CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 101
Chapter Outline
• Perspectives on Consumer Behavior
• Motivation
• Learning
• Personality
- Personality Traits
- Hofstede's National Cultures
- Clustering: Commonality and Diversity
• Psychographics
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 102
Chapter Outline
• Perception
- Formation of Perception
- Country of Origin and Perceived Product Quality
• Attitude
• Social Class
• Group
• Family
• Opinion Leadership
• Diffusion Process of Innovations
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 103
Perspectives on Consumer Behavior
The major behavioral sciences relevant to consumer study are:
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
- unit of analysis = individual
SOCIAL FACTORS
- unit of analysis = group
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL FACTORS
- unit of analysis = culture, subculture, and social class
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 104
Psychological Factors
• Motivation
Motivation is fundamental in initiating consumer behavior. Motivation may be
viewed as a drive that is directed by a motive formed in relation to a particular goal
- Rational motives: price, durability, and economy in operation
- Nonrational motives: prestige, comfort, and pleasure
• Learning
Motives, cultural norms, and consumption habits are all learned
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 105
Psychological Factors
• Personality
- Personality Traits
- Hofstede's National Cultures
- Clustering: Commonality and Diversity
• Psychographics
AIO (activities, interests, and opinions) study
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 106
Hofstede’s National Culture
• Individualism vs. Collectivism
• Large vs. Small Power Distance
• Strong vs. Weak Uncertainty Avoidance
• Masculinity vs. Femininity
• Temporal Orientation: short- vs. long-term
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 107
Hofstede’s National Culture Geert Hofstede
• Developed a theory to measure cultural differences.
• Problem: How to quantify culture?
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 108
Hofstede’s National Culture Geert Hofstede
Defining culture in 5 dimensions, based on research at IBM:
• Power Distance index
• Individualism
• Uncertainty avoidance index
• Masculinity
• Long term orientation
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 109
Hofstede’s National Culture Power Distance Index
• Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations
and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed
unequally.
• Does not reflect an objective difference in power distribution, but rather the way
people perceive power differences.
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 110
Hofstede’s National Culture Individualism
The degree to which individuals are
integrated into groups.
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 111
Hofstede’s National Culture Uncertainty Avoidance Index
• A society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity.
Reflects the extent to which members of a society
attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing
uncertainty.
• People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance
tend to be more emotional. More attention for
planning step by step and procedures
➢ High uncertainty avoidance
➢Low uncertainty avoidance
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 112
Hofstede’s National Culture Masculinity
The distribution of emotional roles between the
genders. Masculine cultures' values are
competitiveness, assertiveness, materialism, ambition
and power, whereas feminine cultures place more
value on relationships and quality of life.
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 113
Hofstede’s National Culture Long term orientation
Long-term orientation is when you are
focused on the future. You are willing
to delay short-term material or social
success or even short-term emotional
gratification in order to prepare for the
future. If you have this cultural
perspective, you value persistence,
perseverance, saving and being able to
adapt.
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 114
Psychological Factors
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 115
Psychological Factors
• Perception
Perception goes beyond sensation by providing meaning to sensory stimulations.
➢ Country of origin and perceived product quality
• Attitude
Attitude is the learned tendency to
respond to an object in a consistently
favorable or unfavorable way.
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 116
Country of Origin and Perceived Product Quality
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 117
Country of Origin and Perceived Product Quality
• Factors Affecting Perception of Product Quality
- Country of Assembly
- Country of Design
- Retailer's Image
- Brand Name
- Marketing Factors
- Halo Effect vs. Product-Specific Effect
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 118
Social Factors
• Social Class
• Group
• Family
• Opinion Leadership
• Diffusion Process of Innovations
• Culture
• Subculture
QUESTIONS
• Distinguish among these three disciplines in terms of the unit of analysis: psychology,
sociology, and anthropology.
• Are rational motives more effective than their emotional counterparts in motivating
consumers to make a purchase?
• Are consumers’ perceptions of products affected by the information concerning the
products’ countries of origin?
• Explain how attitudes toward (a) marketing and (b) women may vary across
countries.
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 119
DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENTS
• Compared to Europeans, are Asians and Africans: (1) more group oriented, (b)
more family oriented, and (c) more concerned with social status? How might such
orientations affect the way you market your product to Asian and African
consumers?
26.11.2020 International Marketing, Alireza Ahmadi, Wintersemester 2020-2021 120