Globalisation, (g)localisation
Globalisation gives the illusion of cultural homogeneity
Converging styles of dress and eating habits among the young
McDonaldisation = "the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world." (Ritzer 1993: 1)
The four principles are: efficiency (minimum time), quantity (good supply for a good price), predictability, control (standardised practises).
Embracing of the consumer-led capitalist economy, e.g. in Eastern Europe.
Some claim that global communication blurs national differences and that age and lifestyle are more important than national culture.
But is this blurring of differences only on the surface? Does, for example, Coke mean the same for young Russians as it does for young Americans?
When localising information, "nuance matters" (Bill Gates).
e.g. Encarta encyclopaedia:
USA: In 1878 and 1879, British inventor Joseph Swan and American inventor Thomas Edison simultaneously developed the carbon-filament lamp.
GB:In 1878 [Swan] demonstrated an electric light using a carbon wire in a vacuum bulb. Thomas Edison arrived independently at the same solution the following year.
Who Really Invented the Telephone?
Well, that may depend on your ethnic heritage or the country you live in to some degree. Because it is possible for more than one person to come up with the same idea in roughly the same moment in time, there could have been more than one inventor of the telephone.
Although Alexander Graham Bell is considered the inventor of the telephone in the USA, Canada, and Scotland, other countries that had no historical affiliation with him tend to look for possible inventors of their own ethnic background or their own country as THE inventor of the telephone. Several web sites address this never-ending debate and it is doubtful that there is any way of proving who really came up with the idea and put it into practice first. Even here in the USA, many court battles were fought between Bell and several challengers to his right to be called the inventor of the telephone.
Glocalisation
Think globally, act locally (vs. one size fits all)
Interaction between global and local cultural models
The more a company develops (exports, sales, after-sales service) the more important cultural factors become (local firms don't need to be too concerned)
HSBC "the world's local bank":
"Being local means more than just speaking the language. Our offices around the world are staffed by local people who understand local customs and needs."
Localisation addresses linguistic and cultural barriers specific to the receiver who does not share the same linguistic and cultural backgrounds as the sender
Examples from Microsoft localisation guide:
Keyboard layout
Default paper and envelope sizes
Character sets
Text directionality (left-right, up-down)
Street name and numberUS:7 Kennedy Road
Italy:Via Garibaldi 8
Date format:US: 03/17/05
UK/Fr: 17/03/05
Week format:US/UK:Sun-Sat
Italy:Mon-Sun
Time format:UK/US:am/pm
France, Japan:24 hour clock
Separators:UK/US/Japan: 1,247.8
Italian/Arabic:1.247,8
France:1 247,8
Icons, artwork:Should be adapted to local markets, e.g. pictures of baseball players replaced with soccer players
Culture specific names: Localise names: “from Cathy to Doonesbury”
Cultural (US) specific informatione.g. Zip code
Local (market) practicesProduct comparisons legal in USA and UK but not everywhere “the most powerful browser” > “a powerful browser”
“Use your mother’s maiden name as password”
Change of name on marriage not universal
Style and register“Make your gaming experience a blast!”
“Way to go!”
“Say cheese!”