Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

Cultural convergence
Globalization has been compared to the process of cultural diffusion 
whereby elements of one environment permeate another and bring about 
significant change. Lower airfares, the media (particularly stations like MTV 
and CNN), the Internet and greater opportunities to travel are seen to bring 
about a certain degree of cultural convergence. Companies like Apple, Sony, 
Nokia and IKEA have aimed to drive the market and educate their customers 
to accept their products worldwide, and to consider them as ‘must-have’ 
products that are obtainable across national and cultural boundaries. This 
trend is defined as: ‘The growing similarity between national cultures, 
including the beliefs, the values, aspirations and the preferences of consum-
ers which are partly driven by global brands, the media and common global 
icons’ (Rugman and Collinson, 2006: 132).
Theodore Levitt, an earlier supporter of the concept of the cultural con-
vergence of trade in consumer goods across cultures, maintained in his 
‘The Globalization of Markets’ that: ‘Different cultural practices, national 
tastes and standards are vestiges of the past.’ He sees the homogenization 
of tastes and preferences increasing, and national differences becoming less 
apparent, with global companies seeking to gain economies of scale and 
competitive advantage (Levitt, 1983: 92–101).
Globalization is open to the charge of cultural imperialism, which has 
been defined as: ‘Replacement of one’s culture, traditions, folk heroes and 
artefacts with substitutes from another’ (Wild, Wild and Han, 2006: 56). 
Examples include the growth of the McDonald’s franchises and theme parks 
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218 Cross-Cultural Communication
such as Disneyland. The signs of an emerging global culture are often seen 
by some as predominantly Western and American, as in the teenage market 
for clothing, popular music and Western films. These trends arouse fears 
that the widespread standardization and availability of many global prod-
ucts will destroy the rich diversity of individual cultures. In business, there 
is evidence of a common ‘global management culture’, with the emphasis 
on global markets, global production and global communications produc-
ing common working practices. In Western Europe, North America and the 
BRICs, the more affluent and middle- class professionals continue to become 
more similar in terms of income, lifestyle, educational background and, 
most significantly, their aspirations.