International Marketing

1. COURSE JUSTIFICATION:
The study of international marketing is concerned with the strategic and operational
aspects of marketing as a necessary business function that is constantly evolving in
response to the changing nature of international transactions. Students will discover
marketing issues and marketing implications from a cross-cultural perspective and will
explore international marketing trends.
The course will balance academic rigor with analytic frameworks of decision-making,
based on recent developments in the field of International Marketing through: readings,
research reports and case studies. As a result, it aims to provide students with the
latest understanding of global issues, disciplines, competencies and necessary skills
in making strategic marketing decisions based on a global perspective.
Increasingly, marketing activities must be integrated at a global level. Yet, the enduring
influence of culture requires marketers to adapt local strategies in light of cultural
differences. International marketing takes a similar strategic approach, recognizing the
need to address both the forces of globalization and those of localization.
2. GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
The objective of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, abilities and
tools to develop international marketing strategies considering the current global
environment and their managerial implications
3. ANALYTICAL DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS
I. UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL MARKETING ENVIRONMENT
To integrate and address the significant impact of economic, political, legal, social and
cultural variables and their effect on the conduct of international business and to be
able to analyze them in terms of opportunities and inherent risks when conducting
marketing activities.
Specific objectives:
- To develop leadership skills necessary to deal with the uncertainty resulting
from constant changes in today’s global markets.
- To identify confiscation, expropriation, nationalization, exchange controls, local
content laws, tax control, among others as imminent risks in the international
context and the measures to minimize them.
- To identify economic variables that may influence a market selection or a
marketing strategy in an international market.
- To recognize social and cultural differences in various global regions and their
effect on consumer’s contextual experiences.
- To integrate concepts of innovative studies and tools for marketers in the field
of psychological behavior such us neuromarketing, ethnography and sensory
marketing.
Teaching-learning strate
about making the ethically and morally correct choices in relation to the marketing
strategies.
- To identify practices like bribery, gifts, favors, entertainment, wining and dining,
predatory pricing, product safety, polluting the environment, unsafe working
conditions, intellectual property, misleading advertisements, deceptive displays
among others as frequent marketing problems related to ethics.
- To integrate the responsible consumption concept, environmental responsibility
and social based institutions with international marketing efforts.
Teaching-learning strategies: Professor lecture, class discussion, student readings,
and case studies.
II. ANALYZING GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES
To understand that international market research could be used to identify and define
marketing opportunities and problems, to evaluate marketing actions, to monitor
marketing performance and competition.
Specific objectives:
- To discover primary and secondary sources of information in the international
context.
- To define tools for collecting qualitative data such as observation, mystery
shopping, focus groups and projective techniques among others.
- To identify tools for collecting quantitative data, such us as surveys to evaluate
potential in international markets.
- To develop a practical case using observation tools and conducting a real focus
group with specific topics of interest.
Teaching-learning strategies: Professor lectures, class discussion, student readings,
and case studies.
Bibliography: Gillespie / Hennessey. Chapters 5, 6, 7.
III. SITE SELECTION
To understand that when a company is expanding its business operations to overseas
markets a number of strategic decisions must be taken. The company must define the
product it wants to market (what), the country market it wants to enter (where), the
timing of entry (when) and the entry mode it wants to use (how). The purpose of this
unit is to conduct a simulation of a market selection decision, the country market it
wants to enter (where), with the help of a practical method.
Specific objectives:
- To integrate the concept of Site Selection into a practical case using a
multicriteria decision method.
Teaching-learning strategies: professor lecture, class discussion, student readings,
complementary readings and a case study.
Bibliography:
Additional reading: Country Market Selection In International Expansion Using
Multicriteria Decision Aiding Methods. Górecka Dorota, Szałucka Małgorzata.
Multiplecriteria Decision Making. vol. 8. 2013.
IV. GLOBAL PRODUCT ADAPTATION VS STANDARDIZATION, 7 P`S AND
MARKETING SERVICES AND BRANDING ARCHITECTURE
STRATEGIES.
To develop a deeper understanding about what is involved in making international
marketing decisions, including product, services, branding, and innovation concepts
as part of the marketing mix.
Specific objective:
- To recognize product attributes, quality, design, warranty, packaging and
labeling as some of the aspects to be analyzed for standardization or adaptation
when entering in new markets.
- To integrate the concept and importance of international Services and the
extended marketing mix: 7 P´s.
- To explore the concept of customer service in the international context.
- To understand the concept of branding architecture when entering new markets.
- To define Innovation and its application in international marketing.
Teaching-learning strategies: professor lecture, class discussion, student readings,
complementary readings and case studies.
Bibliography: Gillespie / Hennessey. Chapters 10, 11
V. PRICING FOR INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL MARKETS
To identify the different strategies to set global prices.
Specific objective:
- To understand when to use market by market pricing or uniform pricing.
- To define pricing strategies used in the international context such us pricing by
skimming strategy, penetration strategy, neutral strategy and life cycle, costbased
pricing, demand-oriented pricing, competitive-oriented pricing, and
target-return pricing.
- To identify best options to deal with international price escalations and
competition.
Teaching-learning strategies: Professor lectures, class discussion, student readings,
and case studies.
Bibliography: Gillespie / Hennessey. Chapter 12
VI. MANAGING GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
To identify the existence of international channels and the importance of their selection
when entering new markets.
Specific objective:
- To understand the nature of channels in different markets.
- To identify factors affecting international channel development.
- To define retailing and online retailing and its importance in marketing.
- To introduce trade marketing and merchandising practices as part of the
distribution strategy.
- To define the omnichannel strategy.
Teaching-learning strategies: professor lectures, class discussion, student readings,
and case studies.
Bibliography: Gillespie / Hennessey. Chapter 13
VII. GLOBAL PROMOTION STRATEGIES, INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL
MARKETING AND NEW TRENDS
To understand opportunities, limitations and new tendencies in global promotion
efforts.
Specific objective:
- To define opportunities and challenges when using traditional promotion
strategies such us personal selling, publicity and advertising in the international
context.
- To understand foreign regulations that restricts the use of advertising.
- To introduce social networks, blogs, and other new technologies as platforms
for global promotion.
- To present new marketing tendencies.
Teaching-learning strategies: Professor lecture, class discussion, student readings,
and case studies.
Bibliography: Gillespie / Hennessey. Chapters 14-15
4. ASSESSMENTS
This course is based on a combination of lectures, discussions, case studies, videos,
outside speakers and country snapshots.
You will be asked individually, and as a member of a team to provide material for inclass
discussions, relevant global marketing articles, written analysis, oral
presentations and written evaluations.
Activities are designed to develop students’ ability to summarize major issues, apply
the concepts, evaluate and provide reasonable solutions in an international business
situation.

Research Report 5%

Cases 30%

Follow-up 15%

Midterm exam 20%

Final exam 30%