Acculturation and the influence of ethnicity on market orientation of African and Caribbean companies in Britain |
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Authors: | Ogenyi Omar Audrey Kirby Charles Blankson |
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Affiliation: | 1. South Bank University Business School, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK;2. LCP School of Retail Studies, The London Institute, Elephant &3. Castle, London, SE1 6SB, UK;4. Department of Marketing, Seidman School of Business, Grand Valley State University, 410C DeVos Center, Fulton Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49504, USA |
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Abstract: | Since acculturation is the process of acquiring the customs of an alternative society we assume that adapting to consumers from various cultures will be a fundamental task for African and Caribbean (A&C) companies in Britain. This study investigates market orientation of A&C service companies and their processes of cultural learning and adaptation using ethnicity as a basis for an exploratory study of the British market. The findings indicate that A&C companies serve as bicultural mediators, both accommodating their consumers and working to alter their consumption patterns to bring them into line with their own ethnic and British national market customs. The adaptation of A&C service companies to the cultural characteristics and needs of their customers results in changes to their companies, consumers and the British marketplace. |
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