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STEP 1: CONSIDERING EXPORTING
You are here: Step 1: Considering exporting > The various environments you will encounter abroad > The sociocultural environment  
The sociocultural environment

Culture is the human-made part of the human environment - the sum total of mankind's knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society. It is the distinctive way of life of a group of people. their complete design for living - a mosaic of life.

(Source: P R Cateora, Strategic International Marketing)

Humans essentially create their own cultural and social environment. Customs, practices and traditions for survival and development are passed down from one generation to the next. In this way, the members of a particular society become conditioned to accept certain "truths" about life around them. The increasingly competitive international business environment calls upon exporters to tailor or adapt their business approach to the culture and traditions of specific foreign markets. The inability or unwillingness to do so could become a serious obstacle to success.

The task of adjusting to a new cultural environment is probably one of the biggest challenges of export marketing. Export marketing attempts are frequently unsuccessful because the marketer - either consciously or unconsciously - makes decisions or evaluations from a frame of reference that is acceptable to his/her own culture but unacceptable in a foreign environment. Therefore, business practices which are successful in one group of countries may be entirely inappropriate in another group of countries. For example, the Marlboro Company took its famous lone cowboy advertisement to Hong Kong in the early 1960's.However, the image of the cowboy riding off in the distance by himself led the Chinese to wonder what he had done wrong.

In the context of the socio-cultural environment, there are a number of factors that you will need to consider. These are:

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Step 1: more information

Step 1: Considering exporting
      The various benefits of exporting
      The various drawbacks to exporting
      The difference between domestic and export marketing
      The various environments you may encounter
            arrowThe sociocultural environment
                        Language
                        Material culture
                        Aesthetics
                        Social organisation
                        Religious beliefs, attitudes, values, space and time
            The legal environment
            The economic environment
            The political environment
            The technological environment
            The physical environment
            The various barriers you may face

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More information on Step 1
Learning to export... The export process in 21 easy steps
Step 1: Considering exporting
Step 2:Current business viability
Step 3:Export readiness
Step 4:Broad mission statement and initial budget
Step 5:Confirming management's commitment to exports
Step 6: Undertaking an initial SWOT analysis of the firm
Step 7:Selecting and researching potential countries abroad
Step 8: Preparing and implementing your export plan
Step 9: Obtaining financing for your exports
Step 10: Managing your export risk
Step 11: Promoting the firm and its products abroad
Step 12: Negotiating and quoting in exports
Step 13: Revising your export costings and price
Step 14: Obtaining the export order
Step 15: Producing the goods
Step 16: Handling the export logistics
Step 17: Export documentation
Step 18: Providing follow-up support
Step 19: Getting paid
Step 20: Reviewing and improving the export process
Step 21: Export Management
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