7/14/2020
Origins, Elements,
Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka
Overview
• The importance of culture to an international
marketer
• Definition and origins of culture
• The elements of culture
• The impact of cultural change and cultural
borrowing
• Strategies of planned and unplanned change
Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka
Definitions and
Origins of Culture
• Traditional definition of culture
– Culture is the sum of the values, rituals,
symbols, beliefs, and thought processes
that are learned, shared by a group of people,
and transmitted from generation to
generation.
• Individuals learn culture in three ways
– Socialization (growing up)
– Acculturation (adjusting to a new culture)
– Application (decisions about consumption
and production) : remember curries?
Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka
4
and Consequences of Culture
Roy Philip 4
Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka
4 4
Geography
• Exercises a profound control
– Includes climate, topography, flora, fauna, and
microbiology
– Influenced history, technology, economics,
social institutions and way of thinking
• The ideas of Jared Diamond and Philip Parker
– Jared Diamond
• Historically innovations spread faster east to
west than north to south
– Philip Parker
• Reports strong correlations between latitude
(climate) and per capita GDP
2 Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 5
4 4
History
• History - Impact of specific events can be seen
reflected in technology, social institutions,
cultural values, and even consumer
behavior
– American values and institutions
influenced by Adam Smith’s book The Wealth
of Nations
– Military conflicts in the Middle East
brought about new cola alternatives such as
Mecca Cola, Muslim Up, and Arab Cola.
3 Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 6
1
 7/14/2020

4 4
Social Institutions Social Institutions
• Family–forms and functions vary substantially • Government - influences the thinking and
– Influences consumption pattern behaviors of adult citizens
– Male - female ratios
– Patriarchy – Propaganda through media (China, N Korea)
• American family in California—both parents work to support – Passage (enactment), promulgation
their cars, closets, and kids in college, all the while worrying
about aging grandparents halfway across the country (announcement), promotion, and
• Japanese mother caring for her two children pretty much by enforcement of laws
herself, often sleeping with them at night, while her husband • Corporations - most innovations are
catches up on sleep during his four hours a day commuting via
train.
introduced to societies by companies
• HK couples: thinking thousand times to plan having kids – Spread through media
– Change agents
Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 7 Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 10

4 4
Social Institutions Elements of Culture (1 of 4)
• School – the most important social institution
– Direct link between a nation’s literacy rate and • Values
its economic development (South India)
• Rituals
• Religion: clearly affects people’s habits, their outlook
on life, the products they buy, the way they buy them, • Symbols
and even the newspapers they read. Masada brings
people from around the world like Mecca does. • Beliefs
• The media – it has replaced family time • Thought processes
• TV and the Internet
• American educational system produces a
lower percentage of college graduates than
12 other countries including Russia, Japan,
and France

Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 8 Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 11

General Motors and AvtoVaz JV 4 4

Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka
Elements of Culture (2 of 4)
• Cultural values (importance of things and ideas)
– Individualism/Collectivism Index
• Reflects the preference of behavior that promotes
one’s self interest
– Power Distance Index
• Measures the tolerance of social inequality
– Uncertainty Avoidance Index
• Measures the tolerance of uncertainty and
ambiguity
Cultural Values and Consumer Behavior are
intimately linked
9 Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 12

2
 7/14/2020

Hofstede’s Indexes 4 4
Language, and Linguistic Distance

Exhibit 4.6

Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 13 Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 16

4 4
Elements of Culture (3 of 4) Elements of Culture (4 of 4)
• Rituals – patterns of behavior and interaction that are • Beliefs
learned and repeated – Superstitions play a large role in a society’s belief system
– Marriages , funerals, baptisms, graduations and therefore, to make light of (undermining)
• Symbols superstitions in other cultures can be an expensive
– Language mistake
• Linguistic distance – relationship between language
and international marketing
– The number 13 in the western hemisphere is
– Aesthetics as symbols
considered unlucky, where as the number 8 in China
• Insensitivity to aesthetic values can offend, create a
connotes “prosperity”
negative impression, and, in general, render marketing – The practice of “Feng Shui” (similar: Ganesh - white)
efforts ineffective or even damaging
• Thought processes
• subtle earth tones of the typical Japanese restaurant
– Difference in perception between the East and the
• bright reds and yellows in the decor of ethnic Chinese restaurants
West
• Focus (Westerner) vs.Roybig-picture (Asian)
Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 14 Philip
Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka
17

4 4
Language Cultural Borrowing
• According to www.ethnologue.com: A responsible effort to learn from others’ cultural ways
in the quest for better solutions to a society’s
– A total of 7,413 known living languages particular problems.
exist in the world
Bangladesh: New Year Celebration (recreation:
– 311 being spoken in the U.S.; 297 in Mexico, socialisation), 14th Feb, Halloween
13 in Finland, and 241 in China Though many behaviours are borrowed from other
– EU has 20 official languages cultures, they are combined in a unique manner that
– India alone has 452 known languages! becomes typical for a particular society.
British: Chicken tikkamasala, Gin and tonic, FISH and
CHIPS!

Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 15 Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka

3
 7/14/2020

4 4

• Marketers have two options when introducing

an innovation to a culture: They can wait for
changes to occur, or they can spur change.
• Try to transform resistance and rejection into
acceptance through marketing strategies
• Japanese diet: from predominantly fish eaters
to McDonald’s hamburger heaven
(introduction of milk and bread soon after
World War II caused this: effect on the
Japanese was unintentional).
Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka

4
Similarities – An Illusion
• A common language does not guarantee a
similar interpretation of word or phrases
– Difference between British and American English
• Just because something sells in one
country doesn’t mean it will sell in
another
– Cultural differences among member of
European Union (Spanish lunch?) - a product
of centuries of history
– Chilled beer? Not always in Germany.

Abureza M. Muzareba,
RoyPhD,
Philip University of Dhaka 20

4
Planned and Unplanned Cultural Change

• The first step in bringing about planned

change in a society is to determine which
cultural factors conflict with an innovation,
thus creating resistance to its acceptance.
• The next step is an effort to change those
factors from obstacles to acceptance into
stimulants for change.
– Gain acceptance for hybrid grains then introduce
in the market

Abureza M. Muzareba, PhD, University of Dhaka