GMS 522 - International Marketing: Culture

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the GMS 522 International Marketing lecture on Culture.

Culture

An integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are distinguishing characteristics of the members of any given society, including everything a group thinks, says, does, and makes.

Transmission of Culture

Culture is learned, shared, and transmitted from one generation to the next primarily by parents to children, but also by social organizations, special-interest groups, government, schools, and places of worship.

Enculturation

The process of learning how to be a member of a particular culture from birth.

Acculturation

The process where a person encultured in one culture adjusts to a different culture.

Ethnocentricity

The belief that one's own ethnic group or culture is superior to that of others, potentially leading to overlooking important human and environmental differences among cultures.

Consumer Ethnocentricity

A consumer's tendency to favor domestically produced goods over foreign ones, believing it is not right to purchase foreign products.

CETSCALE

The Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale, an instrument with 17 items used to measure consumer ethnocentricity.

Dual Ethnocentricity

A concept describing immigrant consumers who may have allegiance to both their current host country and their home country, complicating product purchasing decisions.

Economic Nationalism

An individual's readiness to support their government's protectionist economic policy, believing their country should be dominant in the world order.

Economic Patriotism

An individual's positive feelings towards their country, without necessarily believing it should dominate other countries.

Animosity

Hostility towards a country that stems from political, diplomatic, economic, or military events, which can reduce willingness to purchase from the offending country.

Cultural Literacy

Detailed knowledge about a culture that allows a manager to function effectively within it, essential for participation in international marketing.

Verbal Language

The words spoken and the tone in which they are spoken, crucial for collecting information, communicating, and interpreting context in global marketing.

Non-Verbal Language (Silent Language)

Messages conveyed by methods such as body language, gestures, eye contact, time, space, material possessions, friendship patterns, and business agreements.

Monochronic Cultures

Cultures where people typically focus on one task at a time, valuing punctuality and schedules.

Polychronic Cultures

Cultures where people are comfortable working on several unrelated tasks at the same time, often being more flexible with time.

Religion

An element of culture that defines ideals for life, the existence of a higher power, and is reflected in values, attitudes, and behavior, significantly impacting international marketing.

Values

Shared beliefs that have been internalized by members of a society.

Attitudes

Evaluations of alternatives based on internalized values.

Manners and Customs

A cultural element encompassing appropriate behaviors like gift-giving protocols and how products are used.

Material Culture

The value placed on material possessions by a society, which can indicate potential market demand.

Aesthetics

Societal perceptions of what is considered beautiful or in good taste, influencing aspects like advertising and packaging design.

Education

A cultural element that plays a major role in transmitting culture and exposing individuals to new ideas that can lead to cultural change.

Social Institutions

Structures like family and social stratification that affect how people relate to each other and influence consumption patterns and buying decisions.

High Context Cultures

Cultures where the meaning of individual behavior and speech depends heavily on the situation or context, and nonverbal messages are very important (e.g., Japan, many European and Asian countries).

Low Context Cultures

Cultures where intentions are expressed verbally and explicitly, and propositions need to be openly justified (e.g., U.S., Russia, Australia).

Hofstede's Framework

A classification system for cultures based on four dimensions: individualism vs. collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculine vs. feminine.

Cultural Distance

A measure of the difference between cultures, often calculated using frameworks like Hofstede's dimensions to anticipate challenges in international business.

Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck Framework

A framework that compares cultures along six dimensions, including beliefs about environmental control, time orientation, and human nature.

Gannon's Metaphors

Descriptive analogies used to characterize different cultures, offering managers a mental anchor to anticipate reactions in new cultural situations (e.g., American football, German symphony).