Marketing Mix

Globalization and Consumer:

Globalization can be defined differently from various perspectives.

Definition 1: The intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped events occurring many miles away and vice versa.

(Source: Anthony Giddens, 2000)

Definition 2: All forces which are turning the world into a global village, compressing distance, homogenizing culture, accelerating mobility and reducing the relevance of political borders.

(Source: Mozrui, 2000)

Globalization is very often used to refer to economic globalization, which is integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and spread of technology. However, economic only one of the aspect of globalization,and it will detail discuss the aspect of consumer culture in the globalization after this.

The former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir advises, "The challenge for Asia is not how to manage the present concept of globalisation but to make it work and to benefit from it. The challenge for Asia is to influence the thinking on globalisation, to reshape it, to reduce the chances of it going awry and in the process destroying economies and countries." (Mohamad 2002, 16)

Globalization and Westernization:

Westernization is a process whereby non-western societies come under the influence of Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion or values. Since the western countries always is the dominant country in the world, so, the western countries always influent the non-western societies.

Westernization has been a pervasive and accelerating influence across the world in the last few centuries. It is usually a two sided process which western influences and interests themselves are joined by a wish of at least parts of the affected society to change to towards a more westernized society.

Westernization can also be related to the process of acculturation. Acculturation refers to the changes that occur within a society or culture when two different groups come into direct continuous contact. After the contact, changes in cultural patterns within either or both cultures are obvious.

The Impact of Global Media

The rise of "market state" and the computing and information technology revolution have been the driving forces of globalization. The rise of "market state" has great implications to the ways people, firms and governments go about their business. The computing and