Exam 2: Cross-Cultural Variations in Consumer Behavior

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Nonverbal factors influencing nonverbal communications include time, space, symbols, relationships, agreements, things, and etiquette. Students can discuss any four of the following:
a. Time-The meaning of time varies between cultures in two major ways: time perspective, which is a culture's overall orientation toward time, and the interpretations assigned to specific uses of time. Time perspectives can be monochronic (i.e., one thing at a time, promptness, adhering to plans, etc.) or polychronic (i.e., doing many things at once, committed to relationships, change plans often, etc.).
b. Space-Personal space is the nearest that others can come to you in various situations without your feeling uncomfortable, and this space varies among cultures.
c. Symbols-Colors, animals, shapes, numbers, and music have varying meaning across cultures.
d. Relationships-While Americans form relationships and make friends quickly and easily and drop them easily also, in many other parts of the world, relationships and friendships are formed slowly and carefully because they imply deep and lasting obligations. Chinese relationships are complex and described under the concept of guanxi.
e. Agreements-Americans rely on an extensive and generally, highly efficient legal system for ensuring that business obligations are honored or for resolving disagreements. Many other cultures have not developed such a system and rely instead on relationships, friendship, and kinship, local moral principles, or informal customs.
f. Things-The different meanings that cultures attach to things, including products, make gift-giving a particularly difficult task.
g. Etiquette-Generally accepted ways of behaving in social situations represent etiquette. Behaviors considered rude and obnoxious in one culture may be quite acceptable in another. Meishi in Japan (i.e., the exchange of business cards) is an important part of Japanese business etiquette.