DB RESPONSE: CULTURE

MRKT 640- CULTURE

CULTURE

Chamesha Beniefield

MRKT 640

According to Mothersbaugh, “culture is the complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society” (p, 40). Marketers should understand the value of culture and its influence on a society. Culture influences decision making, spending habits and perception of how we view people and places. Though cultures tend to evolve over time, it is slow to change. Understanding culture values is key when companies want to expand internationally. Target’s expansion into the Canadian market did not go over well and many stores were closed within the first two years. Starbucks was deemed too hot and expensive for Australia. It was reported that the company suffered $143 million dollar loss. Mattel launched a Barbie dream house in China, and was unable to convey the same message with Chinese cultural, as they deemed Barbie to sexual. “Marketing culture refers to the pattern of shared values and beliefs that help individuals understand the marketing function and provide them with norms for behavior in the firm. An orientation and culture towards marketing within the organization is most imperative” (Shanker, 2019). The statement “culture sets boundaries on behaviors” is defined as follows:

“The boundaries that culture sets on behavior are called norms, which are simply rules that specify or prohibit certain behaviors in specific situations” (Mothersbaugh, 41). Culture norms are defined by our standard of living. They can be reinforced by family, teachers and community. Culture norms change throughout different regions of the world. An organizational culture norm is can be defined by the CEO or head of a company. It normaly stems from values, goals and mission of an organization. “Since organizational culture is a set of shared assumptions and understandings about organizational functioning firms' logic, priorities and strategies are deeply ingrained in the organizational culture that surrounds and is infused into employees power-based behaviors” (Murphy, Gölgeci, & Johnston, 2019). Organizational culture affects choices of behaviors toward partners as well as how partner behaviors are perceived.

Self-Oriented values are relationships that “reflect the objectives and approaches to life that the individual members of society find desirable” (Mothersbaugh, 43). Self-oriented values can be active or passive. In America, there is a large market for physical activities and sports. In contrast, other countries such as Japan have a lower population that is engaged in physical activities. One would make the observation that a sports campaign would appeal more to American households. In some cultures, there is a greater appeal to abstinence in comparison to sensual gratification. Though both define self-oriented values, they are opposite in nature. Muslim cultures are sensitive to sexual advisements and more conservative. American companies that choose to expand in cultures with high Muslim or Asian population must be aware of this prior to launching a marketing and advertisement campaign. It is important to understand the values within the culture.

In Romans 12:2, God instructs us “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV, Bible Gatway). It is important that we understand as believers, when we are born again, we now are a part of the body of Christ. Under His kinship, there is now a new set of values that we display that reflect our relationship with God.

References:

Hawkins, D. I., & Mothersbaugh, D. L. (2020). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy (14th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9781260158199.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Murphy, W.H. ,  Gölgeci, I.  and  Johnston, D.A.  (2019), "Power-based behaviors between supply chain partners of diverse national and organizational cultures: the crucial role of boundary spanners’ cultural intelligence",  Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing , Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 204-218.  https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/JBIM-05-2018-0179

Shanker, R. (2019). MARKETING CULTURE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO RETAIL BANKING IN INDIA. Facta Universitatis., 2. https://doi.org/10.22190/FUEO1804331S