International marketing

In most industry sectors, competition is international today. International marketing and sales strategies offer potential for revenue growth, economies of scale and other key economic objectives. But while fascinating success stories exist, many companies have experienced how difficult it is to enter foreign markets.
International activities require an in-depth analysis of market conditions and customer value perceptions. Based on this analysis, core decisions concern the questions of which markets to enter and in which order to enter them. Moreover, the activities in the individual country markets and regions need to be coordinated.
Consequently, the course will first discuss the challenges of developing international markets and of conducting international market research. It then presents approaches to strategic market entrance decisions. Finally, it focuses upon the implementation of the strategic decisions through organizational design and the marketing mix. A specific focus is set upon the challenges but also opportunities that the rising importance of corporate social responsibility expectations from various stakeholder groups present for companies operating at an international level.

Course outline

Fundamental concepts in international marketing

Drivers and challenges of foreign market entry

The international marketing playground

Market entry decisions

Market presence decisions

Corporate Social Responsibility in international marketing

Textbook
Backhaus, Bueschken, Voeth: International Marketing

Evaluation
Participants will be evaluated on

40%: in-class work (group work, article summaries).

60%: A 1-hour individual written exam composed of open as well as multiple choice questions