Chap004Questions

DiscussionQuestionsforChapter4CulturalDynamicsinAssessingGlobalMarketsDiscussionQuestions1.Define:CulturalsensitivityFactualknowledgeCultureInterpretiveknowledgeEthnocentrismCulturalvaluesStrategyofculturalcongruenceCulturalborrowingLinguisticdistanceMaterialcultureStrategyofunplannedchangeAestheticsSocialinstitutionsStrategyofplannedchange2.Whichroledoesthemarketerplayasachangeagent?Whetherornotthemarketerisawareofit,heassumestheroleofachangeagentwhenheintroducesintoanotherculturenewideasornewproductsrequiringsomeformofchangeinbehaviorforacceptanceanduseofthenewideaorproduct.Theinternationalmarketermustconcernhimselfwiththeimpactofhisactionsuponthenewculture.3.Discussthethreeculturalchangestrategiesaforeignmarketercanpursue.Therearethreestrategies.(a)Culturallycongruentstrategy,(b)Strategyofunplannedchange,(c)Strategyofplannedchange.Theculturallycongruentstrategyinvolvesmarketingproductssimilartoonesalreadyonthemarketinamannerascongruentaspossiblewithexistingculturalnorms,therebyminimizingresistance.Astrategyofplannedchangemeansdeliberatelysettingouttochangethoseaspectsofaculturemostlikelytoofferresistancetopredeterminedmarketinggoals.Thestrategyofunplannedchangeconsistsofintroducinganinnovationandthenwaitingforaneventfulculturalchangethatwillpermittheculturetoaccepttheinnovation.Theessenceofunplannedchangeliesinthefactthatthemarketerdoesnothingtoaccelerateorhelptobringaboutthenecessarychangewherethemarketerdeliberatelysetsabouttoovercomeresistanceandtocausechangethatwillacceleratetherateofadoptionofhisproductorinnovation.4.“Cultureispervasiveinallmarketingactivities.”Discuss.Marketersareconstantlyintheprocessofadjustingtheireffortstothedemandsofthecultureoftheirmarkets.Althoughinthelongruntheymayaffecttheirmarket’scultureasaresultoftheirefforts,mostcurrentactivityinvolvesreconcilingmarketingactivitytotheimmediateculture.5.Whatistheimportanceof“culturalempathy”totheforeignmarketer?Howdoesheorsheacquire“culturalempathy?”Theimportanceof“culturalempathy”totheforeignmarketeristhatbeingculturallysensitiveallowshimorhertoobjectivelysee,evaluate,andappreciateanotherculture.Amarketercanobtainculturalempathybystudyingthecultureandlivingwithit.Thelatterisnotalwayspossible,anditmaybeexpedienttohirenativeswhospeakyourtongueandtheirown.Thisprocedurewilloftengiveyoutheintuitionwhichisnecessaryforsuccess.6.Whyshouldaforeignmarketerbeconcernedwiththestudyofculture?Aforeignmarketershouldstudycultureinordertoavoidmakingblunderswhichwouldnotbemadeifheorshehadculturalknowledge.Cultureshouldbestudiedbecauseitaffectstheconsumer’sdesireandabilitytobuy.7.Whatisthepopulardefinitionofculture?Whatistheviewpointofculturalanthropologists?Whatistheimportanceofthedifference?Thepopulardefinitionofcultureisthatapersoniseither“cultured”or“uncultured”accordingtohisorherabilityincertainspecializedfieldsofknowledge.Theculturalanthropologistdefinescultureas“alltheknowledge,beliefs,andskillsheorsheacquiresasamemberofsociety.”Theimportancetothemarketerofthedifferencesbetweenthesetwodefinitionsisthefactthattheanthropologist’sdefinitionincludesallpartsoflife,andallofthesepartsaffectaconsumer’sdesireandabilitytopayforaproduct.8.Itisstatedthatmembersofasocietyborrowfromotherculturestosolveproblemsthattheyfaceincommon.Whatdoesthismean?Whatisthesignificancetomarketing?Culturalborrowingentailsusingthebestsolutionstoaproblemthatdifferentculturesface.Thisbestsolution,borrowedbyoneculturefromanother,isincorporatedintotheborrowingculture’ssystem,andbecomespartoftheirculturalheritage.ThisfactissignificanttothemarketerbecausealthoughthesolutionstotheproblemsaresimilartheyareputtogetherinauniquemannerwhichisstrictlyAmerican,Chinese,French,etc.Inrealizingthe“similarbutdifferent”aspectofculture,themarketerisaidedingainingculturalempathy.9.“Fortheinexperiencedmarketer,the“similarbutdifferent”featureofculturecreatesanillusionofsimilaritywhichusuallydoesnotalwaysexist.”Discussandgiveexamples.Althoughsomeculturesseemsimilar,theymostlikelyarenot.Forexample,twodifferentcountriesspeakingthesamelanguagemayusewordsorphraseswhichareacceptabletoone,buttotallyunacceptabletotheother.Someculturesmayhavesubculturesinwhichthe“similarbutdifferent”principleapplies.10.Outlinetheelementsofcultureasseenbyananthropologist.Howcanamarketerusethis“culturalscheme?”a.MaterialCulture1.Technology2.Economicsb.SocialInstitutions1.Socialorganizations2.Education3.Politicalstructuresc.ManandtheUniverse1.Beliefsystemsd.Aesthetics1.Graphicandplasticarts2.Folklore3.Music,drama,andthedancee.LanguageTheforeignmarketermayusetheaboveoutlineofculturalelements(1)toprovideameaningfulframeworktouseinevaluatingamarketingplanorinstudyingthepotentialofaforeignmarket,(2)topointoutthosethingswhichmustbelearnedaboutthecultureofthepeoplesincemostoftheseelementsarereactedtoautomaticallyinaculturalsystem,(3)asfactorswithwhichthemarketinteractsandwhicharebasicintheunderstandingofthecharacterofthemarketingsystemofanysociety.11.Whatismaterialculture?Whatareitsimplicationsformarketing?Giveexamples.12.Materialcultureco