Culture and Functional Areas Quiz

Study Notes

Ecology
- Focuses on resources, technology, space use, cleanliness, and attitude towards nature.
- Examples:
  - Canada's lag in conservation efforts, water insecurity projections, rooftop green initiatives in Toronto, and East Coast's hydropower potential.
  - Germany's mandatory solar panels on new buildings.
  - South Korea's technology advancements, government investments in internet infrastructure, and cultural spaces like the Starfield library.
  - GMO concerns, Greenbelt Protection, North American cleanliness obsession, and Toronto's air quality in 2023.
  - Pandemic impact on work-from-home, streaming services, and online shopping.
Social Structure
- Examines political influence, such as the US's impact on Canadian trade.
- Examines domestic arrangements, highlighting the rise of multi-generational households and cultural differences in valuing elders (e.g., Indigenous, Mediterranean, Indian cultures).
Ideology
- Encompasses culture, customs, and shared beliefs.
- Influences judgment, defining right/wrong, beauty/ugliness, etc.
- Examples: cultural significance of colors (e.g., red in China), gestures, eating habits.

Power Distance
- Low PD: Loose hierarchies, considered "classless."
- High PD: Rigid hierarchies, status distinctions, and class divisions.
- Example: The caste system in India, Brazil's "haves and have-nots."
Uncertainty Avoidance
- Measures tolerance for ambiguity and its management.
- Low UA: Embraces change, risk-taking, problem-solving, and secular values.
- High UA: Emphasizes tradition, security, fatalism, and religious values.
Femininity vs. Masculinity
- Low M: Egalitarian, less rigid behavior codes.
- High M: Traditional gender roles, women at home, men at work.
- Example: Afghanistan.
- The US and Canada exhibit notable differences on this scale.
Collectivism vs. Individualism
- Low I (Collectivist): Interdependent, cooperative, uniformity, postponed gratification.
- High I (Individualistic): Independent, competitive, diversity, immediate gratification.
- Self-Reference Criterion: The unconscious assumption that one's own culture is universal.

Cultural Selection:
- The gradual process where consumption possibilities acquire symbolic meaning and are adopted by consumers.
- Only a fraction of potential cultural elements reach end users.
Subsystems Involved in Cultural Creation and Diffusion
- Creative Subsystem: Artists, scientists, inventors, the originators of ideas.
- Managerial Subsystem: Businesses and other entities that implement or manage ideas.
- Communications Subsystem: Advisors, media, marketing professionals.
- Formal Gatekeepers: Regulatory bodies, reviewers, professional associations.
- Informal Gatekeepers: Friends, family, style leaders, and opinion leaders.
Marketing's Influence
- Increasingly involved in the creative subsystem, directly engaging with idea generation.
- Aesthetic market research to test plots, endings, etc.
- Reality Engineering: Utilizing popular culture elements to create physical or viewed environments. Examples: Epcot Center, West Edmonton Mall, Harry Potter World, indoor skiing in Dubai.
- Product Placement: Brands paying to be featured in movies, TV, and other content. Example: E.T. and Reese's Pieces.

Level of Innovation and Required Behavior Change:
- Continuous Innovation (Low): Minor adjustments to existing products.
- Dynamically Continuous Innovation (Moderate): Significant but familiar changes.
- Discontinuous Innovation (High): Radically new products or ideas that require substantial learning and adaptation.
Examples of Innovations: InstaPot, internet of things, Tesla (consider pros and cons).
Discontinuous Innovation: Loblaws utilizing autonomous vehicles.