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1.Culturedefinitions,subjects,typologies
existsinternalculturaldiversity.SuchamarketisChinawherethedifferences
betweenindividualprovincesareimmense[Kotabe,Helsen1998,p.97].
Forcenturiesthewordlculture’hasbeeninterpretedinvariousways.
Originallyitwaslinkedtolcultivatingtheland’
,i.e.,toagriculture.Inthe
16thcenturytheconceptwasextendedtootheraspectsoflife.Culturebegan
tobeassociatedwithhumanspiritandintellect.Sincetheearly19thcentury
thetermlculture’hasbeenusedinitswidersensereferringtotheintellectual
andspiritualdevelopmentofcivilizationingeneral.Oneofthefirstauthors
tointerpretcultureinthiswaywasG.Klemmwhoreferredculturetoallthe
aspectsofsociallifeofagivencommunity,andincludedinitcustoms,crafts
andskills,domesticandpubliclifeintimesofpeaceandinwartime,religion,
scienceandart[Bartosik-Purgat2004,p.9].
Table1.1presentsvariousviewsoncultureshowingavarietyofinterpretational
approaches.Italsoshowsthattheyrefertodifferentbranchesofscience
(anthropology,psychology,sociology)andarelinkedwithdiversecontexts.
D.Throsbydrawsattentiontotwowaysofinterpretingthenotionofculture.
Heconsidersthefirstbroadapproachasananthropologicalorsociological
interpretation,whichmeansthatcultureistreatedasthesystemofattitudes,
opinions,customs,valuesandpracticeswhicharecharacteristicforacertain
grouporarecommonlysharedbyit.Suchagroupcanbedeterminedonthe
basisofitspolitical,geographical,ethnicorotherproperties[Throsby2010,
p.19].ThiswayofperceivingitallowsfordistinguishingaBrazilian,
European,youthorcorporateculture.Thecharacteristicswhichenablethe
identificationofaparticulargroupcanbeexpressedintheformofsigns,
symbols,language,materialobjectsaswellascustomsandtraditionwhich
allservetocreateaspecificidentityofthegroupallowingitsmembersto
differentiatethemselvesfrommembersofothergroups.Thisinterpretationof
culturecanbeusefulwhile,forexample,analysingtheinfluenceofcultural
factorsonbusinessactivities,aswellaswhenexaminingrelationsbetween
cultureandeconomicdevelopment.
Theotherapproachtothenotionofcultureismorefunctionalandcovers
certainactionsperformedbypeopleandtheresultsachievedthroughthem,
whichinturnarelinkedtovariousaspectsoflife(intellectual,moral,artistic).
Thismeansthatcultureconsistsinactionsrequiringacertainamountof
imaginationandmentaltraining,andnotjustpurelytechnicalorprofessional
skills.Yetsuchaninterpretationofcultureposestheneedtodefinethe
characteristicsexpectedfromtheundertakenactivities.D.Throsbysuggeststhe
following[Throsby2010,p.19]:
.
creativity,
.
generatingandtransmittingasymbolicmeaning,
.
bringingresultswhichareaformofintellectualproperty.