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Chapter 3 – History and Geography–The Foundations of
Culture
Teaching Objectives
Understanding the geography and history of a country can help a marketer have a better appreciation for
many of the characteristics of its culture. A culture of a people evolves in response to the environment
which it confronts. The geography of a country, its topography, climate, physical position relative to other
countries affect a culture’s evolution including its marketing and distribution systems. While is
impractical for a marketer to be an expert on the geography of every country in the world, it is important
for a marketer to understand that geography plays an important role in the economy of a country and its
marketing system. One objective of this chapter is to sensitize students to the importance of geography as
one of the explanations of a country’s market and economy.
The history of a country is also important in understanding many aspects of a culture. In the author’s
opinion, it is imperative that an international marketer making a long-term commitment in a country have
some knowledge of its history.
One cannot fully understand how businesspeople negotiate, how they conduct business, their attitudes
toward foreign investment, the legal system, and other aspects of the market/business system without a
historical perspective. A historical perspective helps prepare an international marketer for many of the
cultural differences that often cause misunderstandings and in many cases, mistakes. While a marketer
may not be able to change a person’s attitude or behavior, if you have an historical perspective of why
they react as they do, you can gain insights that can possibly make it easier to adapt your strategies for a
successful outcome. Today with the importance of NAFTA, China, Japan, the EU, etc., a knowledge of
geography of the regions and an appreciation for the history of the regions is a must in order to be
culturally aware. The teaching objectives of this chapter are to:
1. Help students understand the importance of geography and history in understanding a country’s
economy and markets.
2. Appreciate the effect that topography and climate have on products, population centers,
transportation, and economic growth.
3. Be sensitive to the growing problem of environmental damage and its effect on business and the
social and moral responsibility of each citizen to protect the environment.
4. Understand the effect of the history of each culture on international marketing.
Comments and Suggestions
1. To illustrate some of the geographic differences among countries, we have had students study the
folio of color maps of the text, and prepare a comparative analysis. Divide the class into three or four
groups, assign different sets of countries to each group and then have each student within a group do a
comparative analysis of the set of countries (select countries that will be very different, for example,
the United States, China, and Mexico). During class, have the students contribute what they have
learned to illustrate the geographic diversity that exists among the countries analyzed. The professor’s
discussion can build on this example and illustrate the vast differences in population, resources,
transportation networks, economic activity and their effect upon markets.
2. The ability to physically move goods to markets is a major problem in much of the developing world.
These are the markets where the greatest growth is expected in the next few decades. Some of the
potential demand in these markets will be building infrastructure necessary to overcome geographical
barriers. To illustrate these two points and to stress the importance of understanding geography, we
use transportation, that is, highway systems, railroads, seaports, and airports as a basis for our
lectures. Any number of countries can be used. I use Mexico and China. The need for more highways,
better railroads, and the connection of seaports with major markets are necessary in both countries but
the problems to achieve a better transportation infrastructure are substantially different. Both
countries offer enormous market opportunity as they invest in infrastructure.
3. The importance of international trade to the United States makes it imperative that we have a better
understanding of the history between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Our political and economic
relations are affected by the legacy of our long history of intervention and meddling in the affairs of
other countries. While all of this is history and, for the most part the United States does not behave as
it did during much of the late 1800s and early 1900s, it is still very much a part of the attitudes
citizens of these countries have towards the United States and U.S. business.
4. Throughout the discussion of history we stress that history is subjective and that an international
marketer must strive to understand history from the other country’s perspective.
Lecture Outline
I. History and Geography: The Foundations of Culture
II. Global Perspective
III. Historical Perspective in Global Business
A. History and Contemporary Behavior
B. History is Subjective
C. Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine
IV. Geography and Global Markets
A. Climate and Topography
B. Geography, Nature and Economic Growth
C. Social Responsibility and Environmental Management
D. Resources
V. Dynamics of Global Population Trends
A. Controlling Population Growth
B. Rural/Urban Migration
C. Population Decline and Ageing
D. Worker Shortage and Immigration
VI. World Trade Routes
VII. Communication Links
VIII. Summary
