Culture in Planning Marketing Operations in Malaysia

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Table of Contents

Different definitions of ‘culture’
Culture as an environmental factor
Marketing operations and marketing concept
Cultural factors in planning marketing operations
Conclusion
References

Different definitions of ‘culture’

Culture in a general sense

There exist numerous definitions of culture as each of the scientists, scholars and researchers viewed it in different ways. Some of them put special emphasis on “the vague character of culture which may have originated from the German concept of “Kultur”, meaning “civilization” (Usunier, Jean-Claude 2000), sorting out at these different sources of culture. Culture, in a general sense, may be defined as “The totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought” (Brooks Peterson 2004).

Categories for definition

Certain categories, namely three of them, should be taken into consideration when defining the notion of culture. The first to mention would be “the ‘ideal’, in which culture is a state or process of human perfection, in terms of certain absolute or universal values” (John Storey 2006). When analyzing culture from this perspective, these values should be paid special attention to as they are closely connected with the “universal human condition” (John Storey 2006). The second category which should be taken into account is “the ‘documentary’, in which culture is the body of intellectual and imaginative work, in which, in a detailed way, human thought and experience are variously recorded” (John Storey 2006). Analyzing culture from this point of view, it is necessary to consider different societies, their traditions and cultural heritage. And the third category implies that “there is the ‘social’ definition of culture, in which culture is a description of a particular way of life, a particular culture” (John Storey 2006). Analysis of the culture from this perspective is the most complicated one as it demands references to historical criticism related to separate societies and their traditions.

Culture as an environment created by people

Culture may also be defined as a part of the environment which was created, namely by people: “People come up with ways of responding to the environment in which they find themselves; those responses are part of their culture, but the environment itself is not” (Mary M. Wang et al. 2000). Culture is what unites a group of people as they themselves create it by sharing “values, ideals, and assumptions about what constitutes appropriate behavior” (Mary M. Wang et al., 2000). Culture may be defined as “the values, norms, beliefs, and patterns of behaviour of a selected group of people and such groups may include organizational staff, an entire nation exhibiting a common nationalistic culture, etc.” (Leung et al., 2005), whereas some of the researchers see it as “pure substance of the physical resources and perceptions, of the physical and mental techniques, which allow a society to persist” (Stahl 2003). They state that “Culture comprises various elements, some implicit and some explicit, and most elements can be explained by terms such as behaviour, values, norms, and basic assumptions” (Groeschl and Doherty 2000). According to other scholars, there exist certain “layers of culture that influence the behaviour of the buyer in a buyer-seller relationship” (Hollensen, 2000). The more the scholars explore the culture and its aspects, the more definitions each of them provides. One thing which remains clear for today is that culture is without any doubt connected with all the spheres of human activities, facilitating or aggravating some of the processes.

Culture as an environmental factor

Influence of culture on the marketing potential

Culture is one of the strongest environmental factors. Alongside ecological, political, ethical, social and technological factors, the cultural factor has a great influence on whether the organization developing this or that product or service will be profitable as “cultural influences are very important in consumers’ decision making since they affect attitudes, norms and other cognitive processes” (Malhotra and McCort 2001). Organizations that do not take into consideration the cultural factor may fail to market their product even in countries with high marketing potential.

Marketing potential of Malaysia

For example, Malaysia is a country with very significant marketing potential. Moreover, “Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia ranked first, second, and third in relative market size” and “all three countries were among the 25% best in the world” (Roger Baran et al. 1996), which proves that they “are high potential markets” (Roger Baran et al. 1996). Nevertheless, even in Malaysia with such market potential, it is possible to fail as a seller if a cultural factor is not taken into consideration. Namely, this is why different environmental factors, the cultural factor being one of the most important, should be taken into account “when planning the marketing strategy of a product” (Phillip R. Cateora 1990). What’s more, marketers should consider “the importance of understanding of consumer behaviour as a basis for developing effective marketing strategies” (Lynn R. Kahle, Ch’ung-hyŏn Kim 2006) for the reason that “without understanding the consumer, success in marketing is unlikely” (Lynn R. Kahle, Chris Riley 2005).

Culture and consumer behaviour

Consumer behaviour should be carefully examined and must not be neglected in any way as it is closely related to the cultural aspect. What marketers should explore is the behaviour of consumers before they bought the product and after they already used it, as it is very important to study the habits of the consumers in order to conduct a proper marketing analysis. After conducting such an analysis, the marketers will be able to define whether the product or service under consideration finds a ready market, in other words, whether it is in demand or not, or whether some improvements should be introduced in order to satisfy the customer. At this, all the complaints and wishes of the customer should be carefully analyzed as the following product will be manufactured taking into account the suggestions of the customer. Culture is what defines the patterns of behaviour as people of one, and the same society shares the norms and rules of behaviour. This is why studying consumer behaviour should include the studying of the social group the consumers belong to because if the marketers are able to understand the needs and demands of a group of people united in a society with one and the same behaviour pattern, they will be able to satisfy the needs and demands of the whole society as well. At this, special attention should also be paid to the cultural aspect of the society under consideration as namely culture dictates the principles of behaviour the people are guided by when purchasing the products.

Marketing operations and marketing concept

Connection of culture with economics is inevitable, and a number of cultural nuances should be taken into consideration when planning certain marketing operations in a separate country. But for a start, a certain theoretical background should be provided in order to show what exactly marketing operations are all about. Marketing operations, the role of which is “the delivery of the value to the customer” (Malcolm McDonald 2007), should be performed in accordance with the existing marketing concept followed by most firms and organizations.

Buyers and sellers relationships and emergence of marketing concept

Relationships and connections which existed between buyers and sellers, as well as the interaction between these two parts, consumers’ tastes and the ways to satisfy them to the fullest possible extent, have always been of great interest to marketing scholars and the need to explore all these issues was what lied in the basis of marketing development as such. At first, marketing was simply aimed at working out strategies that would help increase the number of sold products rather than the establishment and, most importantly, maintenance of firm relations between the sellers and the buyers. Directed at the mere sale of the products, the sellers of those days rarely cared about what the wants and demands of the customers were and whether they actually met all those wants and demands. Closer to the middle of the twentieth century, the companies started noticing that their ways of promoting the products were not that efficient as they used to be some decades ago and that customers did not want to buy what they were simply offered to which started to lead to high competition between different manufacturers. This was when all the existing marketing strategies aimed at simply selling more products stopped their existence and were substituted by those which were directed at the satisfaction of the customers’ needs which, as it was finally understood, lay in the basis of successful marketing. These events laid the foundation for the emergence of consumer oriented trade accompanied by the marketing concept.

The essence of the marketing concept

The marketing concept is a specific strategy, management philosophy or a management plan which, considering and taking into account all the marketing components, helps a firm or an organization of this kind achieve its goals, namely gain higher profits and become successful, by means of clear identification and further satisfaction of all the possible needs and demands of the customers. In other words, “customer satisfaction equals profitability and if the firm can deliver more satisfaction than its competitors, the greater the profit potential” (Brian Kenny & Karen Dyson 1989). More and more firms began following the marketing concept by creating separate departments, the main objective of which was to deal with meeting the needs of the customers. Sometimes such marketing departments were created in the firms’ sales departments which expanded their responsibilities. The companies with such a structure exist even today through a number of firms opted to be structured as a marketing organization focusing on the customer. This contributed greatly to the whole company’s concern with customer satisfaction. Not only one department but the entire organization was preoccupied with the satisfaction of the customer needs. Thus the customer became the primary concern of any organization, and products of questionable quality, though sold at a low price, stopped attracting any attention.

Since its emergence in the middle of the twentieth century, the marketing concept has continued developing. The paramount component of the concept was the customer orientation, and the concept itself maintained that “(1) all areas of the firm should be customer-oriented, (2) all marketing activities should be integrated, and (3) profits, not just sales, should be the objective” (Robert F. Lusch & Stephen L. Varg 2006). However, in the 1990s, the market concept underwent certain changes and was transformed into market orientation. The customer orientation continued to be a matter of priority, but it turned out to be not enough anymore. Because of high competitiveness, the firms were supposed to apply specific methods in order to prove to the customer that namely their services and products were the best: “Therefore, the fundamental imperative of market orientation strategy is that to achieve competitive advantage and, thereby, superior financial performance, firms should systematically (1) gather information on present and potential customers and competitors and (2) use such information in a coordinated way across departments to guide strategy recognition, understanding, creation, selection, implementation, and modification” (Robert F. Lusch & Stephen L. Varg 2006). High competition made firms manufacture products of high quality which would fully correspond to their customers’ needs, and now the manufacturers had to fight for customers and their trust in the product, to be more exact, its quality. If the quality of the product was high, the marketing operations were successfully performed, and the necessary profit was obtained.

Cultural factors in planning marketing operations

However, even if the marketing concept is properly observed, the marketing operations will not necessarily be carried out in an appropriate way. As it was mentioned above, culture encompasses a wide variety of notions and aspects, each particular aspect being very significant for the marketing process as it influences the performance and success of marketing operations. Before planning any business in a particular country, one has to study its traditions and culture thoroughly to figure out the preferences and demands of people who live there. There are some cultural factors that marketers should take into account for successful carrying out of the marketing operations.

Language as a cultural variable and its importance for the success of marketing operations

First of all, it is the language the population of this or that country uses for communication. Language is what is specific for a separate nation; it is what unites it and differentiates it from all other nations of the world. Basically, language “as a cultural variable, includes words used, how they are used, and non-verbal elements of the communication process, such as gestures and eye contact” (Richard L. Sandhusen 2000). Language plays a very important role in the performance of marketing operations as it is one of the immediate components of the marketing process. Communication is important for any kind of business as it helps in “gathering and evaluating information (for example, attitudes and needs regarding products and services); interpreting contexts in which communications will take place; and actually communicating with prospects, customers, staff members, and facilitating personnel” (Richard L. Sandhusen 2000). Language has a direct influence on the presentation and distribution of the product: “Cultural differences, more particularly language differences, have a marked influence on the way a product can be marketed, on its brand name, and also on the advertising campaign chosen” (Doole and Lowe 1999).

Language and marketing operations in Malaysia

Performing marketing operations in such country like Malaysia, for example, might be complicated by a number of racial groups, all of them speaking different languages: “in Singapore, for example, Mandarin, Tamil and English all have the status of official languages, as well as Malay; in Malaysia itself, Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages like Hokkien and Hakka, and Tamil all form significant minority languages” (Charles de Ledesma et al. 2003). This is why when conducting, for instance, an advertising campaign, the language aspect should be thoroughly dealt with as this is what the success of the campaign depends upon. English is also widely spoken in Malaysia, and it is also “the language of business” (Charles de Ledesma et al., 2003) in this country, but this does not mean that minor groups of languages should be neglected. Gestures, that is, the body language, are also very significant for the business process as using wrong gestures may result in the failure of negotiations as well as it can be crucial for advertising campaign: “the “yes” of a Greek or Turk is indicated by a head movement identical to the negative shake used in the United States, and the thumb and finger sign that connotes success in the United States means “money” in Japan and “I will kill you” in Tunisia. In negotiations, Southern Europeans tend to involve their bodies a lot, whereas Northern Europeans are comparatively stiff and reserved” (Richard L. Sandhusen 2000).

The effectiveness of communication as a part of the marketing process

The importance of the language for the success of a marketing process can be presented in such a scheme:

It is clear from the scheme that information encoded by the sender, which is the seller, goes through the communication channel, which may be presented by different means of advertising, then it goes to the receiver, the customer, who decodes it. At this stage, it is necessary that the language of encoding and the language of decoding were the same as in case they are different, the decoding won’t take place, thus resulting in the failure of the act of communication, either direct or indirect, and inability to transfer to the following stage which is getting the feedback from the customer. The choice of the language is vital for the marketing process as the success of any marketing operation depends on whether the customer will be able to comprehend what the seller wants to inform about his product or service. The effectiveness of communication is all about “the exchange of information, so there is common understanding by all participants” (Les Dlabay et al. 2005), and as the scheme shows, the language of communication plays not the last role in the process. Effective communication is necessary for the promotion of products, and before starting the promotion program, the seller should study the language environment of the country in which he is carrying out the marketing process.

Division of society into classes

Another important factor that should be necessarily taken into account is the division of the society under consideration into social classes. The significance of this division lies in the fact that it influences the purchase requirement directly, thus affecting the due performance of marketing operations. The percentage of people belonging to each class should be taken into consideration since the quantity of the products manufactured for sale greatly depends on it: “For the marketing manager, social class offers some insights into consumer behavior and is potentially useful as a market segmentation variable” (J. Paul Peter & James H. Donnelly 2002). There is absolutely no doubt that individual behaviour depends, namely on the social class, as “different social classes tend to have different attitudinal configurations and values, which influence the behaviour of individual members” (J. Paul Peter & James H. Donnelly 2002). Therefore, four social classes can be sorted out for the purposes of marketing: upper class, middle class, working-class and middle class.

Malaysian and American people of different social classes

It is common knowledge that the life of each of these classes is dependent on the level of development of the country the classes belong to. The comparison of social classes in the United States and Malaysia will show this dependence and difference. Thus, for instance, the upper class in America comprises around 14% of the population and consists of people with high incomes. The people belonging to this class usually seek high-quality products of world-known prestigious brands: “Spending with good taste is a priority as are products such as theatre, books, investments in art, European travel, household help, club membership for tennis, golf, and swimming, and prestige schooling for children” (J. Paul Peter & James H. Donnelly 2002). The same goes for the Malaysian people of the upper class: “upper-class Malaysians are excessive, wearing branded goods to maintain status” (Johan Fischer 2008). There is a clear distinction between the upper class and the middle class, the choice of the car being one of the most vivid distinctions, so this is the first important sphere where the manufacturing process can be directed to. The distinction between the upper and middle classes in America is not that vivid, as middle-class people usually buy what is branded and popular trying not to lack behind the upper class: “Increased earnings have led to spending on more “worthwhile experiences” for children, including winter ski trips, college education, and shopping for better clothes at more expensive stores” (J. Paul Peter & James H. Donnelly 2002). In fact, what American middle-class people are trying to do is to copy the upper class while the Malaysia middle class realizes that they are different and appeases with this idea: “If you are a wage earner, you should be middle class. We cannot be upper class. Because the upper class they earn so much. They live in a bungalow. They go on holiday overseas most of the time” (Johan Fischer 2008). American working-class people depend economically and emotionally on their relatives’ support. What they are interested in most of all is the easiness of their labour rather than striving to have branded products and clothes together with trips overseas. The working class in Malaysia is characterized by low-level education and may include “workers on plantations, who in common with other agricultural labourers do not own property or land, and are employed by farmers or estate owners” (Colin Barlow, Francis Kok-Wah Loh 2003) as well as workers in production and transport spheres. People belonging to this group “are sellers of manual labour-power, and are employed for a wage” (Colin Barlow, Francis Kok-Wah Loh 2003), so this is what should be taken into consideration when producing goods for this layer of the population. Their special demands should be paid attention to, as well as affordability of products, should not be ignored. Lower class Americans constitute 16% of the population, and people belonging to this class, just like those who belong to other classes, differ in their values, demands and consumption goals. Some of them, as soon as they get some money, spend them in a very unreasonable way buying the things they cannot afford, whereas others “are dedicated to resisting worldly temptations as they struggle toward what some believe will be a “heavenly reward” for their earthly sacrifices” (J. Paul Peter & James H. Donnelly 2002). The same is true about some lower-class Malaysians who enjoy “higher standards of living and even a measure of consumerism” (Robert W. Hefner 2001).

Planning marketing operations according to the demands of each social class

What can be concluded from the analysis of social classes is that this cultural aspect is one of the most important for marketing planning. When performing marketing operations, the demands of each social class should be analyzed and taken into consideration. The decisive role, for instance, for the upper class plays the name and popularity of the brand though this does not mean that people belonging to this class buy goods in incalculable quantities. Perhaps, the number of items they purchase is greater compared with the middle class but what matters here is that the responsibility for expensive goods is also bigger as people with so much money in their possession are likely to demand more when it comes to the quality of the product or authenticity of this or that brand. The middle class in the United States is easy to get profit from as striving to imitate the upper class they will spend their money to resemble them, but again this does not mean going to extremes as well as this won’t do in Malaysia as middle-class population knows about clear distinctions between them and the upper class. Branded products are not what working and lower classes are interested in. That’s why the supplying of the goods of this kind will remain without a due demand here. Affordability but at this appropriate quality of products, lessened variety of choice and absence of branded products is what may characterize the working and lower class market. This all proves the significance of analyzing the needs and demands of people belonging to different social classes before planning any putting into life any marketing operations as neglecting this aspect may lead to the failure of the marketing process as such.

Applying Warren Keegan’s theory for planning marketing operations in Malaysia

Not only social classes but other factors should be taken into account when planning marketing operations in Malaysia. It is necessary to consider Warren Keegan’s theory in order to find out more about these factors. The essence of Warren Keegan’s theory lies in denying ethnocentrism while planning marketing operations in different countries. “According to Keegan, “fifty years ago, most business enterprises – and especially those located in a large country such as the United States – could operate quite successfully with an ethnocentric orientation. Today, however, ethnocentrism is one of the biggest internal threats a company faces” (Francis Cherunilam 2007). This is why, when working out an international marketing strategy, marketers should take into consideration the cultural environment of each market. Culture is an issue of heritage, and it is impossible to change it; this being the reason, manufacturers should adapt their products and services to those which are acceptable for a particular country. Warren Keegan sorted out the factors which influence the economic environment of the country and indicate potential possibilities of products and services consumption. These include, first of all, a living standard which characterizes average consumption and quality of goods and services; secondly, Gross Domestic Product, which determines the price for goods and services (however, the data regarding GDP can sometimes be unreliable because they are average and the same income can sometimes ensure different standards of living in different countries); thirdly, the level of economic growth of the country, which influences marketing possibilities (the matter is that marketing operations are likely to be more successful in developed countries where the population size is stable and marketing of certain products has reached saturation level); and finally, currency stability should be paid attention to, since fluctuation in rates of exchange may significantly affect sales and profits.

Therefore, when planning marketing operations in Malaysia, the marketers should know that the living standard of the country is comparatively high. This is why the consumption of goods and services will be considerable, and the quality of goods should be correspondent. Low-quality goods are unlikely to be consumed. That’s why the aspect of quality should be taken into consideration. Moreover, recent data show that the GDP of the country increased by 5.7% in 2008 and is forecast to grow by another 4% by 2009; this shows that the prices are going to rise and planning marketing operations in 2009 is likely to be successful for the marketers. Furthermore, Malaysia belongs to the countries whose economy is developing rapidly and whose level of economic growth is high, which creates favourable conditions for marketing various products. And, lastly, it was not always that the currency was stable in Malaysia, but it is forecast that it is going to remain stable during the next two years. Malaysia does not belong to countries with rapid fluctuations in rates of exchange. This is why the currency will hardly influence much the performance of marketing operations in this country.

Ethnicity as a cultural factor

The role of ethnicity in the marketing process

Of no less importance for the marketing process is such a cultural factor as ethnicity. There is no wonder that people belonging to one nation differ in their demands from those who belong to some other nation because “ethnicity is fundamentally tied to social subgroups of people and expresses their range of physical characteristics, contested subjectivities and social positions” (Russell W. Belk 2006). It should be mentioned that “ethnic group is a segment of a larger society whose members are thought, by themselves or others, to have a common origin and to share important segments of a common culture and who, in addition, participate in shared activities in which the common origin and culture are significant ingredients” (John Milton Yinger 1994). What is important here is that the members of one and the same ethnical group, even the minor one, are still united by common tastes and consumer habits affecting the overall consuming process and contributing to its fulfilment. “Ethnic background affects consumer behavior patterns” (Joseph Paul Cortese 1999). This is why the personal preferences of each nation should be treated with respect, and the demands of each ethnic group should be met accordingly.

Malaysia ethnic groups and consumer preferences

Consumption and marketing process is closely connected with each other this is why the consumerism of separate ethnical groups should not be underestimated when planning certain marketing operations. Taste preferences of a separate nation can be analyzed on the example of Malaysian consumer habits. It should be pointed out that Malaysia “is home to many ethnic communities including the indigenous Malay Bumiputera and the descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants that settled in Malaya during the period of British colonial rule” (Alan Collins 1999). Thus it can be stated that it comprises three ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and Indians, each group having typical consumer behaviour. This concerns, firstly, food preferences, then clothes choice and, finally, the entertainment sphere. Before starting performance of any marketing operations in Malaysia, one should pay some time to observe the lifestyle of the population as namely which product the people consume and what the quantities of the consumed goods are, is what has a direct influence on the marketing process and the success of the conducted operations. For instance, 35.8% of Malaysians live in detached houses, and 27.7% own terraced houses, which will certainly have some influence on the sale of household products. The survey also shows that more than ninety per cent of Malaysians do not, as a rule, dine out and prefer eating at home, especially in the evening, which without any doubt affects the restaurant business as well as food consumption. Malaysia is not the best place for the alcoholic beverage industry as “Malaysians are not great consumers of alcoholic beverages” (Takashi Inoguchi 2005). In fact, Malaysia shows the lowest consumption of alcohol as compared to other countries. Chinese and Indians, comprising 27 and 23.4 per cent of the population correspondingly, are “still a minority within their community” (Takashi Inoguchi 2005), and the survey has shown that they “do not consume alcohol” (Takashi Inoguchi 2005). Malaysian people turn out to consume goods produced by Asian manufacturers more than any of any others, though when it comes to alcohol, Malaysian Chinese are “in the habit of consuming of French cognac (brandy) at festive occasions like weddings and birthdays” (Takashi Inoguchi 2005). So, such factors as ethnicity should never be neglected when starting marketing operations in this or that country as the preferences of each nation, including the consumption habits concerning food and other means of existence, have a great influence on the marketing process.

Impact of religion on the marketing process

Religion and consumer process

And, finally, strange as it may seem but religion can also affect marketing process, and religious factor is to be taken into consideration when planning marketing operations. The impact of religion on the marketing process as such has not been thoroughly studied so far but the fact that it does influence the consumer behaviour and the performance of marketing operations is widely recognized and most of the scholars admit that “the influence of religion is profound on people’s behavior” (Michael John Baker 2001) thus affecting directly their purchase requirements and preferences: “Not only are symbolic and ritualistic consumption behaviors religion directed, but moral training and spiritual education provided by religious institutions have behavioral impact on individuals’ use (consumption) of products, services, institutions, places, and time” (Michael John Baker 2001). There exist three reasons why people are subjected to the influence of religion. The first reason is the simplest one and is represented by faith which “develops strong beliefs and attitudes about worldview” (Michael John Baker 2001). The following reason “why consumers yield to the influence of religion is self-efficacy” (Michael John Baker 2001). The consumers tend to follow different doctrines as they bring them certain sense of satisfaction which even gave marketers sufficient reasons to try to “incorporate self-efficacy in models of consumer behavior” (Michael John Baker 2001). The final reason is fear as the individuals are informed about the possible consequences in case they “do not respond to the religious mandates” (Michael John Baker, 2001).

Each society is, as a rule, united by a religion, which dictates people the norms of behaviour as well as preferences in food and clothes. Observing the basic rules of any religion by the consuming society is not the last thing the marketers should do as it is closely connected with what exactly the people are going to consume and to what extent. For instance, certain religions forbid the consumption of meat and alcohol, some of them on a regular basis, others only temporary: “The most distinctive difference between Muslim and Jewish food taboos is the prohibition against alcohol: the Quran prohibits a common intoxicating Arabic drink, which Muslims have generally extended to include all alcoholic drinks. In Judaism, wine is a common drink featured in many Jewish rituals” (Thomas Arthur Robinson & Hillary Rodrigues 2006). Food and alcohol are the products of mass consumption, and if the religion of the population prohibits the use of some of them, this directly influences the success of the performance of marketing operations and, if the religious factor is neglected, may result in the failure of the marketing process.

Diversity of religions in Malaysia and its influence on the marketing process

When starting planning marketing operations in Malaysia, religion must be among the first factors to explore as different religions can be observed in this country due to the presence of different ethnic groups: “All Malays are Muslims by birth. Most of the Chinese in Malaysia are Buddhists and Taoists, but there is a growing number of Christians among the Chinese and only a minority of Muslims. Among the Indians, most are Hindus, with a small number of Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs. Minority ethnic groups, such as the Portuguese Eurasians and Europeans are mainly Christians” (Raymond L. M. Lee 1994). The Muslim population of Malaysia faces a number of prohibitions due to religion, and they all affect the consuming process. Thus the appropriate performance of marketing operations: “Eating in public during the month of Ramadan, consuming alcoholic beverages in public, women or men indulging in cross-dressing” (K. S. Nathan et al., 2005) are considered to violate laws. Not only Islam but “all the religions in Malaysia […] preach moderation” (Dwight B. Heath 1995) which means that production of the prohibited products should be reduced, especially in a certain period of time and the manufacturing of products that substitute the prohibited ones should be increased which is likely to increase the sales because at least some kind of food will still be consumed. The same goes for another religion observed by minority groups in Malaysia. The specific features of each religion should be figured out, and the marketers should decide how they can benefit from these features rather than trying to fight with losses they can involve.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a number of the issues discussed above shows how much the notion of culture involves and which aspects of marketing it can affect. Four main cultural nuances, namely language, the division into social classes, ethnicity and religion, are worth the attention of marketers as it was proved that each of them has a great influence on the marketing process and should be taken into consideration when planning marketing operation the success of which depends on how thoroughly these cultural factors have been studied and how much attention they have been paid to.

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