Transcript Lecture 8 - cda college

THE ROLE
OF
CULTURE
CHAPTER 8:
THE ROLE OF CULTURE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• To discuss the primary characteristics of culture
• To describe the various elements of culture and provide
examples of how they influence international business.
Definition, Importance and Characteristics of Culture
• Culture is the collection of values, beliefs, behaviors, customs and
attitudes that distinguish a society.
• A social learning interaction case, deep-rooted in ourselves.
Family, Friends, Religion,
Teachers
• Success in international business depends heavily in understanding the
cultures of other countries. Therefore..
Remember… that
you are the foreigner
and avoid…
Ethnocentrism (belief
that one´s way of doing
things is the best)
Importance and characteristics continued…
• The challenge when we cross borders in to learn how to broaden our
perspective.
Not adopting a product
to a market´s needs
Showing disrespect and a
feeling of superiority
Bringing money back
home without reinvestment
Filling positions with
nationals only
• A MN manager should first attempt to understand a foreign culture (cross
cultural
Learn the
language
Go under training
Receive information
about the other country
• And then modify and adapt her behavior with the foreign culture. This is
called acculturation.
Elements of Culture
Studying the basic elements of culture in a country is the beginning
in understanding how people in another country behave and why.
Social
Structure
Language
Religion
Communication
Values and
Attitudes
Social Structure
Society´s framework determines the roles of individuals and
groups, stratification of society, and individuals mobility
within the society
• Families and Groups – Definition of family differs from country to
country. Attitude toward groups also differs
Is Nepotism´ questioned? Getting married to the boss´s daughter?
Christening the boss´s baby? Individualism or collectivism?
• Social Stratification – Societies categorize individuals according to
their occupation, educational achievement, birth and other
attributes. These are very important in highly stratified societies.
Morale at work might be affected if we hire or promote people from the
wrong class, with the wrong education or profession. His church?
Club?
•
Social mobility – the ability of society´s members to move from
one stratum to another
Can you really go higher or cooperate in a highly stratified society
which it is “Us Vs them?
Language
The window
to culture
• The most important tool members of a society use to communicate
with each other
• The understanding of a message is different when written in a
different language
• Language provides information about cultural values of a society
• In Greek, Spanish, German… there is a forma and an
informal form of the word “you”
• Many languages and dialects show differences in income,
education
Therefore, in business practices (advertising, conversations,
hiring) the appropriate words should be used (“aroma” in
French, “deodorant” in USA). Ford used the word “Fiesta” in
Spain (meaning ugly old woman) and “Caliente” in Mexico
(street walker). In Arab countries they start writing from the
left… How about idioms “A piece of cake”….
Language continued….
• Language might indicate differences in income or educational
achievement. It might even be an issue of political conflict.
The Sirs´ class in England uses different terminology as compared to the
“Commons”. French Vs English speaking in Canada, Dutch speaking
Vs French in Belgium
• Language might be used as a competitive weapon when other
countries share the same language. However, we have to be
careful since they might not share the same culture.
(Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, England….)
(French companies have a competitive edge in French colonies)
Infrastructure, technology, was developed in the same way. No
additional costs in changing words in advertising, logos, brochures,
labels. (Western countries use Hong Kong agents for entering China)
Communication
• Whether verbal or nonverbal, communication is an important skill
the MN manager should possess… cross cultural literacy)
• In some countries we have low-context cultures (the message is
understood simply by the words spoken) while in others we have a
high-context culture (the environment – context – is also
important).
• Face to face interactions are important for Japanese.
Americans can negotiate through the internet on the other
hand. Getting very close to an American businessman is not
right. Arabs get closer for discussions.
• Nodding one´s head does not mean “yes” in all cultures
• “Silence” for Americans means inability and “thinking” for
the Japanese.
• Joining thumb and forefinger means different things in
different countries.
• How about space communication? How about the time of
opening a gift?
• How about lawyers presence in negotiations?
Religion
• It affects how people relate to outsiders (friendly, unfriendly, silent,
active….)
• It shapes the attitudes (work attitudes) and it influences lifestyles
(Working hard is a means of glorifying God for the Protestants)
(Spiritual accomplishment is more important than economic
success for Hinduism – nirvana)
• How about the role of women at work?
• Work stops 5 times for preying in S. Arabian. People fast
during Ramadan.
•
Religion affects seasonal patterns and therefore sales
It’s a business time
•1st of January for Russians and L. Americans
•6th of December for Dutch
•25th of December for Americans.
Values and Attitudes
What is right and what is
wrong…the principles
accepted by a society
Behavior (actions)
towards other and objects
– the result from values
• Time: Time is money in Anglo-Saxon cultures. Therefore, be on
time at meeting work… friends and relatives should not interrupt
during a meeting. Agenda should be followed
• Age: Youth are highly valued and sought for positions in some
countries while the old (seniority) in others. Age and rank are
highly correlated in Japan.
• Status: In some countries it might be given according to wealth or
rank of one´s ancestors. In others, according to personal
accomplishments. Authority exists for organizing, coordination
and problem-solving in the USA and for orders in Italy and Greece