Question

What are some of the ethical issues involved in cross-cultural marketing?

Please answer in 150 words or more.

Answer 1

Cross culture marketing has challenges as the forces that drive & shape consumer behaviors change rapidly in different cultures. A business is impacted by Culture & expectations within culture which affects all transactions. Cross culture is a key issue in international business as success of a business relies upon smooth & rapid interaction of people from different cultures & regions. In this era of globalization businesses tend to grow outside their home country to other geography’s in order to maximize profits & expand their brand image. Each region has its distinct culture & ethics. Ethics are an integral part of culture. The culture of society impacts its development & progress. Every culture has its own language, principles, values, laws & morals which differ from region to region. Culture determines how people communicate & interact, relate to one another & behave with each other.

There are ethical challenges in cross culture marketing due to varied nature of values, interests, morals & behaviors. We will discuss them in detail below.

Cultural diversity & issues: Cultures have different types of business environment. Some prefer competitive culture while others prefer relationship based business style & some prefer rule based culture. Apart from it there are political issues, social issues & cultural issues in different regions.

Consumer interests: Different cultures have their own set of needs, tastes & desires. Marketers face difficulty in analyzing these factors because what is considered out of date in one culture may be popular in another.

Language: This is a key issue in cross culture marketing as marketing products & services in a foreign language is challenging. Meaning & implications is difficult to convey in translation from one language to another. Local dialects & colloquiums can create different meaning from what marketer wants to convey. This results in confusion & sometimes misinterpretation of message which creates difficulty.

Local Laws & regulations: In some cases local laws & regulations favor local industry over foreign companies. In this case marketing managers have to deal with tariffs & limitations which makes prices artificially higher. In this case locally produced goods are more attractive to consumers.