Transcript Culture

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What are the origins of our culture?
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How does a country’s history shape its
culture?
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Post WWII Europe
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Bretton Woods Summit - 1944
The IMF – 1946
The World Bank – 1944
GATT – 1947
IBRD – 1947
ECSC – 1951
United Nations – 1945 (51 founding member
states)
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Culture: learned and shared human patterns
or models for living; day- to-day living
patterns. These patterns and models pervade
all aspects of human social interaction.
Culture is mankind's primary adaptive
mechanism. (Damen 1987)
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Culture is the collective programming of the
mind which distinguishes the members of
one category of people from another.
(Hofstede 1984)
Culture is defined as the shared patterns of
behaviors and interactions, cognitive
constructs, and affective understanding that
are learned through a process of
socialization.
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Culture has been defined in a number of
ways, but most simply, as the learned and
shared behavior of a community of
interacting human beings. (Useem 1963)
Culture is the sum of the values, rituals,
beliefs, symbols, & thought processes that
are learned and shared by a group of people.
(Cateroa)
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Values
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Rituals
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Symbols
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Thought Processes
Do all societies value
the same things?
 How important are
rituals in daily life?
 What symbols given
importance in a society
and why?
 What are the cognitive
patterns that impact
decision making
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What aspects of consumption are influenced
by culture?
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What culture/country consumes the most
*Chocolate
*Cut flowers
*Wine
*Cigarettes
*Pasta
*Fish
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Geert Hofstede – original work began 1967,
Four original indices
PDI
IDV
MAS
UAI
Added later – LTO
How is your country classified?
www.geert-hofstede.com
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International Marketers Must Understand:
Culture is pervasive
Culture is not static
Culture impacts every aspect of consumer
behavior
Your culture is not superior
You must learn to overcome your SRC in
order develop successful strategies across
cultures