Cultures Explain the Difference Between

¶ … Cultures Explain the difference between high context cultures and low context cultures using examples from two cultures with which you are familiar. Assume that you are doing business in a high context culture like Japan or China. What are the challenges involved that may impact your marketing goals in that culture? Use concrete examples to illustrate your points.

There are many differences between high context and low context cultures, with the majority of these differences being in the approach to communication, adherence to laws, nature and structure of agreements, relative view of attention to detail, directness, and several other factors that all culminate in how members of these cultures learn to trust each other (Lindsay, 2005). High context cultures include Japan and China. In these cultures there is a relative weak emphasis on the written word yet personal promises are considered binding and even more important that written agreements.

A high context culture also relies heavily on nonverbal communication, and as a result view silken in a communication as respected and communicate. Specifically in the Japanese culture this is viewed as time to think through a thoughtful and insightful response, yet in a low context culture, silence is anxiety-producing and seen as non-communicative. Low context cultures include Germans, Swiss and Austrian cultures.

In marketing into a high context culture the challenges will be first gaining credibility and trust as a marketer of a foreign good (Lindsay, 2005) as these cultures place a high level of emphasis on the intention of a person's communication and also on the fulfillment of commitments over time. In launching a new product into a high context culture, recruiting a dealers and distributors for a new product could take literally months or years if a foreigner attempted to do this on their own.

What is more expedient to seek out trusted advisors in the specific markets of interest in Japan for example, and through continual, proven execution of promises and commitments, including delivering products on time, not changing the price, and continually building a relationship with these advisors could eventual market growth be attained. A second major challenge in marketing within a high context culture is the significantly different perception of time relative to low context cultures.

In high context cultures there is a much higher tolerance of ambiguity in addition to a much more patient approach to how business is done.