JAPANESE CONSUMERS: A special challenge for marketing

specialists
Japan is a unique country. The daily-lives of Japanese people offer a rare combination of ancient traditions and the latest technology. This uniqueness is also reflected in their consumer attitudes. Japanese consumers are famous for going to extremes: they will buy the most expensive goods to show their social status, or the cheapest ones when they are only interested in their practical use that is, good value for money. They are also known for being the most demanding consumers in the world. This extreme behavior is also a mark of the generation gap. While the young Japanese, born in the late 70s and in the 80s, are specially keen on western products, the old generation is more conservative and directed to buying local goods. The youth wants to live the American dream. They spend a lot and will buy the latest products that help them look like Americans they love imported products which give them a higher status. They save little and do not think much about the future. Their elders , on the other hand, are great saver and favor a frugal lifestyle. Such a strong opposition is rooted in the recent history of the country. Japanese people who were born right after World War 2 had to struggle to rebuild the country. For two decades, at last, they worked very hard and saved all they could to guarantee a better future for the nation. The young generation was born when Japan reaped the benefits of this long period of hard work. So, now they can enjoy the wealth their parents and grandparents helped to bring about.1 1 Comprehension: Mark T ( true ) or F ( false ) a) Os consumidores japoneses tm fama de ser bastante exigentes. (T) b) Produtos caros no vendem bem no Japo, pois os consumidores sempre procuram o melhor custobenefcio. ( F) c ) Os jovens japoneses preferem consumir produtos importados, de marcas caras, pois acreditam que esses produtos lhes conferem um status maior. (T) d) Os jovens valorizam o trabalho duro e a economia tanto quanto seus pais. (F) e) Os mais velhos querem viver como americanos. (F) f) A diferena de comportamento entre jovens e a gerao mais velha do Japo est ligada historia do pas no sculo XX. (T) 2 Vocabulary Work : Encontre os correspondentes corretos para as palavras e expresses do texto listadas seguir:

Adaptado de Cummings, 2009;Intelligence Bridges, 2009; e Engel: Blackwell;Miniard 2009

a latest / b goods / c value for Money / d demanding / e generation gap / f keen on /g frugal / h rooted / i rebuilt / j reap of benefits / k wealth / l to bring about

(j) custo-benefcio (c) colher os frutos (a) ltima, mais avanada (h) enraizada (l) fazer acontecer (b) bens, produtos (k) riqueza

(g) humilde, econmico (e) conflito de geraes (f) aficcionado por (d) exigente (i) reconstruir

3 Qual das frases abaixo, sobre os indicadores econmicos do Brasil, EUA e Japo no verdadeira: a) O volume de comrcio externo brasileiro ainda muito baixo, sendo 7 vezes menor do que o japons .b) O Japo tem uma sociedade igualitria, com baixa concentrao da riqueza. c) O povo japons tem uma renda per capita maior do que a do povo americano. d) Os EUA, apesar de terem a economia mais desenvolvida do planeta tem uma sociedade pouco igualitria, com alta concentrao de renda. e) (x) A dvida externa dos EUA preocupante, pois chega a quase 50% do PIB.

4 Indique a melhor traduo para a seguinte frase : Such a strong opposition is rooted in the recent history of the country. a) Tal oposio no est de acordo com a histria recente do pas. b) (x) Esta forte oposio tem suas razes na histria recente do pas. c) To forte oposio est enraizada na histria antiga do pas. d) Esta forte oposio esteve centrada na histria recente do pas. e) Tal oposio esta enterrada na histria pouco recente do pas. _____________________________________________________________________ 5 Uma das caractersticas da juventude japonesa seu hedonismo ( desejo de curtir a vida ). Qual o oposto disso, caracterstica da gerao mais velha? a) (x) Hard work and frugality. b) A higher status c) Keen d) Individualism e) American dream

6Find in the text 20 ( twenty cognates ): Unique, combination, traditions, technology, reflected, consumer, attitudes, famous, extremes, interested, practical, use, specially, products, conservative, local, imported, future, opposition, history.

251658240

NAME Vanessa Soares

NUMBER 37 CLASS 1 Md. Seg. Do Trabalho

DATE 06/07/2011