Meaning and Nature of Culture

Meaning and Nature of Culture:-
Culture is an aggregate of the learned beliefs, attitudes, values, norms and
customs of asociety or group of people, shared by them and transmitted from
generation to generationwithin that society.
Culture too changes with time. The society that developed the culture is
continuously beingexposed to new experiences. Further, the society or group is
not a fixed body of people. Newgenerations are being brought into it and some
new members from other cultures are beingassimilated. With the increased
mobility of persons, flow of information and young person’sjoining the group;
cultures expand, dilute, subdivide and change.
The changes in culture are however not rapid and never drastic. The changes
reflect the movefrom old ideas to the new and also acceptance of ground realities
brought in byenvironmental or generational changes. Therefore changes can
only be gradual.
The word culture or the concept itself is flexible and can be stretched to cover
different typesof aggregation. When we speak of Eastern culture it includes vast
world stretching fromEgypt and Russia to India and Indonesia. It is perfectly
legitimate for us to take up study ofsubcultures of this Eastern culture like the
Russian culture or Indian culture. A combinationgroup or cross-culture group like
“Indian immigrants” can also be recognized and studied, aslong as the group is
of adequate size and importance as body of consumers.

We have already defined that culture is an aggregate of beliefs, attitudes etc.
culture can beviewed as a “blessing” and a preserve of values, heritage, arts and
good behavior. It can alsobe a “baggage” when we consider that it transmits
some irrational and out-of-date attitudesincluded in it as custom.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27525800/Culture-Consumer-Behavior
The main vehicles of culture are the family and the religious institutions where
the individualis “taught” much of the ideas, beliefs etc., that from the culture. This
teaching is reinforced asmoderated by two other vehicles namely the educational
institution and the mass media.

Characteristics of Culture:
•
Culture is invented: It cannot be viewed as something that just “exists” and
waiting
to be discovered. People are responsible for inventing their culture and this
invention
consists of three interdependent components:
1.Ideological component refers to ideas, beliefs, values, and approaches to
defining
what is right and wrong, or desirable and undesirable.
2.Technological component is concerned with the skill, arts, and crafts that
provide
human with the means to produce goods by using what is available to them in
their environment.
3.Consumer component enables humans to live in the family systems and
market it
possible to coordinate their behavior effectively with others actions.
•
Culture is leaned: It is not like biological features or instinctive. The process of
learning cultural blues begins early in life largely through social interactions
amongfamilies, friends, in settings in such as educational and religious
institutions; growingchildren are firmly indoctrinated with ways of behaving,
thinking and feeling. Someof the core cultural values that have been passed
down through generations in Indiaare belief in god, respecting elders, husband
domination, being polite to ladies,accepting arranged marriage, viewing marriage
as a union between two families andliving in joint families etc.
•
Culture is Shared by a firmly large group of human beings living in organized
societies and works as a linking force. Generally, common religion and language
arethe critical elements that the American pop culture is being shared by a large
numberof other countries through the availability of several products such as
coca cola,McDonald’s burgers, Levi’s jeans, movies and music etc.

•
Culture satisfies needs: Its components are passed down through generations
because they are gratifying. Culture offers order, direction and guides societies in
allphases of life by providing tried and trusted ways of meeting the
physiological,personal and social needs and due to these reasons people feel
comfortable in doingthings in the customary way. Cultural values and customs

etc. are followed as long asthey keep on offering satisfaction, even when we are
exposed to other culture.
Though advertising is considered an important agent in bringing about social
change,from the marketers point of view an important mission of advertising is to
reinforceestablished cultural t and aiding in the development of new tasted,
habits and customs.

•
Culture is not static: some cultures are relatively more resistant to change than
others but they do change gradually and continuously. These changes, however,
maybe very slow in some cultures while others may be more dynamic and
receptive tochanges. Since cultures are not static and change rapidly or slowly in
differentsocieties, this becomes quit an important consideration from the
marketers point ofview. For example, traditionally the role of women in India was
confined within thehousehold. As a rule, they were married at an early age,
looked after household dutiesand bore children. In urban India, at least, the role
of women is gradually gettingredefined. More and more women are acquiring
higher and technical education andentering several professions, which earlier
were the sole domain of men. As a result of

•
this, dual income households are emerging, with smaller families and increased
buying power. This has thrown up several, and important, opportunities to
marketers.
Such cultural changes in India can be directlyattributed to the influence of
western
cultures and media influence, which emphasize freedom and equality to women.
Culture can divided into two distinct components.
Influence of Culture on consumer behavior
While there are a large number of areas where the individual is conditioned by
his culture, forour study we will focus on certain areas where his consumer
behavior comes influence. There are:

•
Consumption of food, clothing and housing
•
Perception on messages and media, and
•
Receptivity to new ideas and change
Food:Food perhaps is the area where preferences are any way very individual
and very
marked. Additionally, culture introduces certain preferences. The examples of
preference
induced by cultures are
•
Kosher foods – for persons of Jewish subculture
•
Avoidance of beef – by Hindus and Sikhs
•
Avoidance of pork – by Muslims
•
Vegetarian food – large subcultures in India
•
Sea foods – for subcultures in the Far East
Clothing By sheer logic, clothing preference should depend on climate and
weather.
However, one can observe many peculiar preferences exhibited by consumers
who can beidentified as belonging to a subculture. The preferences in these
cases appear to be culturallyinherited. Otherwise there is no other explanation
why Italian gentry in Toronto or Indianladies in San Francisco are shopping for
silks and why custom dictated elaborate dressesunsuitable for the local and
prevailing climate are purchased all the year round, by ethnic groups.
Housing people of a certain class brought up in the western culture may view the
house as a
caste to protect their privacy whereas persons in the same class brought up in
Eastern culturewant to treat the house as a showpiece as well as a place for
interacting with kith and kin.Such cultural influences affect the choice of location,
material, construction and décor of thehouses the consumer buys and this has to
be kept in mind by the marketers.

Marketers also hold varying conception of culture. A traditional marketing view in
this
perspective, culture is viewed as a relatively unchanging background for
behavior, consisting
primarily of values and norms.Values are enduring beliefs about desirable
outcomes thattranscend specific situations and shape one’s behavior. If asked,
people can usually stateimportant values: honesty, dependability, and so forth,
for example. Cultures vary in thestrength of members’ beliefs in a limited number
of universal values.Norms are informal,usually unspoken rules that govern
behavior.

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Meaning and Nature of Culture:-

Culture is an aggregate of the learned beliefs, attitudes, values, norms and

customs of asociety or group of people, shared by them and transmitted from

generation to generationwithin that society.

continuously beingexposed to new experiences. Further, the society or group is

mobility of persons, flow of information and young person’sjoining the group;

cultures expand, dilute, subdivide and change.

brought in byenvironmental or generational changes. Therefore changes can

different typesof aggregation. When we speak of Eastern culture it includes vast

world stretching fromEgypt and Russia to India and Indonesia. It is perfectly

Russian culture or Indian culture. A combinationgroup or cross-culture group like

of adequate size and importance as body of consumers.

good behavior. It can alsobe a “baggage” when we consider that it transmits

some irrational and out-of-date attitudesincluded in it as custom.

teaching is reinforced asmoderated by two other vehicles namely the educational

institution and the mass media.

amongfamilies, friends, in settings in such as educational and religious

institutions; growingchildren are firmly indoctrinated with ways of behaving,

down through generations in Indiaare belief in god, respecting elders, husband

domination, being polite to ladies,accepting arranged marriage, viewing marriage

as a union between two families andliving in joint families etc.

numberof other countries through the availability of several products such as

coca cola,McDonald’s burgers, Levi’s jeans, movies and music etc.

allphases of life by providing tried and trusted ways of meeting the

comfortable in doingthings in the customary way. Cultural values and customs

exposed to other culture.

Though advertising is considered an important agent in bringing about social

change,from the marketers point of view an important mission of advertising is to

reinforceestablished cultural t and aiding in the development of new tasted,

habits and customs.

differentsocieties, this becomes quit an important consideration from the

confined within thehousehold. As a rule, they were married at an early age,

of women is gradually gettingredefined. More and more women are acquiring

higher and technical education andentering several professions, which earlier

were the sole domain of men. As a result of

behavior comes influence. There are:

However, one can observe many peculiar preferences exhibited by consumers

who can beidentified as belonging to a subculture. The preferences in these

cases appear to be culturallyinherited. Otherwise there is no other explanation

Eastern culturewant to treat the house as a showpiece as well as a place for

be kept in mind by the marketers.

primarily of values and norms.Values are enduring beliefs about desirable

outcomes thattranscend specific situations and shape one’s behavior. If asked,

people can usually stateimportant values: honesty, dependability, and so forth,

for example. Cultures vary in thestrength of members’ beliefs in a limited number

of universal values.Norms are informal,usually unspoken rules that govern

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