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Unit 3: Cultural and Social Environment

the global marketer is to find the similarities and differences in culture and account for these in notes
designing and developing marketing plans. Failure to do so can be disastrous.
Terpstran (1987) has defined culture as follows:
“The integrated sum total of learned behavioural traits that are manifest and shared by members of
society”.
Culture, therefore, according to this definition, is not transmitted genealogically. It is not, also
innate, but learned. Facets of culture are interrelated and it is shared by members of a group who
define the boundaries. Often different cultures exist side by side within countries, especially in
Africa. It is not uncommon to have a European culture, alongside an indigenous culture, say, for
example, Shona, in Zimbabwe. Culture also reveals itself in many ways and in preferences for
colours, styles, religion, family ties and so on. The colour red is very popular in the west, but not
popular in Islamic countries, where sober colours like black are preferred.
Much argument in the study of culture has revolved around the “standardisation” versus
“adaptation” question. In the search for standardisation certain “universals” can be identified.
Murdock (1954) suggested a list, including age grading, religious rituals and athletic sport. Levitt
(1982) suggested that traditional differences in task and doing business were breaking down and
this meant that standardisation rather than adaption is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Culture, alongside economic factors, is probably one of the most important environmental
variables to consider in global marketing. Culture is very often hidden from view and can be
easily overlooked. Similarly, the need to overcome cultural myopia is paramount.

3.1 cultural environment

When doing business abroad, a company first should determine whether a usual business practice
in a foreign country differs from its home-country experience. Understanding the cultures of
groups of people is useful because business employs, sells to, buys from, is regulated by, and is
owned by people.

3.1.1 values and norms

Values form the bedrock of a culture. They provide the context within which a society’s norms
are established and justified. They may include a society’s attitudes toward such concepts as
individual freedom, democracy, truth, justice, honesty, loyalty, social obligations, collective
responsibility, the role of women, love, sex, marriage, and so on. Values are not just abstract
concepts; they are invested with considerable emotional significance. People argue, fight, and
even die over values such as freedom. Values also often are reflected in the political and economic
systems of a society.
Norms are the social rules that govern people’s actions toward one another. Norms can be divided
further into two major categories: folkways and mores. Folkways are the routine conventions of
everyday life. Generally, folkways are action of little moral significance. Rather, folkways are
social conventions concerning things such as the appropriate dress code in a particular situation,
good social manners, eating with the correct utensils, neighbourly behaviour and the like. While
folkways define the way the people are expected to behave, violation of folkways is not normally
a serious matter. People who violate folkways may be though of as eccentric or ill-mannered, but
they are not usually considered to be evil or bad. In many countries foreigners may initially be
excused for violating folkways.
Mores are norms that are seen as central to the functioning of a society and to its social life.
They have much greater significance than folkways. Accordingly, violating, mores can bring
serious retribution. Mores include certain factors as indictments against theft, adultery, incest,
and cannibalism. In many societies, certain mores have been enacted into law. Thus, all advanced
societies have laws against theft, incest and cannibalism. However, there are also many differences
between cultures as to what is perceived as mores.

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