1、跨文化商务交流中的价值文化冲突芭比、宜家案例分析Cultural Value Conflicts in Intercultural Business Communication:Cases and Analyses of Barbie and IKEAClassification of Culture：Spirit Culture,System Culture,Conduct Culture （Spirit Culture mainly contains some deep cultural phenomenon such as values and way of thinking)Value
2、 Culture limits inter-communicationgloblized international business and trademaximize the profits by effective inter-communicationPreface Barbie in the Middle East Barbie in JapanIKEA in GermanyIKEA in the USDirectoryProposalReview a large number of classic business casesFocus on those related to cr
3、oss-cultural communicationSelect cases that happen in the same company to compare and explain the typical cultural value conflict in inter-cultural business communicationFind out cultural value conflict that includes several conflicts:collectivism or individualism,masculinity or femininity,low uncer
4、tainty avoidance and high uncertainty avoidanceProposal case statementconflictreasonsconclusionMETHODS:content analysispolicy and archival researchBarbie in the Middle East Case 1.美丽性感、时尚华丽的芭比娃娃在中东地区受到指责，人们认为她带坏了孩子而将其强行取下货架。而芙拉娃娃的设计者赋予了它本土价值观却能大行其道。两个娃娃之间其实进行的是一场没有硝烟的文化大战，让我们看个究竟.Barbie Doll1959年 Ma
5、ttelTo appeal to customers with different cultural background in different countries,changes are made.Totally diverse culture values make Barbie in troubleIn IranFulla DollMuslim Values123Case 1.In Saudi ArabiaCase 1.In USAfrican Americansblack Barbie Asian Americans Hispanic AmericansIn Central and
6、 Eastern Europe“Friendship Barbie”reflect the more basic lifestyle of children in this areaIn Indiaforehead spot,sariCase 1.In Iran,the government condemned the forever young and childern-by-choice Barbie(and her long-time boyfriend Ken.No plans for marriage,ever.)as a threat to traditional culture.
7、Barbie doesnt define herself in relation to children or families as Iranian women supposedly do.在伊朗，政府指责芭比是对传统文化的威胁因为她永远年轻、选择不要孩子、和固定男友阿肯从来没有婚姻打算。芭比不像伊朗的妇女那样，与孩子和家庭联系在一起。Then,the Iranian Ministry of Education marketed the twin dolls Sara and Dara as the natinal dolls.Unlike the Barbie Doll,Sara and
8、her twin brother Dara are on a mission to help others,and when they need rises,they consult their paretns for guidance.Thats the spirit behind the making of the modestly dressed twins.然后，伊朗教育部把双胞胎娃娃萨拉和达拉定为国家娃娃。与芭比不同，萨拉和她的双胞胎兄弟达拉以帮助别人为己任，如果需要，他们还会征求父母的意见。有着这样的精神，双胞胎的穿着也就不那么张扬。Meanwhile,Barbie dolls o
9、penly sell for$700 in Teheran stores.$700 is seven times the average monthly salary in Iran.同时，芭比在德黑兰的商店的售价是700美元，这是伊朗人平均月收入的几倍。Case 1.In Saudi Arabia,Saudi religious police were raiding toy stores and gift shops to seize Barbie dolls.One reason for banning Barbie is a belief that Jews own the Ameri
10、can company that makes them,Mattel.Jews and Christians are not normally welcome in the kingdom.All potential visitors have to state their religion on their application forms and Christians are forbidden from holding services.在沙特阿拉伯，警察突然搜查玩具礼品店并没收芭比娃娃。原因之一就是生产芭比的美国公司是犹太人开的。在沙特，犹太人和基督徒是不受欢迎的。所有旅客必须在申请
11、表上说明他们的宗教信仰，基督徒是不准入境的。Also the Saudis feared an American presence there would stir up more Islamic radicalism.而且，沙特人害怕美国人的样子会激起穆斯林激进主义。Case 1.Case 1.Fulla is the name of an 11 inch Barbie-like fashion doll marketed to children of Islamic and Middle-Eastern countries as an alternative to Barbie.The c
12、oncept of her evolved around 1999,and she hit stores in late 2003.Fulla was created by a UAE manufacturer from Dubai called NewBoy FZCO.Fulla is also sold in China,Brazil,North Africa,Egypt and Indonesia,while a few are sold in the United States.芙拉是一个高11.5英寸的类似芭比的时尚娃娃。她替代芭比娃娃在伊斯兰和中东国家的儿童市场打开销路。设计芙拉娃
13、娃的概念大约发展于1999年，并在2003年年底推出市场。芙拉是由一家来自大马士革名为新男孩的叙利亚玩具制造公司生产的。除了美国市场外，芙拉还销往中国、巴西北非以及埃及。Fulla is a role-model to some Muslim people,displaying how many Muslim people would prefer their daughters to dress and behave.对一些穆斯林人来说，芙拉是一种典范，她体现出了许多穆斯林人更喜欢他们的女儿有怎样的穿着打扮和行为举止。nConflictsBarbie is not welcome in th
14、e Middle East countries.n 1，Appearancen 2，American Culturen 3，Religion beliefCase 1.Case 1.ReasonsReligionCultural TypeFemale Speaking from the type of culture,Barbie is representative of the U.S.individualism.Individualism culture is dominant culture in the United States.Personal interests are para
15、mount.Barbies lifestyle looks normal in the American peoples eyes.Materialism and Individualism are against the collectivism in the Middle East.In Middle East countries,parents do not like the flamboyant Barbie,but like the dignified and modest Fulla dolls.Fulla doll not only has the image of the Mi
16、ddle East,but also is honest,caring and full of compassion.She respects parents,which is coordinate with the family tradition culture in the Middle East.Thus Fulla doll gets huge success.Case 1.Religion is one important part of culture.Christianity in America.Religion in Arabian world has influence
17、on peoples lifestyle from every tiny aspect.Islam is a code,which includes in all cases the values and way of action.Case 1.Arabian women have to get married.Women dresses also reflect their roles in the Arab culture.The Koran-overshadowed chest.Case 1.ConclusionRealize the ConflictsStudy Case 1.The
18、 American Girl in Japan Barbies Struggling Story over Two Decades Which is better,Japanese Style or American Style.Why it is still difficult after she changes her appearance?Case 2.Mattel Inc has had great difficulty conquering the world second largest toy market,Japan,which is vital if Mattel is to
19、 achieve its goal of becoming more global.The Japanese market is notoriously diffcult to penetrate as Mattel has found during 20 years doing business in that country.Case 2.1.2.3.4.Mattels initial attemps to market Barbie in Japan met with limited success.FailedMattel was committed to neither Japane
20、se nor American style and thus competed poorly against dolls whose identity was well defined.FailedMattel introduced its American Barbie to Japan and experienced success with long hair style BarbieSucceededThe company joined forces once again with Bandai to tackle the comlpex Japanese distribution s
21、ystem.SucceededCase 2.Mattel entered the market without thoroughly understanding it.To address the problem of low sales,Mattel enlisted the services of Takara,a Japanese toy specialist.Through focus groups,Mattel learned that Barbie legs were too long,and her chest too large-in short,Japanese girls
22、didnt relate to Barbies physical attributes.Also,Barbies eyes were changed from blue to brown,and the doll ultimately took on a look that was appealing to the Japaneses childrens sense of aesthetics.The Takara Barbie was born.Case 2.Although sales improved,a licensing disagreement prompted Mattel to
23、 terminate the relationship with Takara and search for a new partner in Japan.Takara continued selling the doll as Jenny,which,ironically,became a new competitor to the new Japanese Barbie.In 1986,Mattel joined forces with Bandai,Japans largest toy company.Bandai produced Maba Barbie with wide brown
24、 eyes.Due to its similarities with Jenny doll,however,Maba Barbie was withdrawn from the market before it achieved success.Maba was replaced by Bandai Baibies,which were again similar to Jenny,possessing the wide-eye look but wearing ball growns and unimaginative clothing.Once again,market success e
25、luded Mattel.Indeed Mattel was committed to neither Japanese nor American style and thus competed poorly against dolls whose identity was well defined.Case 2.Mattel realized that its competitive advantage lay with its American culture.Though Mattel had attempted to adapt to the Japanese culture,Matt
26、el discovered once again that girls prefer the well-know Barbie to the local versions.In 1991,Mattel ended its relationship with Bandai and opened its own marketing and sales office in Tokyo.Mattel introduced its American Barbie to Japan and experienced success with long hair style Barbie which beca
27、me one of the top-selling dolls in Japan.Althogh financial losses mounted until 1993,in 1994 Barbie made a profit in Japan with sales almost doubling since its reintroduction.Case 2.In 1999,Mattel refocused its Japanese efforts.After almost 20 years of perseverance in Japan,it was imperative that Ma
28、ttel improve its position.Therefore,the company joined forces once again with Bandai to form a marketing,sales,and product development alliance in an effort to tackle the comlpex Japanese distribution system.At the end of 2001,CEO Robert Eckert reported that Mattels strategic partnership with Bandai
29、 had“eliminated chronic operating losses”in Japan.Case 2.ConflictsWhy did the sales amount still remain low after Barbie changed her look and adapted to the Japanese aesthetices?Why did Mattel had to seek partnership with local Japanese toy specialist?12Case 2.Case 2.After 20 years of perseverance i
30、n Japan,Mattel finally eliminated chronic operating losses.Why it is so difficult?At first,it was because Barbie didnt adapt to the Japanese sense of aesthetics.But after Barbie changed her look,the sales still remained very low.In deed,Mattel was committed to neither Japanese nor American style and
31、 thus competed poorly against dolls whose identity was well defined.Whats worse,due to the complex distribution system in Japan,Mattel had to join force with local company to tackle the system.Case 2.Reasons&Conclusion It is the Japanese culture and informal preservation between suppliers and consum
32、ers that makes Japanese market notoriously difficult to penetrate.After Barbie changed her look and adapted to the Japanese aesthetics,Mattel found that girls prefer original American style.According to the comments on“Economist”,Japanese people are far from rational.They always place the interest o
33、f their country in front of their own.So what they really care about is who produced it instead of what the production is.Therefore,it is very difficult to promote a new production in Japan.But different from Middle East,Japan had to open up in the 19th century.Before the Second World War,Japan spar
34、ed no effort in promoting industrialization,trying to keep pace with West Europe and America.During that period,something had changed in Japanese life-they gradually accepted western culture,as a result of which,Japanese girls prefer original style Barbie.Relationship and integrity play a crucial ro
35、le in Japanese business.In order to penetrate the Japanese market,Mattel had to keep a good relationship with consumers and the agent(eg,Mattles partner).Therefore,it is necessary to have a local partner to tackle the complex distribution system.Through the cooperation,it will be much easier to win
36、consumers acceptance.Case 2.IKEA in Germany Case 3.Although IKEA has been established in Germany for more than two decades,Swedish management is still perceived by German IKEA members as peculiar.Germany is the largest national organization in the IKEA group,accounting for about 30 percent of the to
37、tal group sales through more than 20 stores.After firmly attaining leadership within Sweden,where it holds more than 20 percent of the over market,IKEA has succeeded over the last 25 years in doing what no furniture distributor has ever attempted:to become a global player in an industry formerly con
38、sidered by nature to the local.Case 3.Case 3.The Germans are very disciplined and precise.A problem is that the Swedish notion of“taking on responsibilities for yourself”,the cornerstone of their work policy,is not perceived in the same way by Germans,who have a tendency to adhere very closely to pr
39、ecisely defined rules and instructions.When IKEA translated the corporate brochure the IKEA Way into German,a need was felt to sharpen and make more explicit the original Swedish text which presented Key IKEA concepts in sometimes vague terms in order to give freedom to people to adapt them and take
40、 personal responsibility for carrying them out.Once,Anders Moberg,IKEAs founders successor,suggested in a letter that certain merchandising displays could be used in a variety of places.In Germany,department managers interpreted this as an order and systematically set up the displays in every part o
41、f their stores.The core reason for the differences in the management philosophies in Sweden and Germany is that their uncertainty avoidance in work is different.Conflict AnalysisCase 3.TheoryDr.Geert Hofstedes dimensions analysis on cultural consequences.Culture is more often a source of conflict th
42、an of synergy(协同).Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster.-Dr.Geert Hofstede From 1967 to 1973,while working at IBM as a psychologist,he collected and analyzed data from over 100,000 individuals from forty countries.The five dimensions are:Power Distance Index(PDI)Individual
43、ism(IDV)Masculinity(MAS)Uncertainty Avoidance Index(UAI)Long-Term Orientation(LTO)Geert Hofstedes dimensions analysis can assist the business person or traveller in better understanding the intercultural differences within regions and between counties.According to Geert Hofstedes analysis,a cultures
44、 uncertainty avoidance degree has a close relation to its management style.And in the chart we can see,among 66 countries,Germany ranks No.37 while Sweden ranks No.64.That is to say,the Swiss have a much more tolerant attitude towards uncertainty in management whereas Germans will have intense feeli
45、ng of threat when facing uncertain orders or rules.And this kind of feeling would lead to inefficiency in work.And in order to increase efficiency,Germans would tend to adhere to more strict management style.Case 3.Case 3.ConlusionSo as a result,IKEA need to change their management philosophy in Ger
46、many.And in this case,they should state clear rules and regulations in the company so that the staff can follow a certain way of completing work.And the lower level of staff should be responsible for the higher level,rather than“take on responsibilities on oneself”.And the attitude in work should al
47、so be more rigorous.Case 3.IKEA in the US Case 4.尽管宜家这样一个瑞典的品牌在美国这样竞争激烈的家具零售业市场获得了成功，但并不意味着他们是一帆风顺的。特别是在人力资源方面，很多优秀的美国经理相继离开了公司。The American public was attracted by the novelty of Scandinavian style and IKEAs unique merchandising,which resembles in many ways a European village marketplace.Ikea got i
48、ts success in U.S.through changing the design of many household products according to American consumers preferences.However,this does not mean everything goes smoothly.Corporate management and HR Development are the unresolved issues.From an American perspective,Swedish managers dont show emotion i
49、n the workplace.Case 4.Praise is given for looking calm in all situations.also,tend not to set themselves apart,and self-promotion is frowned upon.They dont like drum beating or cheerleading in a culture where both are common ways of motivating workers.-AmericanCase 4.The biggest conflicts here stem
50、 from the Americans who need to know whos in charge.People expect their managers to tell them what to do here.-AmericanIt takes longer to do things our way but we want to train people to know how to do things the right way.-American Case 4.Although IKEA has recently initiated an american style perfo
