The official language in France is french and the language is quite important to the french people. France is a high-context culture. People expect messages to be understood, even if they are not told explicitly, a part of the message is transmitted by the specific communication situation. Manners and etiquette are an essential part of social interaction, especially when it comes to eating.
In France, there is a rather high power distance. There are clear differences in power between different roles like teacher and student or manager and employee. The information flow is hierarchical and so is the decision process. In public and private places. There is also some sort of power distance on a national level, as France is a centralized country. Paris is the capital and has a lot of power whereas the rest of France is sarcastically referred to as "provence" (village) and has no real power. Inequalities are accepted.
The level of assertiveness is also relatively high. Most people are very straightforward, there is a even a french word that describes this trait: "franch" (sounds almost like french, doesn't it - a telling fact?).
The level of assertiveness is also relatively high. Most people are very straightforward, there is a even a french word that describes this trait: "franch" (sounds almost like french, doesn't it - a telling fact?).
France is a country of individualism. The individual is very important and only responsible for its family. This also applies to the work sphere. Professional relationships are regulated with contracts and there are (usually) no deeper emotions for the workplace. Individuals are responsible for their work and the principles of self-mangement and self-evaluation are usual.
Especially compared to other nations, France is a rather feminine country. A lot of women work in France, the daycare and school systems are very convenient for working women. Competition does exist, yes, but in general the quality of life is much more important: it is for example unimaginable for most french families not to have dinner together. Microwaveable food is considered as joke.
When it comes to uncertainty avoidance, France has a very high level of it. Research, hard facts and reason is what decisions are based on. There are a lot of manners (especially in the vine and food culture) that regulate how to behave and what to do.
Though traditions are especially history is very important for french people, France is a rather short term oriented society. Change can take place very quickly, innovation is something considered as positive.
When it comes to religion, it is important to stress the fact that France is a laicist country. However, there are a lot of religious people living in France. A factor that could cause a lot of trouble for marketers is that in France there are not only christians and jews etc. living but also muslims who have a very different value system. So when it comes to commercials that show women, it can be very hard to decide which marketing strategy is appropriate.
French people have a strong sense for nationalism. They love their country and their language. Until today, "l'Académie francaise" exists. It was built in 1635 by Richelieu who wanted to purify the french language, the best language worldwide. Until today this institution is supposed to fight the influence of other languages in order to save the french language. French people are also very proud of their history. You can tell by the enormous holidays that refer to historic events.
French people have a strong sense for nationalism. They love their country and their language. Until today, "l'Académie francaise" exists. It was built in 1635 by Richelieu who wanted to purify the french language, the best language worldwide. Until today this institution is supposed to fight the influence of other languages in order to save the french language. French people are also very proud of their history. You can tell by the enormous holidays that refer to historic events.
0 Comments:
Kommentar veröffentlichen