Page 147 - DMGT506_CONSUMER_BEHAVIOUR

Consumer Behaviour

Notes 11.1 Nature of Culture

Culture has following features:
1. Culture is invented: It cannot be viewed as something that just "exists" and waiting to be
discovered. People are responsible for inventing their culture and this invention consists
of three interdependent components:
(a) Ideological component refers to ideas, beliefs, values and approaches to defining what
is right and wrong, or desirable and undesirable.
(b) Technological component is concerned with the skills, arts and crafts that provide humans
with the means to produce goods by using what is available to them in their
environment.
(c) Organisational component enables humans to live in the family system and makes it
possible to coordinate their behaviour effectively with others' actions.
2. Culture is learned: It is not like biological features or instinctive. The process of learning
cultural values begins early in life largely through social interactions among families,
friends, in settings such as educational and religious institutions.
3. Culture is shared by a fairly large group of human beings living in organised societies and
works as a linking force. Generally, common religion and language are the critical elements
that largely help people share values, customs, norms and experiences.
4. Culture satisfies needs: Its components are passed down through generations because they
are gratifying. Culture offers order, direction and guides societies in all phases of life by
providing tried and trusted ways of meeting the physiological, personal and social needs
and due to these reasons people feel comfortable in doing things in the customary way.
5. Cultures are similar but different: There are certain similarities among all cultures and
many elements are present in all societies such as athletic sports, adornment of body,
cooking of food, a calendar, family, government, language, religious rituals, language,
dancing, music and many others elements. There are, though, very significant variations
in the nature of these elements in different societies and may exhibit important differences
in consumer behaviour.
6. Culture is not static: Some cultures are relatively more resistant to change than others but
they do change gradually and continuously. These changes, however, may be very slow in
some cultures while others may be more dynamic and receptive to changes.

Caselet Culture, Customs and the Customers

ulture is one of the major factors affecting consumer behaviour and some of its
dimensions can be observed with regard to the attitudes and values of consumers.
CCulture is a combination of learned beliefs, values and customs that can direct the
behaviour of consumers in a specific society.
Customs are overt modes of behaviour that are acceptable in a specific cultural context -
the different food habits in different parts of India are customs that are a part of the
respective cultures. From the marketing viewpoint, products and brand communication
would have to take into consideration the customs existing in a specific market situation.

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