Week 8- The influence of culture and hospitality services

what is culture?

• cambridge dictionary defines ‘culture’ as The way of life of a particular people, esp. as shown in their ordinary behaviour and habits, their attitudes towards each other, and their moral, religious beliefs (Cambridge Dictionary).

• culture is never static nor fixed

• the way of life of certain groups of people

• Schneider and Barsoux, 2003, “cultures serves as a lens through which we perceive the other”

Various definitions of cultures:

• Plum (2008) culture as a practice shared by people in a community” means that we engage with ppl’s activities around the world

• Earley (2006) “culture is the meaning which we attach to aspects of the world around us”

• (Geertz, 1973 cited in Hatfiled and Pittman, 2013) Culture as “webs of significance, people spin for themselves”-

Summary of culture:

• culture is a set of accepeted behaviour patterns, values, assumptions, and shared common expereineces

• culture defines social structure, decision making practices, adn copmmunication styles

• culture dictates behaviour, etiquette, and protocol

• culture is something we learn. it impacts everyone, and influences how we act and respond.

• • Culture is communication. It is a way people create, send, process and interpret information.

• (Clarke and Chen, 2007)

the cultural minefield:

• langauges

• nationality

• education (general)

• profession (specialised education)

• group (ethnicity)

• religion

• family

• sex

• social class

• cooporate or orgnisational culture

understanding and effectively interacting within the culture groups to which we belong is like walking through a minefield. being culturally aware means much more than just understanding about other countries.

the culture icebergs:

Key words of culture/ concepts:

• ethnocentrism- the belief that the people, customs and traditions of your own race or country are better than those of other races or countries (Cambridge Dictionary). ethnocentrism links to concepts of racism

• cultural identity- identification with, or sense of belonging to, a particular group based on various culttual categories, including nationality, ethnicity, race and religion (Hsueh- Hua Chen, 2014)

• cultural diversity- the difference in race, ethnicity nationality religion or language among various groups within a community, organization or nation (Reisinger 2009, p32).

• Cultural imperialism – the fact of the culture of a larger and powerful country, organization, etc. having a great influence on another less powerful country (Cambridge Dictionary)

The importance of culture:

• cultures and standards

• building trust across cultural boundaries

• the perception of time

• harnessing the power of diversity

• Clarke and Chen, 2007

The importance of culture:

• language (directness, politeness)

• customs or rules (gift giving, eating, drinking, bribery (corruption), buying and selling, nepotism (favouritism)

• nonverbal behaviour- proximity, touch, and gaze gestures, expressiveness etc

• cross-cultural communication challenges, eye contact, cultural shock

• respecting differences and working together

• Clarke and Chen, 2007

• it can sometimes be difficult to say what is wrong and what is right when working with cross cultures

Cultural difference:

six fundamental patterns of cultural difference:

• different communication styles (gestures, seniority that elders are always right in South Asian cultures, politeness to ppl)

  different attitudes towards conflict (‘stiffer upper lip’ means where you do not get involved, you just put your head down and ignore it, some cultures like getting involved and like to yapper and stir the pot

• different approaches to completing tasks, some cultures are more spontanous than others

• different decision-making styles, some cultures believe women are slower at making decisions

• different attitudes towards disclosure, how open someone is with talking about personal things

• different approaches to knowing, some cultures have different approaches to learning, knowing, and on education

Levels of cultures:

• symbols- words, gestures, and objects that carry a particular meaning to members of the group

• heroes- those people, living or dead, real and imaginary, who have a status in the group and may serve as role models for the group.

• rituals- those patterns of behaviour encouraged by a group, from simple forms of greeting to more complicated ones like weddings or organizational induction programmes. Even the simple form can be constructed differently, marking out the group members effectively from those who do not belong.

• ethnocentrism can cause conflict in partnerships when there is misunderstanding of cross cultures

• values- operate at the deepest level of culture, representing collective beliefs, assumptions and feelings. This allows group members to understand what is normal in their society without having to think consciously about it.

Hofstede, 1991

Hofstede six cultural dimensions:

• long vs short term orientation, how every society has to maintain some links with its past, while dealing with the present and future challenges.

• Indulgence vs restraint: the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses

Organisational cultures:

every organisational will develop a culture of its own as it matures and draws on the beliefs of its original creators, but reacts to the changing environment it finds itself in.

Elements of organisational culture:

• innovation of risk taking

• attention to detail

• outcome orientation

• ppl orinetation

• team orientation

• aggressivness

• stability

Touristic cultures:

Globalisation:

• tourism as the international movement of people: different cultures of hosts and guests

• ‘ cultural experiences’ as motivation to travel

• The tourism and hospitality industry attracts a multicultural workforce

• expansion of big brands

• increased global competition: more knowledge on the customer segmentation more tailor-made products and services

• e.g. if you go to a Hilton hotel in two different countries, they will be the same, same expectations

Globalisation vs internationalism:

• marketing mix (7 P’s are...)- price, place, product, promotion, ppl, process, physical environment

• internationalism involves customising marketing strategies for different regions of the world according to cultural, regional, and national differences,

• they aim to serve the specific target markets.

• To standardise the marketing mix, the strategy needs to group countries by social, cultural, technological, political, and economic similarities.