Marketing (MKTG) 414

Overview

MKTG 414 looks into the business activities related to planning, pricing, promoting, and directing the flow of a company’s products and services to foreign markets. A critical step in the process of going international is recognizing that while international marketers should aim for marketing standardization (by adopting the global marketing orientation philosophy), business practices in general and marketing strategies and programs in particular should still be embedded in every host country’s social, economic, cultural, political, and geographical environments. In other words, to be successful in international markets, it is imperative to have a deep understanding of every host country’s customs, values, policies, and institutions and to design marketing activities accordingly. Additionally, an international company should be aware of any other international agreements and institutions that affect trade between its home country and its targeted foreign markets. From this perspective, international marketing should be viewed as an integrated discipline that combines several other disciplines: economics, anthropology, cultural studies, history, demographics, languages, law, statistics, geography, and international trade.

By building on several disciplines, this course will provide you with useful knowledge that can help you become an effective international marketer. The course will not prepare you to become an expert in any of the disciplines listed above; instead, it will stimulate your intellectual curiosity about various critical issues and provide you with analytical frameworks that are necessary for understanding different cultural environments in global markets and assessing global marketing opportunities.

The course also offers you ample knowledge for developing and implementing global marketing strategies. At the end of this course, you should be able to help an organization answer two questions: Which international markets should we enter? and How do we enter international markets? These key questions summarize the formulation of an international marketing strategy.

Outline

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• describe the major concepts, terminologies, frameworks, and practices utilized in the field of international marketing.
• examine the breadth of current and emerging contemporary international marketing trends facing today’s organizations and discuss the implications of these trends for both domestic and global marketing professionals.
• identify the role a country’s history and geography have in defining its culture, and examine the role cultural dynamics, management styles, and business systems have in global market behaviour.
• discuss how international political and legal environments affect global business decisions.
• identify the major product and service decisions made for global businesses and consumers.
• identify the main types of pricing strategies used in international markets.
• examine the various methods of exporting and distribution channels and how to negotiate with international customers, partners, and regulators.
• examine the major tools and theories related to integrated marketing communication, international advertising, personal selling, and sales management, and explain how to select appropriate tools for a variety of global business situations.

Outline

• Lesson 1: The Scope and Challenge of International Marketing
• Lesson 2: Strategies for International Expansion
• Lesson 3: Developing a Global Vision Through Marketing Research
• Lesson 4: The Dynamic Environment of International Marketing
• Lesson 5: Cultural Dynamics in Assessing Global Markets
• Lesson 6: International Political Environment
• Lesson 7: International Legal Environment
• Lesson 8: Products and Services for Consumers
• Lesson 9: Products and Services for Businesses
• Lesson 10: International Marketing Channels
• Lesson 11: Integrated Marketing Communications
• Lesson 12: Personal Selling and Sales Management
• Lesson 13: Pricing for International Markets
• Lesson 14: Negotiating in International Markets

Evaluation

Your final grade in MKTG 414: International Marketing and Exporting will be based on your performance on three assignments and a final examination. To receive credit for this course, you must receive at least a D (50 percent) on the final examination and a minimum overall course grade of D (50 percent). Any assignments that are not submitted will receive a grade of 0%. The weighting of each assessment activity is indicated in the table below.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Registration in this course includes an electronic textbook. For more information on electronic textbooks, please refer to our eText Initiative site.

A print version of the eText may be available for purchase from the publisher through a direct-to-student link provided on the course website; you can also acquire the textbook on your own if you wish.

Other Resources

All other learning resources will be available online.

Challenge for Credit Overview

The Challenge for Credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Challenge Evaluation

To receive credit for the MKTG 414 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.

Online Exam

Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form

• Challenge for Credit Form