Discussion 2 Bus 366
Answer this question
Why is there a love/hate relationship between Mexico and the United States? Discuss.
Weekly Notes – Week 2
Understanding the geography and of a country can help a marketer have a better appreciation for many of the characteristics of its culture. A culture of a people evolves in response to the environment which it confronts. The geography of a country, its topography, climate, physical position relative to other countries affect a culture’s evolution including its marketing and distribution systems. While it is impractical for a marketer to be an expert on the geography of every country in the world, it is important for a marketer to understand that geography plays an important role in the economy of a country and its marketing system. One objective of this chapter is to sensitize you to the importance of geography as one of the explanations of a country’s market and economy.
The history of a country is also important in understanding many aspects of a . It is imperative that an international marketer making a long-term commitment in a country have some knowledge of its history.
One cannot fully understand how business people negotiate, how they conduct business, their attitudes toward foreign investment, the legal system, and other aspects of the market/business system without a historical perspective. A historical perspective helps prepare an international marketer for many of the cultural differences that often cause misunderstandings and, in many cases, mistakes. While a marketer may not be able to change a person’s attitude or behavior, if you have a historical perspective of why they react as they do, you can gain insights that can possibly make it easier to adapt your strategies for a successful outcome. Today with the importance of NAFTA, China, Japan, the EU, etc., a knowledge of the geography of the regions and an appreciation for the history of the regions is a must if marketers are to be culturally aware.
In Chapter 4, you will be looking at cultural dynamics when assessing global markets. Culture, in this text, is defined in an anthropological sense in that culture refers to the entire social heritage of a group of people. Thus, culture includes a country’s economy, society, behavior, etc. It is imperative for international marketers to learn to appreciate the intricacies of cultures different from their own.
A vast majority of the mistakes made by international businesses can be attributed to a lack of understanding some aspect of the culture of a country. Remember that in many cultures, an is a change agent in that their activities cause cultural change. Sometimes the consequences of change can be very beneficial but in other cases, change can be harmful – the marketer has the responsibility to guard against causing harmful change.
This reply MUST be substantive and meaningful; a minimum 300 words. It is highly important that you read the discussion topic thoroughly as discussion topics may have multiple parts. Failure to properly support your response will result in a point deductions from the grade. If you are using an electronic source, the URL of that source should be included at the bottom of the initial discussion topic. All must be in proper APA 6th ed (2nd printing) format.
