Universalism/relativism debate

This chapter presents the presumingly most controversial debate in international marketing research: whether consumers across the globe tend to show common (universalism) or diverse, culture-bound behavioral patterns (relativism). The authors describe the pros and cons of both standpoints. The universalism approach draws, for example, on behavioral universals such as taboos (e.g., cannibalism) or basic emotions (e.g., fear or joy) and marketing universals such as sensory product performance (e.g., excitement or driving pleasure). The relativism approach draws on varied cultural standards such as face saving in China, direct communication in Germany, and performance orientation in the US. Given that both perspectives have their justification, a two-stage approach resolves the debate. It presumes that certain behavioral principles (e.g., the need to search for an explanation of events or actions) is universal, but the concrete behavior arising from it is culture-specific (e.g., culture-dependent attributional style).