Or is it simply that the product lacks those benefits for which It was created? In business Is becoming a prominent problem for the failure of a product In international business. Cross cultural sensitivity is the quality of being aware and accepting other cultures. This is important because what seems acceptable in some countries can be rude or derogatory in other countries. A culturally sensitive person would understand other countries’ traditions and ways of life, or attempt to learn and apply new understandings and thus produces product by considering the market’s culture.
Cross cultural awareness is important while dealing in international relations or trade. It can mean the difference between a brand succeeding or failing in an International market. : Cross-cultural differences can lead to cross cultural blunders. Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences. Some cross cultural barriers are body language, etiquette, establishing trust, religious beliefs, and social habits.
To quote few instances – In case flanges Issues -A brand name that conjures images of quality and reliability In one language may have serious negative connotations In another. An Iranian razor manufacturer used the brand name ms’, the Persian word for ‘sharp’ to illustrate the quality of its product. When the company began exporting the razors to Qatar, they learned that Tic’ stands for ‘bull sit’ in Arabic which the Arabic-speaking students of Qatar found highly offensive. Sales of the razors plummeted and the Iranian manufacturer lost money and failed due to erroneous marketing campaign.
Respect and Hierarchy- Different cultures have different contexts for displaying respect to superiors and receiving deference from subordinates. An Indian office manager took a similar position In an office In Seoul, South Korea. The manager expressed his discomfort at the deference that his subordinates paid him, so he told them to treat him as an equal. The lack of deference led to a breakdown in discipline and professionalism, with employees wasting time in casual conversation.
The office lost so much productivity that It was nearly shut down and the supervisor was reassigned. 1 OFF They were successful and began selling internationally. However they were not accepted in Japan, where number four means death. A company having understood the cultures of other countries can manipulate the marketing strategies accordingly and use them effectively. For example- the main slogan of coke is ‘open happiness’. But happiness is defined differently in different cultures.
So it targets all the cultures and has different types of advertisements for different countries/cultures. Recognizing the importance of cross cultural assassination will help the company to understand the needs and the preferences of the customers for a product. A company shouldn’t sell a product that would not be accepted by the people on cultural grounds. Communicating and working across cultures often presents huge risks for international businesses. Understanding ultras of different countries provide competitive edge.
The idea of cross cultural sensitivity can be imparted to the employees by cross culture awareness training. Thus, the idea of cross cultural sensitivity is inevitable in international business. For a company to be successful in international business, employees must be culturally sensitive. If different cultures are accepted by people of different parts of the world, then it leads to successful and profitable venture. And thus the need for greater cross-cultural awareness is heightened in our global economies.
