IBM7009 International Marketing Practice, Assignment, UK

Module Aims 

• Provide students with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the marketing function in modern business and non-profit organisations
• Describe how global developments apply to marketing and business, in particular understanding of how marketing approaches may have to be modified when seeking access to international markets, considering developments in the international economy, trade agreements, ethical and environmental issues, and the requirements of consumers in different cultures and societies and at different income levels
• Enable students to appraise and develop coherent marketing plans for different organisation types operating internationally
• Demonstrate the importance of digital marketing in international context, and help students manage the complexities involved e.g. linguistic  
• To ensure that students understand ethical issues involved in international marketing, including incentives to purchase, outsourcing overseas and exploitation of differences in costs and culture 

Learning Outcomes 

• Critically and systematically explain the ‘marketing concept’ and how it applies to international businesses and NGOs  
• Explain in detail how internal and external factors influence the strategic international marketing process  
• Independently and creatively set marketing objectives for an organisation, and explain in-depth of how these may be achieved via marketing plans  
• Demonstrate proficiency in qualitative and quantitative market-research techniques, and be able to independently and creatively select and evaluate appropriate techniques for solving international marketing problems  
• Apply the ideas of segmentation, defining targets and positioning strategies to international markets  
• Explain in detail the elements of operational marketing  
• Creatively and independently select a balance of elements to achieve marketing objectives, using continuous autonomous evaluation of their performance and proactively adjusting them to fit international markets  
• Independently and creatively develop and present an international marketing plan, working in an unfamiliar context with complex and incomplete data  
• Identify ethical issues in building and delivering a marketing plan and devise ways to ensure that its ethical robustness. 

Module Content 

The international context

How international marketing and national marketing have con verged, due to the rise of global businesses, the emergence of trade blocs and customs unions, removal of trade barriers, development of the Web and the explosion of advanced logistics provision. Ethical issues posed by internationalisation. The difference that culture and language still make – or do not.  

Marketing management  

Customer led business: the marketing concept. Marketing in the 21st century. Successful objective setting. Evolution and the planning system. Needs led business approaches. Market-orientated strategic planning.

Assessing marketing opportunities

Marketing intelligence and analysis: processes, systems and demand assessment. The global marketplace. Environmental analysis; industries and competitors. Analysing consumer and business buyer behaviour. Competitive advantage and positioning. Identifying market segments and selecting target markets. Portfolio analysis, SBUs, etc. Product positioning and the product life cycle in national and international markets. New product development strategies and approaches.  

Marketing management in action  

Understanding the elements of operational marketing. Marketing planning. Managing products and brands; product mixes, brand decisions, packaging and labels. Service marketing; the service mix and marketing implications. Pricing decisions; selection, determining and estimation and new product pricing. Managing effective communications strategies. Managing marketing channels. Direct and on-line marketing; major channels for direct marketing, e commerce marketing. Standardisation vs adaptation of operational elements in international markets. International marketing communications, including differences in cultural norms as applied to advertising images and text. Digital marketing, its evolution internationally, differences in rates of uptake of digital techniques and implications for marketing

Social responsibility and marketing ethics 

Ethical and environmental challenges in international marketing. Social criticisms of marketing; impact on individuals, society and other businesses. Socially responsible marketing; enlightened and ethical approaches. Legal and compliance issues and how they vary by country e.g. data protection, advertising description. Differences in laws and regulations in different countries and how to cope with them.