CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT: ELEMENTS, COMPANY AND IN LATIN AMERICA - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

By setting culture it is understood the set of beliefs, habits and behaviors that surround a person and influence its development. This includes ideological, religious, idiomatic, historical, aesthetic, ethnic, educational or social aspects, which condition and affect the decisions and personality of the individual.

The word environment is formed by the prefix "en" and the term "lathe", which derives from the Latin "toruns" and means "turn" or "turn". In this way, from the etymological point of view this concept refers to something that surrounds it.

The cultural environment refers to the environment and all the codes, norms and customs that surround an individual. Source: pixabay.com

In this regard, the Spanish philosopher and essayist José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) popularized the phrase "I am me and my circumstances" at the beginning of the 20th century. In it, he implies that all people are made up of two essential parts: on the one hand, the subject himself and, on the other, the historical and social context in which they live.

In this way, the cultural environment refers to the environment and all the codes, norms, traditions and practices that surround an individual.

It differs from the natural environment, which includes aspects of the environment, such as climate, relief, soil, water, fauna and flora, which also influence the development of the person.

Elements that define the cultural environment

Among the most important elements that define the cultural environment are religious beliefs, family relationships, language and education.

Religious beliefs

In most societies, religious beliefs have a significant influence on people's daily lives and traditions.

These are usually made up of dogmas and fundamentals of an indisputable and obligatory nature, moral and behavioral norms and ritual practices that are followed by the majority of its members.

Family relationships

The conception of the family, its values ​​and customs and the interrelation between its members are other key elements of the cultural environment.

In this case, learning usually occurs through observation and imitation of behaviors, direct experience, and interactive communication.

Its development is fundamental in the formation process of the person and has a noticeable influence on their identity and sociability.

Language

The particular way of speaking and communicating is another element that defines the cultural environment.

The language is usually the result of the experiences and ways of seeing the world of a community and both the accent and the own idioms give a stamp of identity and belonging to a certain place.

The education

Education systems and the design of their training programs often determine the type of ideologies and beliefs that are transmitted from one generation to another within a society.

Through this learning, people learn to know and live in community according to certain guidelines.

Cultural environment of a company

All companies carry out their activity in a specific cultural environment that influences their development.

Companies are not isolated entities, but rather interact with everything that surrounds them. For example, consumer behavior, public policies, legal regulations and market behavior are some of the factors that affect their businesses.

In the same way, the relationship with clients, with suppliers, with the competition and with the employees themselves are fundamental aspects for the development of any operation.

In this framework, the cultural environment associated with companies is divided into two large groups: the general and the specific.

General cultural environment

It is one that affects all companies equally, regardless of their area of ​​action. It includes political, legal, environmental, demographic, sociocultural and economic aspects of the community where the company carries out its activities.

For example, within this environment there are factors such as the unemployment rate, inflation, taxes, current regulations, habits and customs of the inhabitants, and lifestyle, among others.

Specific cultural environment

It is one that directly affects the company. It includes aspects related to the labor market, suppliers, clients, competitors, financial institutions and public administrations.

For example, within this environment are factors such as salary costs, employee training, financing offered by banks, services provided by third parties and the degree of market demand.

Corporate culture

In order to interact with the environment, it is also important that each company defines its own business culture, understood as the set of values, principles and objectives shared by its members.

It is usually defined in the mission of the organization and reflected in the work practices and ethical conduct followed by its managers and employees.

Generally, companies influence their environment through corporate social responsibility policies, through which they quantify the social, economic, cultural and environmental impact of their activities in the community.

Cultural environment in Latin America

The countries of Latin America share a common cultural environment that differentiates them from other regions of the world. Source: pixabay.com

Latin America is an ethnic and geographical concept that encompasses the countries of the American continent whose inhabitants mostly speak Latin languages, mainly Spanish and Portuguese.

This includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

These countries share a common cultural environment that differentiates them from other regions of the world.

Among its most characteristic elements are the pre-Columbian antecedents, the colonial stage of looting of more than three centuries at the hands of the European powers and the independence feat that gave rise to the idea of ​​the 'Great Homeland'.

Also the miscegenation; linguistic, racial, gastronomic, artistic and folk diversity; religion and the great social inequality that still prevails in most states today.

On the other hand, the cultural environment of Latin America stands out for its syncretism, the product of the fusion of three main main aspects: pre-Columbian native cultures, European cultures and African cultures.

References

1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Cultural Environment. Available at: fao.org
2. Ortega y Gasset, José (1914). Don Quixote Meditations. Spain.
3. Edebé Group. The company and its environment. Barcelona. Spain.
4. Market environment, Wikipedia. Available at: wikipedia.org
5. Culture of Latin America, Wikipedia. Available at: wikipedia.org
6. Etymological dictionary. Available at: etimologias.dechile.net