Why is it helpful for international business people to know that national culture has two components?
Natural culture is made up of two components; the effects that symbols have on people’s imagination and creativity and how people classify different situations. International business people need to understand these components to know the kind of products and services acceptable in a certain geographical area. When marketing and advertising for goods and services, knowledge of target group culture will go a long way in assisting businessmen to develop appropriate persuasion mechanisms.
A knowledge of culture has been responsible for Disney’s success in Tokyo, and ignorance of culture was responsible for the company’s largest losses in Paris.
Disney is an American company that has diversified its operation to other countries like France and Japan. The approach that the company took in Japan did not seem to contradict the culture of the people. The films that the company concentrated on were similar to those the Japanese produced. The change was gradual and gave time to the people to adjust to the new filming system.
In France, the company ignored the culture of the country and produced movies that had Americanism in them. The movies were seen to contradict the French culture and were rejected by the people; the result was a loss to the company.
Why do international businesspersons need to consider aesthetics when making marketing decisions?
Aesthetics refer to the philosophy of understanding the influence of art, beauty, and culture. When international business men are marketing their products, they should be sensitive to aesthetics in a certain target market so as they can make products that are in line with what is generally accepted in society. The way they pack, display, and make their products will influence how successful their marketing campaign will be. Understanding the sensory-emotional values of a target group will assist in devising appropriate persuasion methods.
How can the demonstrations effect be used to improve productivity? To improve sales?
When a company observes the way another company in the same fields is conducting its production, it can borrow some elements from the competitors a move that will increase its production. On the other hand, a department which is managed effectively can be an example to other departments which they will feel challenged to perform. It will lead to overall increased production in the organization.
The sales team may borrow some elements from their colleagues and polish their activities for increased sales. An organization can analyze the difference that its products have with those of its competitors; after the difference has been interpolated, an improvement of current products is done which in turn increases sales.
Some Societies view change differently than do Americans. What impact does this have on the way American marketers operate in those markets? The way American production people operate?
Marketers should be responsive to the way their target market perceives change. They should not be static in the way they implement a certain change in the foreign market. They should not force people to adopt the American style but take their time depending on the market they are dealing with to implement a certain change.
The American production people analyze the prevailing situation in a certain period and make their products to fit the prevailing condition.