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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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