International Business 13th Edition by Donald Ball,Michael Geringer,Michael Minor ,Jeanne McNett

Exercise 4

Clotaire Rapaille: Charlatan or Code Breaker Extraordinaire in International Market Research?
Clotaire Rapaille is a charlatan-or possibly an advisor your company simply cannot do without. Originally a psychologist treating autistic children in Europe, Rapaille now operates from a mansion in upstate New York, where top management seek his advice on "the code" that will allow them access to the Indian, French, or Norwegian psyche. And from there, this insight should help them understand the motivations that will draw these people to buy their products.
Rapaille's earlier insights came when comparing French and American attitudes toward cheese. For the French, he says, cheese is alive, and the French would not put cheese in the refrigerator any more than one would put one's cat in the fridge. Both are "alive." But for Americans, Rapaille's insight is that cheese is "dead," so Americans seal it in a plastic "casket" and put it in a refrigerator, which is really a "morgue." Americans are more concerned about safety than taste: the French reverse these preferences. So more French than American consumers die from eating cheese: but the Americans eat a relatively sterile and tasteless product, while the French enjoy a variety of cheeses that Americans cannot fathom.
Rapaille was also influential in the development of Chrysler's PT Cruiser, the retro car that has enjoyed great success. He has, in total, 50 of the Fortune 100 firms as clients.
His claim is that teams under his direction have "broken the code" for "anti-Americanism," "China," "seduction," the "teen Internet," and more. A recent excursion to India led him to pronounce that the caste system was simply a "practical" way of signaling to all their places in society. "It's not a problem, it's a solution," he summarizes.
Rapaille displays a certain confidence bordering on arrogance, and he follows a research method that is unusual, to say the least. Rather than relying on focus groups or surveys, he "breaks the code" of certain countries in roughly three-hour sessions. In these sessions, paid respondents first discuss the topic of interest; then they are asked to tap into their emotional reactions; and finally Rapaille explores, as he puts it, their "reptilian brain."
It is the last that he finds useful. "Never believe what people say," Rapaille says. "I want to understand why people do what they do." Ultimately, he has respondents on the floor in the fetal position, reliving childhood memories.
From this process, he says, he discovers cultural archetypes, which are long lasting, although opinions may change more readily. Former clients have scoffed at him, using "the cheese is dead" as a constant mantra, mocking his methods. For others, the idea that complex attitudes (such as the German code for Americans, which is "John Wayne") can be summarized in a word or phrase is, well, silly. Yet many of the same clients come back to him-P G has come back 35 times.
As a manager, would you-or would you not-hire Clotaire Rapaille or his company to assist you in assessing and interpreting international market opportunities?