Saturday, October 26, 2019
Cultural Change in International Markets Essay -- essays research pape
Competitive pressures caused by globalization, deregulation, and discontinuous technological changes seem to have forced many organizations into considering radical change as a way of surviving and growing. A big part of this radical change has to do with accepting and handling cultural differences among other nations. Organizations pursue change to enhance their competitive positions and to grow. Cultural Change Culture changes over time, despite the fact that one of the more important attributes of culture is that it is conservative and resistant to change. When marketing a new innovation to a foreign country, the marketer must possess a thorough knowledge of that country’s culture in order to be successful there, as new innovations can be fail or even cause offence if not marketed or designed in a manner appropriate to that particular culture.      There are six rules of thumb when doing business across cultures: 1.     Be prepared. Whether traveling or selling from home, you should never approach a foreign market with first researching the area. Some of the things to learn would include social and business etiquette, history, current affairs, the culture’s values, geography, religion, political structure, and practical matter such as currency and hours of business. 2.     Slow down. In America â€Å"Time is money.†Americans always seem to be in a rush and can seem unfriendly or arrogant. In other countries, patience is the key. 3.     Establish trust. Having crisp business relationships will get the salesperson nowhere. Product quality, pricing, and clear contracts are not as important as the personal relationship and trust that are developed over time. 4.     Understand the language. Languages differ in parts of the world one must have a vocabulary that is sensitive to nuance and connotation. An interpreter could also be helpful if needed. 5.     Respect the culture. Manner are important. The traveling person is a guest and must respect the hosts’ rules. 6.     Understand components of culture. There are two types: surface culture (fads, styles, foods, etc.) and deep culture (attitudes, beliefs, values). Importance of cultural unders... ...t be aware of this, as there can be serious repercussions for them and their company if there are adverse reactions to the new innovation regardless of the fact it may have been accidental.      Knowledge about other cultures and how they affect the way people do business may show business-people working in a culture different from their own that their solutions are not always the appropriate ones for a given task. Understanding this is the first step in learning how to use cultural differences to gain a strategic advantage. Mishandling or ignoring cultural differences can cause numerous problems, such as lost sales, the departure of competent employees, and low morale that contributes to low productivity. How can international businesspeople learn to live with other cultures? The first step is to realize that there are cultures different from their own. Then they must go and learn the characteristics of those cultures so that they can adapt to them. Traveling to this country and staying a while or undergoing an extensive, training program would be helpful to cover the main characteristics of the culture, including the language.
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