articol IGWT2010 Doru, Irina, Pamfilie

8/7/2019 articol IGWT2010 Doru, Irina, Pamfilie

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Culture Reflected in Websites five European Latin Countries Analysis

Doru Pleea, Irina Maiorescu, Rodica Pamfilie

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Bucharest University of Economics Faculty of Commerce

Romania, 010511 Bucharest, Bd. Dacia 41

Tel/ Fax: (+4)021 319 19 96

PurposeOne of the major risks brought by the fast movement of technology and information is

creating similar, depersonalized products and services all over the world. In the dynamic

society we live today the website is one of the most powerful tools which promote the image

of the organization, and in the same time, a product which risks getting depersonalized. The

purpose of the present paper is to reach the essential factors that give essence to cultures and

to reflect them in designing websites, focusing on five European Latin countries: France,

Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering two of the most popular cultural behavior theories of Geert Hofstede and of

Edward Hall, and analyzing 200 websites belonging to the five above mentioned countries,we came to identify 6 essential dimensions that need to be taken into account when referring

to transposing the particularities of a culture in the design, structure and communication of a

website.

Findings

Though European countries with different historical and political background, Latin countries

tend to prefer a similar way of presenting and communicating information through the

websites.

Originality/value

Combining the elements of the two cultural dimensions brought by the two cultural theories,we presented in our analysis model 6 dimensions: Structure of Communication, Uncertainty

Avoidance, Power distance, Masculinity, Individualism. However, the observation of the

websites directed us towards considering another characteristic, the 6th: National Identity.

Keywords: Consumer, Culture, Latin Countries, Website

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1. Cultural frames

Globalization is a complex phenomenon that aroused numerous controversies regarding

the balance between its benefits a fast movement of the technology and information and its

negative aspects. And that is because globalization brought with it the risk of transferring the

same patterns of production and communication all over the world, without considering thatcultures vary. Thus, rejection is the normal reaction of the individual belonging to a certain

place and having specific inherited values when confronted with depersonalized products and

services. Consumers choose products and services that give them the feeling that they fit their

way of being, that the products and services they acquire are made according to their both

specified and inner desires. Specified needs for a product or service can be transformed into

reality, because they are known. But what about the inner mechanisms that most often cannot

be translated into words, specifications? Every human is indeed unique in what regards his

own life experiences, perceptions. However, the humans are social unique, this meaning

that there are common levels of perceiving things that connect them and give them the feeling

of belonging to a group, to a culture.

During1978-1983, theDutchculturalanthropologist GeertHofstede realized a survey

withhundredsofIBMemployeesin53 countries. As a result of his analysis hepointed out a

certain resemblance in the patterns of thinking and perceiving things for the people

belonging to the same country. However, those patterns of thinking seem to differ from one

culture to another and the index of their strength was calculated. The five dimensions which

Hofstede consider important to be taken into account when addressing to a certain culture are

the following: Power-distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long

Term Orientation (Hofstede, 1997).

Another wide accepted cultural theory was proposed by Edward Hall. His analysis led

him to the conclusion that cultures differ one from another in the way they communicate and

perceive time. Referring to communication, he classified the cultures in High Context culturesand Low Context cultures (Hall, 1990).

2. Cultural dimensions

Website is a product like million others, but a very important one considering the

way it affects the perception of the clients about a company. We analyzed more than 200

websites created by people belonging to different countries and the way the two main cultural

theories reflect in the design, structure and text. At the end of this study we retained as

essential the following 6 cultural dimensions: Structure of communication, Uncertainty

Avoidance, Power Distance, Masculinity, Individualism, National Identity.

2.1 Structure of communication

Referring to the particularities of the communication in the two types of culture, there

are described the aspects of face-to-face communication, non-verbal communication and it is

taken into account the message speed, time perception, directness. Thus, in High Context

cultures body language, gestures, proximity and symbols behavior are very important. People

rather use indirect language, considering that the others will extract the right message from

the context.(Hall, 1990). Low Context cultures tend to communicate through clear, direct

statements, so that the listener receives the message exactly as it was sent, without possible

wrong interpretations. In Low Context cultures, the sender tries to make as clear as possible

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the information he wants to send and expects receiving a feedback as clear as possible in

return. It is not the same thing in High Context cultures, where the receiver is the one who has

to understand through lines in order to decode the message.

The indirect nature of High-Context communication, the preference for decoding small

pieces of information, and the use of symbols in High Context communication is expressed

through images, animations on High Context websites. By comparison, websites created forthe Low-Context are expected to be richer in text and with fewer animations. For a High

Context culture such a site would be considered rather uninteresting. However Low Context

cultures prefer practical websites in what regards the efficiency of obtaining information.

Animated effects on websites tend to be more prominent and elaborate in High Context

cultures than in Low Context websites, where such options are reserved for relatively subtle

effects such as emphasizing active links or drawing attention to logos. Much of the animation

on High Context websites is centered on images of people. Priority should be given to the

design of the website in High Context cultures, rather than to its informative role. Most High

Context sites, in contrast, depend on links and information described by a limited amount of

text, and sometimes with an illustration. This gives a less transparent overview of the content

in the website compared to Low Context sites (Wrtz, 2005)

2.2 Uncertainty avoidance

This dimension introduced by Hofstede, states that people have different attitudes and

feel different a certain degree of discomfort when facing uncertainty, unusual events.

Cultures vary in their avoidance of uncertainty by creating different rituals and different

ways for approaching a situation they are not familiar with. This is translated in how

formality,punctuality, legal-religious-social requirements are valued. First of all, c ultures

withhighuncertainty avoidance index tend tobeexpressive. People talkwith theirhands,

raise their voices and show their emotions. They dislike ambiguous situations andbelieve

that having a clearstructurein the organizations, institutionsand relationshipswill keep the

unpredictable events under control. In these cultures, what is different, unknown maybe

viewed as a threat. A website designed for such cultures should be simple, with a clear

structure which will not allow the user to get lost while navigating.

By contrast, low uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to be less expressive and less

openly anxious. Peoplebehave quietly without showing their emotions. In these cultures,

what is different maybe viewed curious or interesting. Websites can be more complex

allowing the user to take control while exploring, without limiting strictly the content. Links

to pages that open outside the website can be used, if they provide useful and interesting

information.

2.3 Power distance

This dimension also revealed by Hofstede refers to the extent to which less powerful

members expect and accept unequal power distribution within a culture. The cultures with a

high power distance index have usually centralizedpolitical powerandhave tallhierarchies

inorganizations withlargedifferences insalaryandstatus. Teachers, official peoplepossess

wisdom and are automatically esteemed. In web design this cultural characteristic should

focus on bringing the images and information about expertise, authority, certifications,

official stamps or logos (Marcus & Gould, 2000). Social roles may be used to organize

information (e.g., some sections obvious to all, but password restricted from certaincategories). In contrast, low power distance cultures are characterized by flatter organizational

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hierarchies, participative management style and the expectation of equality. Here, the pages

should not have too many vertical levels and the images should present normal people,

employees, rather than experts and directors. The words and the general impression of the

site should be less official.

2.4 Masculinity

This characteristic refers to the gender roles viewed in the society and Hofstedes

research showed that in different cultures differentprofessions are dominatedby different

genders. He defined these cultures as masculine, because the traditionaldistinctions between

masculine and feminine are maintained. Thus, it is the masculine who has to be job and duty

oriented, courageous,competitive, adventurous , tough. It is the feminine role to be home and

children oriented, to be tender, delicate. High masculine cultures tend to emphasize the

traditional roles of men and women in working environments, in social and political

activities. For instance, in the area of science, IT&C it is expected that women are less

competent than men. In femininecultures there is a tendency to mixthegenderroles.

As the traditional masculine workgoals refer to earnings, recognition, advancement,challenge and the traditional feminineworkgoals to good relationships, good livingand

working conditions, employment security, in high-masculinity cultures the design should

would focus on the emphasizing the traditional gender distinctions. The words should be

used according to each of the genders specific, and not mixed.

2.5 Individualism

The research of Hofstede regarding this dimension places Western countries as highly

individualistic cultures. In individualistic cultures the communication is focused on

emphasizing goals and benefits of the individual rather than the groups.

Individuals are independent and focus on achieving their own objectives, rather than

place ahead the interests of the group. The values of the individualistic cultures include

personal free time, personal or family benefits. The importance is given to the individual and

he/she should be the centre of attention in the site. Messages should refer to the individual, so

that he/she may feel unique using the product/service.

In collectivistic cultures the interests of group are above the goals of the individual.

Collectivistic societies place a higher importance on groups and the interaction among them,

and therefore usually the images placed in the websites of collectivist culture countries should

represent groups of people, rather than individuals( Marcus and Gould, 2000). Motivation

based onpersonal achievement should be maximized for individualist cultures, while an

emphasis on the relationships and group interests should be considered for collectivistcultures.

2.6 National Identity

If the previous characteristics have been the object of extended research in the two

cultural theories, this dimension was left somehow apart. However, the websites analyzed

by us revealed it as of strong importance. Different theories emerged in this area and

suggested various criteria of measuring the index of national identity strength, still a

common agreed scale for determining it was not accepted. Thus, Keillor et al (1996)

identified in their research the pillars of National Identity as being the Belief Structure,

National Heritage, Cultural Homogeneity and Ethnocentrism. The case study build onthis theory compares 5 countries: USA, Sweden, Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong ( Keillor

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Fig.3.1. Uncertainty Avoidance comparison

3.2. Power Distance in European Latin cultures

The graphic describing the indexes of the Power Distance dimension (Fig. 3.2)

indicates a somewhat high average score for Power Distance within the Latin cultures. There

are no significant fluctuations among the scores, except the values estimated for Romania.

However, as we explained in the beginning of this chapter, we consider the index estimated

for Romania does not express exactly the current situation. In reality they tend to be slightly

lower, due to the strong interference of European and USA standards related to education,

business environment and public institutions in the last decade. In consequence, reflecting

correctly in websites the perception of European Latin people about hierarchies and social

inequalities involves not making use of too many symbols of authority. Nevertheless, the

moderate use of images showing certificates, prizes, highly esteemed managers and official

personalities, buildings and references to prestigious clients will add value to the EuropeanLatin website.

Fig. 3.2 Power Distance comparison

3.3. Masculinity in European Latin countries

Except Italy (see also Appendix 1, Fig. 2) all the other four countries manifest amoderate-low expression of masculinity. There are still areas where European Latin people

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consider as predestined for women or for men (e.g. IT&C domain for men, nursing for

women), but mostly, the roles of genders mix ( see Appendix 1, Fig. 3 and Fig.4). Analyzing

the images of Nokia websites, we remarked differences for the page of support. Thus, Italy

places images of happy young women women are those who most probably will seek

support in this area of mobile electronics and software, while France uses a more discrete

feminine appearance and Spain presents the image of a young family. Just for the purpose ofunderlining our message, though not Latin country and not part of our study, we placed the

screenshot of Nokia Sweden (see Appendix 1, Fig. 5) which is, according to Hofstede, the

least masculine country of his research.

Thus, generally when considering the influences of Masculinity in the design of the Latin

European website, one should address through images and flow of speech to both genders,

unless the social studies show a great dominance of one of the sexes. Special attention should

be given to Italys websites who shows a deeper separation of the genders roles in society.

Fig. 3.3 Masculinity comparison

3.4 Individualism in European Latin countries

Watching the graphic below (Fig. 3.4) we see quite high differences of the values

found for the five countries. France and Italy score high in their individualism orientation,

while Spain shows a balanced attitude. Romania is estimated as a rather collectivist culture;

however, we consider here the estimates are low. Romanias accelerated economical

development over the last years corroborated with the influx of individualistic values brought

together with the know-how, the trainings and the management specific to Westerndeveloped countries induced a change in attitude. Nevertheless, Portugal scores low on the

scale of individualism. When creating Portuguese websites, the message should focus on

interpersonal relationships, on the groups welfare. For Spain and Romania, the messages

and the motivations should link to both objective, individual benefit and group satisfaction.

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Fig. 3.4 Individualism comparison

4. Conclusions

More and more consumers choose products that give them the feeling that they are

unique, special, that the products they buy fit their way of living and being. And web site is a

product, like many others. However, the website is not just a collection of text, images,

interactive features, animation and sounds. After careful consideration of the cultural

behavioral theories and after analyzing a series of websites we considered that 6 cultural

dimensions are essential when designing a culture based website: High Context, Uncertainty

Avoidance, Power Distance, Masculinity, Individualism, National Identity. Using these

factors, we sought the way they reflect in the website design, with special focus on five

European Latin countries: France, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain. The analyze indicated

that the European Latin cultures have very similar cultural patterns of communication

structure (moderately high context), of the uncertainty avoidance (a high preference for

clear situations) and of power distance( relatively high). Differences occur when relating to

individualism, masculinity and national identity.

Though Latin countries as origin, and though they manifest clear affinities in the basic

way of perceiving things, particularities are inherent to each of them. It will not be enough to

label a culture with just one of these dimensions for creating a successful website; the design

should relate to their whole complexity, as they are the ones who give distinctiveness to each

culture.When designing a website one should certainly think about the sites target, the sex,

the age, the social status of the potential visitors/clients, about their interests and their

common behavioral attitudes. And this is already enough information to differentiate the

websites as style of communication, as colors, as layout. But before being a man or a woman,

teenager or adult, literate or not, inventive or not, romantic or not, it is something deeper at

the base of its being: its the culture he/she belongs to, there are the society rules, the

traditions, the customs, the history he/she is surrounded by ever since his/her birth. Guiding

the design and the words of the website so that they fit naturally within the culture, it is the

first and most decisive step towards a successful communication with the consumer.

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Appendix 1

Fig. 1 Nokia Italy a High Context , Individualist country

Fig.2 Nokia Italy a high index Masculine and Uncertainty Avoidance culture

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Fig. 3. Nokia Spain a rather low masculine culture

Fig. 4 Nokia France a moderate- low Masculine culture

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Fig.5 Nokia Sweden a very low Masculine culture( scores 5 according to

Hofstedes scale)

Fig. 6 Nokia Portugal strong national identity culture

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REFERENCES

Hall, E.T., Hall, M.R., Understanding Cultural Differences, Intercultural Press Inc., Boston,1990

Hofstede, G., Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and

Organizations across Nations, Sage Publications Inc, London, 2001

Hofstede, G., Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, McGraw-Hill, New York,

1997.

Huntington, S., The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Antet,

Bucharest, 1998

Keillor, B., Tomas, G., Hult, M., A Five-Country Study of National Identity: Implications for

international marketing research and practice, International Marketing Review, 16(1), p. 65-

84, 1999

Keillor, B., Tomas, G., Hult, M., Erffmeyer, R., and Babakus, M. "NATID: The development

and Application of a National Identity Measure for Use in International Marketing,"Journal

of International Marketing, Vol. 4, No 2, 57-73., 1996

Marcus, A., Gould, E. W., Cultural Dimensions and Global Web User-Interface Design:

Cultural Dimensions and Global Web User-Interface Design: What? So What? Now What?,

Proceedings of the 6th Conference on Human Factors and the Web, Austin, Texas, 2000http://www.amanda.com/resources/hfweb2000/AMA_CultDim.pdf(accessed 25June 2008)

Wrtz, E., A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-

Context Cultures. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(1), article 13, 2005,

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/wuertz.html (accessed 28 June 2008)

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http://www.amanda.com/resources/hfweb2000/AMA_CultDim.pdfhttp://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/wuertz.htmlhttp://www.amanda.com/resources/hfweb2000/AMA_CultDim.pdfhttp://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/wuertz.html

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articol IGWT2010 Doru, Irina, Pamfilie