Competitive pressures caused by globalization, deregulation, and discontinuous
technological changes seem to have forced many organizations into considering radical
change as a way of surviving and growing. A big part of this radical change has to do
with accepting and handling cultural differences among other nations. Organizations
pursue change to enhance their competitive positions and to grow.
Cultural Change
Culture changes over time, despite the fact that one of the more important
attributes of culture is that it is conservative and resistant to change. When marketing a
new innovation to a foreign country, the marketer must possess a thorough knowledge of
that country's culture in order to be successful there, as new innovations can be fail or
even cause offence if not marketed or designed in a manner appropriate to that particular
culture.
There are six rules of thumb when doing business across cultures:
1. Be prepared. Whether traveling or selling from home, you should never approach
a foreign market with first researching the area. Some of the things to learn
would include social and business etiquette, history, current affairs, the culture's
values, geography, religion, political structure, and practical matter such as
currency and hours of business.
2. Slow down. In America "Time is money." Americans always seem to be in a
rush and can seem unfriendly or arrogant. In other countries, patience is the key.
3. Establish trust. Having crisp business relationships will get the salesperson
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