After agreeing on a small payment for the bride, the two men hold hands in front of a judge to finalize the marriage. The woman sees her husband for the first time when he comes to consummate the marriage. The social role assigned to women in the strict Islamic world is one of complete dependency on men, whose authority and command cannot be questioned. A womans place is always in the home. Outside the home, if women are seen at all, they are veiled.

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Social roles are also established by culture. For example, a woman can be a wife, a mother, a community leader, and/or an employee. Behavior also emerges from culture in the form of conventions, rituals and practices on different occasions such as festivals, marriages, informal gettogethers, and times of grief or religious celebrations. Likewise, the authority of the aged, the teacher, and the religious leader in many societies is derived from the culture. The educational system, the social settings, and customs and traditions prescribe roles and patterns for individuals and groups. With reference to marketing, social interactions influence family decision-making and buying behavior and define the scope of personal influence and opinion. In Latin America and Asia the extended family is considered the most basic and stable unit of social organization. It is the canter for all economic, political, social, and religious life, providing companionship, protection, and a common set of values. In contrast, the nuclear family is the focus of social organization in the U.S. Q. Material Life: Material life refers to economics, that is, what people do to derive their livelihood. The tools, knowledge, techniques, methods, and processes that a culture utilizes to produce goods and services, as well as their distribution and consumption, are all part of material life. Thus, two essential parts of material life are knowledge and economics. Material life refers the standard of living and degree of technological advancement. Suppose a large proportion of a hypothetical population is engaged in agriculture. Agricultural operations are mainly performed by manual labor; mechanization of agriculture is unknown. Modern techniques of farming such as use of fertilizers, pesticides, and quality seeds are unfamiliar. Opportunities for multinational business in a primitive environment will be limited. People live in urban centers and have such modern amenities as television, cars, VCRs, newspapers, and so on. Money is the medium of exchange. In such a culture, business across national boundaries would make sense. The material life of any given society will fall on a continuum between traditional and industrialized poles. For example, Brazil and Pakistan are both developing countries, but the study of material life in the two countries would show that Brazil is ahead of Pakistan, offering market opportunities for electrical appliances, stereos, and television sets. In Pakistan, which is still emerging from total dependence on farming, agricultural tools would be more important. R. Pride and Prejudice: Even the culture most backward in the eyes of a westerner will foster a certain pride in its people about its traits and ways.
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Indeed, developing countries sometimes evince more pride-and prejudicethan developed countries. The Chinese are jealous of their cultural heritage, and they speak of it with great emotion. So do the Egyptians of their heritage. In contrast, many Americans express feelings of being deprived of cultural history in a country so young and diverse by nature. Cultural pride and prejudice make many nations reject foreign ideas and imported products. But the reverse also occurs: a perception of greatness attributed to another culture may lead to the eager acceptance of things reflecting that culture. For example, the Japanese are proud of their culture and economic achievement and prefer to buy Japanese manufactures. S. Cultural Analysis: The analysis of cultural differences is necessary for the formulation of international marketing strategy. Conceptually, cultural analysis may be based on any of the following three approaches: ethnocentrism, assimilation, and primacy-of-host-country viewpoint. The ethnocentrism approach assumes, We are the best. Many U.S. companies assume that what is good at home will work in foreign markets as well. The assimilation approach is somewhat similar, assuming that since the U.S. is a cultural melting pot, the cultural traits demonstrated in U.S. society are relevant anywhere. The third viewpoint, the primacy of- host-country approach, bases decisions on the cultural traits of the host country. This approach considers domestic information inappropriate to successful operation in markets outside the U.S. An assessment of a countrys culture for marketings sake involves analyzing the peoples attitudes, motivations, perceptions, and learning processes: 1. Determine relevant motivations in the culture. What needs are fulfilled with this product in the minds of members of the culture? How these needs are presently fulfilled? Do members of this culture readily recognize these needs? 2. Determine characteristic behavior patterns. What patterns are characteristic of purchasing behavior? What forms of division of labor exist within the family structure? How frequently are products of this type purchased? What size packages are normally purchased? Do any of this characteristic behavior conflict with behavior expected for this product? How strongly ingrained are the behavior patterns that conflict with those needed for distribution of this product? 3. Determine what broad cultural values are relevant to this product. Are there strong values about work, morality, religion, family relations, and so on that relate to this product? Does this product connote attributes that are
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in conflict with these cultural values? Can conflicts with values be avoided by changing the product? Are there positive values in this culture with which the product might be identified? 4. Determine characteristic forms of decision-making. Do members of the culture display a studied approach to decisions concerning innovations or an impulsive approach? What is the form of the decision process? Upon what information sources do members of the culture rely? Do members of the culture tend to be rigid or flexible in the acceptance of new ideas? What criteria do they use in evaluating alternatives? 5. Evaluate promotion methods appropriate to the culture. What role does advertising occupy in the culture? What themes, words, or illustrations are taboos? What language problems exist in present markets that cannot be translated into this culture? What types of salespeople do members of the culture accept? Are such salespeople available? 6. Determine appropriate institutions for this product in the minds of consumers. What types of retailers and intermediary institutions are available? What services do these institutions offer that are expected by the consumer? What alternatives are available for obtaining services needed for the product but not offered by existing institutions? How do consumers regard various types of retailers? Will challenges in the distribution structure be readily accepted? The information contained in this exhibit attempts to relate cultural traits to marketing decisions. For example, simply knowing about the religion or morality of a culture is not enough. What must be analyzed is whether or not the product was slated to be introduced into the country has any direct or indirect connotations that conflict with the cultural patterns of the society. Similarly, an examination of advertising, themes, phrases, words, or expressions should confirm viability of promotional decisions. The cultural values of a nation may be studied through either observation or fieldwork. Observation requires living in a culture over a long period in order to become deeply involved in its pattern of living. Fieldwork, on the other hand, involves gathering information on a set of variables relative to the culture. The study of culture in the realm of international marketing must be based on fieldwork. One way to conduct the cultural analysis of a country for the purpose of making marketing decision is to answer the specific marketing-related questions raised by Engel and his colleagues. Primary Message System of Edward Halls Map of Culture: 1. Interaction: The interaction with the environment through different modes such as speech and writing.
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2. Association: The structure and organization of society and its various components. 3. Subsistence: The perspective of activities of individuals and groups that deal with livelihood and living. 4. Bisexuality: The differentiation of roles and functions along sex lines. 5. Territoriality: the possession, use, and defense of land and territory. 6. Temporality: The division and allocation of time and its use for various activities. 7. Learning: The patterns of transmitting knowledge. 8. Play: The process of enjoyment through relaxation and recreation. 9. Defense: The protection against natural and human forces in the environment. 10. Exploitation: The application of skills and technology to turn natural resources to peoples needs. A different way of understanding foreign cultures is recommended by Edward T.Hall. His framework, which he calls a map of culture, is a two-dimensional matrix containing different human activities, which he calls primary message systems. These activities are interaction, association, subsistence, bisexuality, territoriality, temporality, learning, play, defense, and exploitation. A person interested in learning about a culture need not study all 10 aspects, but by examining any one of them fully can gain an adequate understanding of the culture. The use of Halls framework for international marketers is shown in Exhibit 8.4 in an analysis of the play activity for a toys and games company. Presumably, perspectives of play vary from one culture to another. Halls framework creates 18 categories of questions. For example, categories 13 and 14 deal with learning as it emerges in play and play as it leads to learning. Business Application of Edward Halls Map of Culture And Other Primary Sample Questions Concerning Cultural Patterns Message Systems Significant for Marketing Toys and Games 1. Interaction/play: How do people interact during play as regards competitiveness, instigation, or leadership? 2. Play/interaction: What games are played involving acting, role-playing, or other aspects of real-world interaction?

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3. Association/play: Who organizes play, and how do the organization patterns differ? 4. Play/association: What games are played about organization for example, team competitions and games involving kings, judges, or leaderdeveloped rules and penalties? 5. Subsistence/play: What are the significant factors regarding people such as distributors, teachers, coaches, or publishers who make their livelihood from games? 6. Play/subsistence: What games are played about work roles in society such as doctors, nurses, and firemen? 7. Bisexuality/play: What are the significant differences between the sexes in the sports, games, and toys enjoyed. 8. Play/bisexuality: What games and toys involve bisexuality-for example, dolls, and dressing up, dancing? 9. Territoriality/play: Where are games played, and what are the limits observed in houses, parks, streets, schools, and so forth? 10. Play/territoriality: What games are played about space and ownershipfor example, Monopoly? 11.Temporality/play: At what ages and what times of the day and year are different games played/Play/temporality What games are played about and involving time-for example, clocks, speed tests? 12. Learning/play: What patterns of coaching, tuition, and training exist for learning games/Play/learning what games are played about and involving learning and knowledge-for example, quizzes? 13. Defense / play: What are the safety rules for games, equipment, and toys? 14. Play/defense: What war and defense games and toys are utilized? 15. Exploitation/play: What resources and technology are permitted or utilized for games and sport-for example, hunting and fishing rules, use of parks, cameras, vehicles, and so forth? 16. Play/exploitation: What games and toys about technology or exploitation are used-for example, scouting, chemical sets, and microscopes? Halls approach provides an overall perspective on the culture through analysis of one or two primary message systems. In relation to the needs of
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business, this system works well, because the time and expense for a comprehensive cultural perspective are not required... Only the particular element of the culture directly related to a particular international market decision needs to be analyzed.

FINDINGS From this long discussion it is quit clear that, culture has a direct impact on consumer behavior as well as on their choices, buying behavior and so on. As it is impacting buying process so it has a great impact on international marketing as well. An international marketer must have to think first which product he is offering for whom and their cultural background. Because of different parts of the world possess different cultural behavior, different tests, choices, norms, values and attitudes. One marketer must have to promote them according to their choice and believes. In this case SRC & Ethnocentrism may be two major barriers. So a marketer in international market must be aware of his / her SRC & Ethnocentrism. Every situation must be translated according to local culture. Local culture should be given first priority in case of taking any marketing action by an international marketer.

RECOMMENDATIONS In international market a marketer must be SRC free and never affected by ethnocentrism. Think according to your view point but you must have to transform it into local cultural heritage. Never make any comments it is right or wrong or mine is the best in international marketing. You just cope with the culture where you are offering your product. Know in-depth of local history and culture and offer them accordingly to have their attention. Whatever your culture think about the fact forget it, you just cope with the local thinking up to the permitted level. That means be French when you are in France.

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APPENDIX:

a. Research Design: As our topic is The Impact of Culture on International Marketing a very wide topic. It is a qualitative research topic. Fore this reason I have to collect a variety of papers on this topic written by the marketing experts of different culture. I collect nine papers written by the world famous marketing specialist from different parts of the globe and express their views on the same. I read all the papers attentively and reach to the summery of all papers. I start writing this paper with the gist of their thinking and having my own cultural thinking, believe attitude, norms and values. Thus this paper consists of the global views with my Bangladeshi cultural thinking as well.

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b. References: This paper holds information and views from the following sources:
i.

International Marketing by Professor Philip R. Cateora & John L. Graham. Gist of the class lecture of Dr. M. Zillur Rahman, Assistant Professor, School of Business Studies, Southeast University. Adapting Your Home Culture to International Business by Dr. John W. Bing (Ed.D University of Massachusetts) published by ITAP. CROSS-CULTURAL MARKETING the impact of Polish culture on marketing in Poland. Published by ClusterStar. CULTURAL DETERMINANTS OF INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISING:AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF HOFSTEDES CULTURAL DIMENSIONS by Mark Toncar, Lycoming College, Ilan Alon, State University of New York Oneonta David McKee, Kent State University. Cultural Influences on International Marketing by Dana-Nicoleta Lascu. International Business Culture by Dr. Balbir B. Bhasin, Sacred Heart University College of Business. International Marketing & Branding by Leif Rasmussen, Denmarks International Study Program. The Impact of Culture and Relationships on International Marketing at the Bottom of the Pyramid by Richard Fletcher, University of Western Sydney. Cultural Environment and its Impact on International Marketing Published in the Social Science Research Network, USA. Consumption Market & Culture by A. Fuat Firat Alladi Benkatesh published by Harwood Academic Publishers.

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