Marketing across Cultures Assignment CW2.

Marketing across Cultures
Assignment CW2

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
A Cross-Cultural Analysis ..............................................................................................................3
Hofstede Cultural Model.............................................................................................................3
Social and Cultural Factors and the Marketing Mix........................................................................6
Market Entry Strategies ..................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Cross culture refers to the aspect that recognises the divergence among people of distinct
backgrounds, ethnicities, nations and the significance of bridging them. This concept is dealing
with the comparison between different cultural areas. In international businesses, cross culture is
a crucial issue as the success of international trade rely on effective interaction of workforce
from distinct regions and cultures. This report is the extension of Course work 1 which is done
on cross cultural analysis. The selected nations in project are Japan and UAE and it aims to
develop an understanding about the cultures of these two different countries along with the
impacts of these cultures on marketing activities of a company. For this, the selected company is
GU which is a discount casual wear manufacturer, designer and retailer of Japan. The firm was
founded in year 1973 and its headquarter is established in Tokyo, Japan. This report covers cross
culture analysis for understanding cultural and social differences between two nations which are
culturally different. Apart from this, it examines the way cultural and social factors could
influence behaviour of consumers towards products and services of company and its strategic
implication on marketing mix. At last, the report covers different market entry strategy options
that are available to a firm and supports it to expand effectively with less barriers.
MAIN BODY
A Cross-Cultural Analysis
Hofstede Cultural Model
Hofstede's cultural dimensions is a model which is developed by Geert Hofstede for cross
cultural communication. This framework helps in understanding the divergence in cultures of
different nations. Businesses use this model in order to distinguish between cultures of distinct
countries, its dimensions and their influence on operations and activities of business (What is the
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory?, 2019). As per the course work 1, the most appropriate
model for cross cultural analysis is Hofstede's cultural dimensions framework which allows
organisations and individuals in analysing the influence of cultures of different nations on
offerings, values and cultures of a company. It assist in understanding the divergence between
norms and beliefs of different nations and their influence on offerings of firms of other nations.
Proper understanding of cultural differences and their impact on products and services is very
necessary for GU in order to expand in UAE. As the company is operating in Japan, the cultures

of UAE and Japan are significantly different which will likely to influence the offerings of GU.
Hence, proper analysis of all the cultural dimensions of Hofstede framework in context of the
cultural differences and their influence are mentioned below:
Masculinity Versus Femininity:
This dimension of cultural framework is associated with the society's preference towards
prevailing components and orientation within the country. It includes the attitude of society
towards sexuality equality, their preference for achievement etc. For instance, In context of
femininity, the people of society is more concerned towards cooperation, modesty and life
quality of society. On the other hand, masculinity comes from the dimensions that effectively
depicts that people of society is perceptive towards achievement, assertiveness, heroism,
material rewards, wealth building etc. this shows that society is very competitive in nature.
Japan has a highly masculine society in which rivalry amongst different groups is highly
evident. High degree of masculinity serves as a motivational components in business. Hence, the
products that companies are offered are based on competition along with this, firms ensure that
the prices set for its products are competitive in order to gain competitive advantage in market
and stay ahead in competition. Similarly, in context of GU, the company provides its fashion
apparels at low prices in comparison to its competitors in Japan. This enables the business entity
to acquire large number of market share. It depicts that the firms operating in Japan are with
masculine characteristics and the people of society emphasize on factors like competition, which
helps in improving strategies within marketplace.
On the other hand, in case of UAE, when the topic is about femininity and masculinity, it
has a balanced society. Hence, when the society existing in the nation emphasize on competition
or rivalry, it also considers the quality of life. Yet, both the femininity and masculinity aspects
indicates the perception of society towards the product offer by GU in the nation. For example,
so far there is minimal competition, the people of society in United Arab Emirates might
perceive the clothings offered by GU as low quality because of the current pricing strategy which
is adopted through company in its niche markets. Moreover, since the difference is evident
between the cultures and values of both the countries regarding masculinity and femininity
aspect, the chances of perceiving the products of company differently are high despite of minor
differences.
Individualism Versus Collectivism: