The Undermining of Beliefs in the Autonomy and Rationality of Consumers
Lecture notes study book The Undermining of Beliefs in the Autonomy and Rationality of Consumers of John O'Shaughnessy, Nicholas O'Shaughnessy - ISBN: 9781135978273 (CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR)
MODULE 3: THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE AND SUBCULTURE ON
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define culture and subculture;
2. Understanding of the role of culture in consumer behaviour;
3. Identify environmental factors buyers black;
4. Discuss the role of culture in understanding the market behavior of
the consumer;
5. Discuss the characteristics of culture;
6. Describe the components of culture;
7. Define and give examples of subcultures;
8. Briefly discuss the types of Sub-culture.
3.1 What is culture?
1|Page
, Culture may be defined as the “personality of a society”. It is broad and all
pervasive in nature, inclusive of language, customs and traditions, norms
and laws, religion, art and music, etc. It also includes the interests of
people, the work practices and orientations, as also their attitudes
towards general and specific issues. Culture delineates precisely, the do’s
and dont’s of a society, and specifies all that is acceptable and all that is
not. It is reflective of values and beliefs that are widely accepted by
members of a society. The members of a society subscribe to the various
values, beliefs and norms, and this gives strength to a society’s culture.
This does not imply that cultures are truly rigid; in fact, they evolve and
adapt to changing situations and times. Culture is a society's personality,
unique in itself and differentiated from others; it is further divided into
various sub-cultures.
Culture is also trans-generational, and is passed on from one
generation to another. A study on our culture requires an elaborate and
detailed inquiry into the very character and personality of the society that
we live in. The culture of a society also has a bearing on buying patterns
and consumption behavior. In terms of consumer behavior, Schiffman
defines culture as “the sum total of learned beliefs, values, and customs
that serve to direct the consumer behavior of members of a particular
society”. The kinds of products and services and/or brands that
consumers’ buy and use, are all based on their cultures and sub-cultures.
For example, the food they eat and the kinds of clothes they buy and
wear, are all impacted by their culture, their customs, traditions, norms
and values.
3.2 The Role of Culture in Consumer Behavior
Consumer behavior is largely dependent on cultural factors consisting of
mutually shared operating procedures, unstated assumptions, tools,
norms, values, standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating, and
communicating. Cultural factors vary by country but become increasingly
complex when people immigrate to foreign countries that have different
cultural dimensions. In these situations, people are subjected to a wide
variety of cultural reference groups that ultimately affect their purchase
behavior. In addition, reference groups may consist of familial groups or
external peer groups with each group providing specific and often
conflicting information that affects purchase and consumption behavior. In
response, marketers must develop marketing communication that
addresses cultural and reference group factors from both a domestic and
global perspective. To this end, marketers use market segmentation and
micromarketing to develop customer-centric marketing messages with the
goal of providing precisely defined marketing messages that satisfy
consumer’s need for personal information regarding products and services
so that consumers should be adequately stimulated to purchase the
product or service being advertised.
2|Page
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller cholukhozoamahle99. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.40. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.