The internationalization of American business is proceeding with
increasing pace. The globalization of markets and competition necessitates
all managers to pay attention to the global environment.
International marketing is defined as the performance of business
activities including pricing, promotion, product, and distribution
decisions across national borders. The international marketing task
is made more daunting because environmental factors such as
laws, customs, and cultures vary from country to country. These
environmental differences must be taken into account if firms are
to market products and services at a profit in other countries.
Key obstacles facing international marketers are not limited to
environmental issues. Just as important are difficulties associated
with the marketer's own self-reference criteria and ethnocentrism.
Both limit the international marketer's abilities to understand and
adapt to differences prevalent in foreign markets. A global awareness
and sensitivity are the best solutions to these problems, and
these should be nurtured in international marketing organizations.
Three different strategic orientations are found among managers
of international marketing operations. Some see international
marketing as ancillary to the domestic operations. A second
kind of company sees international marketing as a crucial aspect
of sales revenue generation but treats each market as a separate entity.
Finally, a global orientation views the globe as the marketplace
and market segments are no longer based solely on national
borders -- common consumer characteristics and behaviors come
into play as key segmentation variables applied across countries.
