Intercultural Competence - The Key to Successful International Marketing

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Problem Statement

1.2 Purpose of Investigation

1.3 Procedure of Investigation

2. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

2.1 Definition of Terminology

2.1.1 International Management

2.1.1.1 On the nature of international management

2.1.1.2 EPRG-Concept by Perlmutter

2.1.1.3 Typologies by Bartlett/Ghoshal

2.1.2 International Marketing

2.1.2.1 On the Nature of international Marketing

2.1.2.2 Intercultural Marketing

2.1.2.3 Forms, Corporate Culture and Central inner Orientation in international Marketing

2.2 The frame Conditions of international Marketing

2.2.1 Economic Factors

2.2.2 Political-Legal Factors

2.2.3 Technological Factors

2.2.4 Sociocultural Factors

2.2.5 Globalization as a considerable Challenge to international Marketing

2.2.5.1 On the Nature of Globalization

2.2.5.2 The Global Marketing Hypothesis

3. CULTURE AS A FRAME FACTOR OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

3.1 Definition of “Culture”

3.2 Aspects in Culture

3.3 Elements of Culture

3.3.1 Communicative Elements

3.3.1.1 Verbal Communication

3.3.1.2 Nonverbal Communication

3.3.2 Standards, Conventions, Values

3.3.3 Psycho-cultural Influences

3.3.3.1 Colors, Signs and Symbols

3.3.3.2 Esthetic Perception, Habits

3.3.4 Culture and Nationality

3.4 A Selective Presentation of Cultural Theories

3.4.1 Selection of Cultural Theories

3.4.2 Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

3.4.3 Cultural Dimensions according to Hall

3.4.4 Cultural Dimensions according to Trompenaars and Kluckhohn/Strodtbeck

3.4.5 Closing remarks regarding the cultural theories presented

4. OBJECTIVES, METHODOLOGY AND METHODS

4.1 Objectives

4.2 Methodology

4.3 Methods

5. CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

5.1 Analyzing the Point of Departure

5.1.1 Culture-free and culture-bound products

5.1.2 Sector's Localization Need

5.2 Intercultural Market Segmentation

5.2.1 Hypothetical Zones of Cultural Affinity

5.2.2 Country Clusters based on objective Criteria

5.2.3 Country Clusters based on subjective Criteria

5.3 Intercultural Market- and Consumer Research

5.3.1 Anomalies in intercultural Market- and Consumer Research

5.3.2 Country-of-origin Effect

5.3.3 Buy-national Mentality

5.3.4 Brand Myth of the Product

5.4 Intercultural Marketing-Mix

5.4.1 Intercultural Product Policy

5.4.2 Intercultural Pricing Policy

5.4.3 Intercultural Distribution Policy

5.4.4 Intercultural Communication Policy

6. FACTORS OF INTERCULTURAL LEARNING

6.1 Situations of Cultural Overlap

6.2 Culture Shock

6.3 Intercultural Learning

6.4 Intercultural Trainings

6.5 Intercultural Competence

7. GENERAL AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

7.1 The Purpose of Communication in general

7.1.1 Levels of Communication

7.1.2 Types of general Communication

7.1.3 Successful general Communication

7.2 The Purpose of intercultural Communication

7.2.1 Features of intercultural Communication

7.2.2 Sources of Error in intercultural Communication

7.2.3 Successful intercultural Communication

8. PRE-RESEARCH: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING

8.1 The Goal of intercultural Communication Training

8.2 The Trainer in intercultural Communication Training

9. BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES

9.1 Behavior

9.2 Behavioral Development

9.3 Attitude

9.4 Change of Attitude

9.5 Behavior and Attitude in Comparison

10. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

10.1 Interviewing Employees from different Companies

10.1.1 Purpose of Investigation

10.1.1.1 Consideration and Formulation of Research Questions

10.1.1.2 Frame Conditions for Interviewing

10.1.1.3 Developing and Building the Questionnaire

10.1.1.4 Critical Evaluation of the Questionnaire and Method

10.1.2. Evaluation and Presentation of Results

10.1.2.1 Socio-demographic Aspects of the Group

10.1.2.2 Choice of Time and Reason for Participation in intercultural Communication Training

10.1.2.3 The Need for intercultural Communication Training

10.1.2.4 Structure of the intercultural Communication Trainings taken

10.1.2.5 Probands' Self-Assessment regarding behavioral Development

10.2 In-depth Interviews with Intercultural Trainers

10.2.1 Purpose of Investigation

10.2.2 Evaluation and Presentation of Results

10.3 Partial Results

10.3.1 Individual partial Results

10.3.2 Summary of partial Results

10.4 Evaluation and Suggestions for Implementation

11. SUMMARY AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

11.1 ITMC-Method

11.1.1 ITMC Objectives

11.1.2 The four phases of knowledge transfer

CONCLUSION

Research Objectives and Thematic Focus

The primary objective of this dissertation is to examine the role of culture and intercultural competence in the field of international marketing. The research seeks to determine whether intercultural communication training serves as an effective mechanism for enhancing employee behavior and achieving international business success. By exploring the interplay between theoretical marketing frameworks and empirical findings from surveys and interviews, the study addresses the following key areas:

• The importance of cross-cultural competence for successful international marketing strategies.
• The relationship between culture as a "strategic success factor" and market adaptation.
• The effectiveness of intercultural communication training in developing and changing employee behavior.
• The distinction between standardized global marketing and differentiated local adaptation strategies.
• The role of ITMC (Intercultural Training and Marketing Competence) as a model for integrating culture into organizational development.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter outlines the research problem regarding the saturation of markets and the necessity of international marketing, establishing the importance of culture as a strategic factor.

2. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: This chapter clarifies terminology, compares international management and marketing, and introduces the EPRG-concept and Bartlett/Ghoshal typologies.

3. CULTURE AS A FRAME FACTOR OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: The chapter explores the definition and elements of culture, including a selective review of key cultural theories such as those by Hofstede, Hall, and Trompenaars.

4. OBJECTIVES, METHODOLOGY AND METHODS: This section defines the empirical research objectives, the pragmatist methodology, and the mixed-method approach involving surveys and in-depth interviews.

5. CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: It discusses practical influences on marketing activities, including market segmentation, consumer research, and the adaptation of the marketing-mix.

6. FACTORS OF INTERCULTURAL LEARNING: This chapter analyzes situations of cultural overlap, the phenomenon of culture shock, and the importance of intercultural training and competence.

7. GENERAL AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: The chapter examines the purpose and models of both general and intercultural communication, highlighting potential sources of error and conditions for success.

8. PRE-RESEARCH: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING: It focuses on the goals of training and the role of trainers in facilitating successful intercultural communication.

9. BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES: This section establishes definitions of behavior and attitude and investigates the potential for behavioral development through targeted interventions.

10. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: This chapter details the empirical investigation, presenting the methodology of surveying employees and interviewing trainers to evaluate training impacts.

11. SUMMARY AND FUTURE PROSPECTS: The final chapter concludes the findings, introduces the ITMC-method as a practical, four-phase model for knowledge transfer, and provides a future outlook on intercultural management.

Keywords

marketing, culture, international marketing, intercultural marketing, cross-cultural, intercultural, management, global marketing, globalization, leadership, diversity, mentality, behavior, attitude, communication, training, learning, ITMC

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this dissertation?

The dissertation investigates the role of culture in international marketing and explores whether intercultural communication training is an effective method for developing employee behavior and enhancing global business success.

What are the central thematic areas?

The key themes include international marketing management, the definition and impact of culture on consumer behavior, the effectiveness of various intercultural training methods, and the evaluation of behavior and attitude change in an international business context.

What is the primary research goal?

The primary goal is to identify if intercultural competence is a key driver for successful international marketing and to assess the importance of behavioral training in improving this competence among employees.

Which research methodologies are applied?

The research adopts a pragmatist philosophy, utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative survey data from employees across various sectors with qualitative in-depth interviews conducted with professional intercultural trainers.

What does the main body of the work cover?

The main body covers theoretical frameworks (Hofstede, Hall, etc.), the influence of culture on marketing-mix strategies, an analysis of factors influencing intercultural learning, and a detailed empirical study on how participants perceive behavioral changes after attending training sessions.

How is this dissertation characterized by keywords?

The work is characterized by terms such as international marketing, cultural competence, globalization, behavioral development, intercultural training, and the ITMC-method.

What is the unique "ITMC-method" developed by the author?

The ITMC-method is a four-phase model (Instruction, Training, Mentoring, Coaching) designed to maximize success in international marketing, HRM, and organizational development by integrating cultural awareness into the business process.

How does the author view the relationship between standardization and localization?

The author argues that while standardization offers cost advantages, local adaptation is essential for success in specific markets. The proposed "glocal" approach (as global as possible, as local as required) attempts to bridge this gap through the ITMC-method.