基于艾莉婕的案例文化管理

如何提高其性能，以满足顾客的各种文化背景已经成为一个难题。在文章中，基于来自巴西，马来西亚和美国的客户，根据七个维度特姆彭纳斯的文化模式，在其决策过程中的不同文化的影响将从各个文化层面进行分析和提出的相关建议将给予根据各个文化层面的分析。
有七个维度特姆彭纳斯“文化模式，这是普遍与特殊主义，，个人主义与集体主义，中性与情感的关系，具体与弥漫性关系，实现与归属，相对于时间：连续/时性，以及相关的环境：内 - 外对比 - 定向（特姆彭纳斯 - 汉普登 - 特纳，1997年，第21页。）。据Trompennaar的意见，没有优势或者每一种文化的缺点，它是一种基于文化层面的有益的管理模式。如以下的基础上，七个尺寸，相似性和巴西，马来西亚和美国的差异将根据情况进行讨论。
With the globalization, multicultural environment has become a common phenomenon for an organization. For Alizee, as an international airline, it faces with customers from various cultural backgrounds. How to improve its performance to satisfy the customers with various cultural backgrounds has become a difficult problem. In the essay, based on customers from the Brazil, Malaysia and USA, according to the seven dimensions in Tropenaar’s cultural model, the influence of different culture on their decision-making process will be analyzed from each cultural dimension and the related recommendations will be given based on the analysis of each cultural dimension.
There are seven dimensions in Trompenaars’ Cultural Model, which are universalism versus particularism, individualism versus collectivism, neutral versus affective relationships, specific versus diffuse relationships, achievement versus ascription, relation to time: sequential/synchronic, as well as relation to the environment: inner – versus outer – directed (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997, p. 21). According to the opinion of Trompennaar, there is no advantage or disadvantage of each culture, it is a useful management model based on the cultural dimensions. As following, based on the seven dimensions, the similarities and differences of Brazil, Malaysia and USA will be discussed based on the case.

For universalism and particularism, the former one means the behavior value orientation is common regulations, and the later one pays much more attention on the “relationship” as the basis of behavior value orientation. Therefore, people with universalism would like to clear regulations that they can allow. Considering on the case, all customers from the three countries tend to universalism (Hofstede, 1996). There are two examples extracted from the case to illustrate the conclusion. Firstly, most of customers in the three countries mentioned that they plan their trips in advance, which means that they would like to follow the original rules or plans to determine their behaviors rather than the relationships. Secondly, the unexpected situation would make them to feel no security. The expected situation in the future is a key factor to influence their purchasing decision. Therefore, they would like a clear regulations or routes from Alizee, which they can follow and obey with to reduce the fear of the unknown. 

Based on the above analysis, it is easy to see that a clear regulations and routes for the flights not only can improve the safe feeling to avoid the fear of uncertainly but also help customers to plan their trips (Venkatraman & Huettel, 2012). In order to improve the performance, Alizee airline should pay much more attention on perfecting the system and providing much more detail information on flights for customers.

For individualism and collectivism, the former one emphasizes on individualism, which pays much more attention on personal an individual matters rather group matters. On the contrary, the latter one is a group direction value which focuses on the group matters rather than individual things. Based on the case, the Brazilian tends to collectivism to emphasize on group’s opinion (Imada, 2012). For example, when they evaluate the airline service of Alizee, they usually get the information of other persons’ opinion from forums, blogs and some related websites. Namely, his/her decision is influenced by the group of a forum, a blog or a related websites. Furthermore, one non-Alizee consumer mentioned that she plan the trips relied on her son. Therefore, the decision of airline can be considered as a common thing of the group of her and her son. Based on the analysis, it is easy to see that the decision-making behaviors of Brazil are influenced by the suggestion of a group. In order to improve the performance of Alizee for Brazil, it should focus on improving its image in most persons’ opinion in forums, blogs or some related websites. For people from Malaysia, they make their decision based on the suggestions from friends or family, which shows the characteristics of communitarianism. However, for Americans, though they would consider on the opinions of friends or family, they still do what they want. It is easy to see the characteristics of individualism from Americans.

Based on the different characteristics of individualism and communitarianism of Brzail, Malaysia and USA, it is easy to see that though the opinions influencing their decision-making from different people, Brzail from forums, blogs or websites and both of Malaysia and USA from friends and family, the opinions of forums, blogs, websites and friends and family can be passed to the buyers from social media (Heinonen, 2011). Therefore, in order to further improve its marketing activities, it should emphasize the propaganda of social media. In the modern society, people usually get the opinions of friends or relatives from their blogs, internet space or other social media, such as FaceBook.

For neutral and affective relationships, people with neutral relationship would like to control their emotion due to various reasons. However, for people with affective relationships, their emotions are usually expressed naturally and openly (Hofstede, 1996). In the case, it is easy to see that people from Brazil most tend to neutral culture. The people from Malaysia meanwhile have the characteristics neutral culture and affective culture, and the dominant type is neutral culture. The affective culture can be considered as a distinct characteristic for American people. Based on the case, their opinions on the cost and comfort of flights can be viewed as an evaluation factor to judge their behavior. For the Brazilian, they pay much more attention on the price of the flight and neglect the ease of use which means they have been used to control their behavior of enjoying the comfortable during the flight in order to save money. However, though the Malaysian also pays much more attention on the cost of the flight, they still focus on the ease of use, reliability and reputation. From the answer to determine their purchasing behavior, American consumers coming from Alizee neglect the cost influences on them and emphasize on the reliability and reputation. Certainly, the American consumers from non-Alizee express that they pay attention on the cost. However, it also shows that the affective culture of American who don’t like to control their emotions. In another example, the affective culture of American can be seen from their direct answer for Alizee that they don’t care about the airline innovations, which is very directly and frankly.

Based on the above analysis, from the aspect of neutral and emotional, the reconciliation can be considered as a good method to resolve the problem. For the Alizee, it can provide two kinds of services: one is economy and the other is comfort, in order to satisfy the different requirements on the service. Certainly, all of them pay attention on the reliability and safety. It is necessary for the Alizee to improve its reliability and safety from technologies and procedures and emphasize on propaganda to make much more people to know their safeguard measures on reliability and safety, which help to get the recognition from much more customers.

For specific relationship and diffuse relationship, people with specific relationship would like to share the public space with others and guard closely the private space, and people with diffuse relationship tend to meanwhile share the public space and private space with other persons. Certainly, in the specific relationship, people do not disturb other people’s private space which results in the ignoring behavior without relationship with their own. The different attitude of Brazilian, Malaysian and American on the innovation of Alizee can be concluded that the Brazilian and Malaysian have the traits of diffuse culture and the American have the traits of specific culture. For American, they do not care something which do not has direct relationship with them and they don’t want to disturb other’s decision. Therefore, in their opinion, the Alizee’s innovation is its own thing which has no relationship with them.

Therefore, due to their different attitudes, it is easy to see that the exhibition of cultural variables of Alizee, such as innovation and high standards can attract the Brazilian and Malaysian to some extent. It is useful to set up a good image for customers from the Brazil and Malaysia to influence their decision-making. However, for American, the related propaganda can not play the role to attract them. It should pay much more attention on practical to attract them.

For achievement culture and ascription culture, which has some relationships with the power distance which indicates the attitude of the culture on the various inequalities, the former one means that the social recognition only has relationship with his/her achievement rather than gender, age and social relations and so on (Wang & Nayir, 2009). And the latter one is contrary with the former one. The customers from the Brazil tend to the ascription culture. For their answers about the target of Alizee’s online efforts, some people thought that they are for business people and even one customer thought the Alizee’s online efforts is for him. Furthermore, non-Slizee consumers even thought that the application of Alizee’s apps and social media are rich people and young people. The people from two countries, Malaysia and USA, are influenced by the achievement culture. From the example of power distance, most of them thought that the Alizee’s online efforts are targeted everyone or people travel a lot rather than special people, such as rich, powerful or young or old. Therefore, they would like to the equal social activities. 

Based on the different cultural background, for people with ascription culture, they usually like to enjoy some priviledge to show their status. Therefore, considering their requirements of priviledge, it is useful to advocate some special efforts of the business class for them in order to distinguisher their different status with other people. However, for people from Malaysia and USA, they pay much more attention on the achievement, which means that the actual good services to satisfy their requirements (Chih-Hsuan, 2013). Considering on the aspect, for Alizee to improve its performance, it is necessary to put its efforts to considering on the actual requirements of customers and satisfy their requirements.

For relation to time: sequential/synchronic, which means different attitude on the arrangement based on time. The former one tends to do an activity at a time, and the latter one is trend to complete multitask at a time which is useful to change and improve the flexibility. Considering on the consumers from the Brazil, Malaysia and USA, all of them are classified to the synchronic, which can be seen from the decisive factors on their purchasing: cost, flight connections and planning in advance. All of them focus on the past, present and future at a time, which belongs to the characteristics of synchronic. Therefore, for Alizee, in order to improve its performance, it is necessary to arrange its flight clearly and published its arrangement in time for customers.

Inner-directed environment means that people would like to believe in controlling outcomes. However, for out-directed, they would like to adapt for the environment (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997). In the case, according to their different attitude on the advertisements of Alizee’s campaign, people from the Brazil should have the characteristics of out-directed environment, and people from the Malaysia and USA have much more characteristics of inner-directed environment. For the Brazilian, they have positive attitude and interesting on the Alizee’s campaign, which indicates that they are usually influenced by the environment and tend to adapt for the environment. However, for customers or non-customers from the Malaysia and the America, they expressed that they don’t care on the campaign which means that the environment can not influence their decision and they would like to make decision by their own requirements.

Based on the above discussion, the campaign launched by Alizee can play positive role on the Brazilian. However, for people from Malaysia and USA, their purchasing behaviors are not influenced by the promotion campaigns. It is necessary to focus on their inner requirements, such as reliability and safety, and satisfy their inner requirements to improve the performance. Furthermore, for the promotion campaigns, it should emphasize on the aspects related with their inner requirements, which is useful to attract them.

In summary, based on the above analysis, for universalism and particularism, all customers from the three countries tend to universalism and for relation to time: sequential/synchronic, all of them have the characteristics of synchronic. For individualism and collectivism, the Brazilian and Malaysian tend to collectivism and the Americans are individualism. For neutral and affective relationships, people from Brazil and Malaysia have the features of neutral relationships and the Americans are affective relationships. For specific relationship and diffuse relationship, only people from the Brazil are diffuse relationship. Furthermore, it is also only people from the Brazil have the characteristics of outer-directive environment. For Alizee, in order to improve its performance, reconciliation among their different cultures can be considered as a good method. The concrete suggestions for the Alizee can be seen from the above essay.

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