You are a marketing executive for a software development company that produces accounting applications for small businesses. Your company wants to expand internationally and has identified two countries for its first venture. The countries happen to have very different cultures. You have devised a chart indicating each of the country's five dimensions of culture based on Hofstede's model, as seen below.
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*Grenlaundre
(Northern Europe)
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*Vidalenzia
(Latin America)
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Individualism vs. collectivism
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Highly individualistic
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Highly collective
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Power distance
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Low power distance
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High power distance
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Uncertainty avoidance
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Low uncertainty avoidance
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High uncertainty avoidance
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Masculinity vs. femininity
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Feminine
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Masculine
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Time orientation
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Short-term orientation
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Long-term
orientation
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Question to answer: (550-850 words)
Describe a marketing campaign for each nation based on its specific cultural traits. Which venues would you use for your campaigns (e.g., print, TV, radio, direct marketing)? How would you work with business leaders? What elements of your product would you emphasize in your campaigns? What markets would you target? Please explain in detail.
Some helpful definitions to take into consideration:
Individualism versus collectivismrefers to whether a person functions primarily as an individual or part of a group.
- Individualism:In individualistic societies, ties among people are relatively loose, and each person tends to focus on his or her own self-interest. Competition for resources is the norm, and those who compete best are rewarded financially.
- Collectivism:In collectivist societies, by contrast, ties among individuals are more important than individualism. Business is conduct in the context of a group in which others' views are strongly considered. The group is all-important, as life is fundamentally a cooperative experience. Conformity and compromise help maintain group harmony.
Power distance describes how a society deals with the inequalities in power that exist among people
- Low power distance:In societies with low power distance, the gaps between the powerful and weak are minimal. In Denmark and Sweden, for example, tax and social welfare systems ensure nationals are relatively equal in terms of income and power.
- High power distance:Societies characterized by high power distance are relatively indifferent to inequalities and allow the to grow over time. There are substantial gaps between the powerful and the weak.
Masculinity versus femininity refers to a society's orientation based on traditional male and female values.
- Masculinity:Masculine cultures tend to value competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and the accumulation of wealth.
- Femininity:Feminine cultures emphasize nurturing roles, interdependence among people, and taking care of less fortunate people.
Long-term versus short-term orientation refers to the degree to which people and organizations defer gratification to achieve long-term success
- Long-term orientation:Firms and people in cultures with a long-term orientation tend to take the long view to planning and living. They focus on years and decades. The long-term dimension is best illustrated by so-called Asian values - cultural orientations of several Asian societies including China, Japan, Singapore.