• Course Objectives
• Course Content & Organization
• Group Project
• Evaluation and Grading
• Marketing Plan

1. Develop a global perspective on strategic marketing problems
2. Develop the skills to identify and analyze international marketing opportunities
3. Explain and demonstrate the concepts and tools needed to design, implement, and manage international and global market entry and market expansion strategies
4. Analyze the tradeoffs between the advantages of global standardization and local customization in entering foreign markets and developing global marketing strategies
5. Acquaint you with institutional, cultural, and economic knowledge on international markets and marketing, and to provide you with the opportunity to develop an international marketing plan

This course is divided in three sections / modules.

Section I will provide you a perspective on how to make decisions regarding going international or becoming a global marketing company. We will discuss the main developments in international markets and how they affect international marketing strategies. We will address questions of when to go international, the impact of culture on international marketing, questions of standardization versus localization.

In section II, our emphasis will be on assessing international marketing opportunities, understanding international market barriers, market entry and international market expansion strategies.

In section III critical issues relating to the international marketing mix elements are discussed. We will develop the understanding of why and when should companies invest in building global brands. We will discuss how to address the challenges associated with developing a global brand. We will analyze different possible strategies to deal with international product piracy. We will discuss global pricing strategies. We will look at how companies should address gray markets and manage global accounts.

Group project

An exciting (although demanding) part of this course will be a group project on global marketing strategy issues. Projects should cover the issues discussed in class. Students are strongly encouraged to contact a company and make a report on one of the following topics:

•  Analyze current international marketing opportunities for the company you have picked. Find a country or region in which your client firm is not currently marketing (or has very limited presence) and which presents the greatest opportunity for further expansion with an existing product/service according to your analysis. Develop a comprehensive marketing plan for entry in this country/region.

•  Analyze the introduction of a new product in a foreign country where the company is already present. Briefly discuss the global marketing strategy for this product, and develop a comprehensive marketing plan for the launch of this new product in that country.

Alternatively, groups may also examine the global marketing strategies for an industry / product, or they may do a thorough analysis of the process and requirements for marketing in a particular part of the world (e.g. China, South America, Japan, EU, etc) for a given industry / product. Groups may also discuss global branding strategies for a given company.

Detailed information on data sources for the country analysis, guidelines for the mid-term project report and for the marketing plan is given at the end of the syllabus.

Groups should be composed of five to six students. Smaller or larger groups must receive permission of the instructor.

Key steps and dates:

Class 5 (January 29 th ): Due: List of group members and brief description of topic with identification of company and country selected (one sentence).

Class 15 (March 5 th ): Due:

- three to six page report on market entry decision.

- 5 to 10 page (excluding exhibits) summary of the environment (cultural, economic, political and legal) for the country/region selected.

Class 25 (April 17 th ): submit a written report (not to exceed 15 pages of double-spaced text, reasonable font, excluding exhibits).

Evaluation and Grading

Mid-term exam: 20%

Final Exam: 20 %

Group project: 40%

-Initial proposal: 10%

-Final Project: 20%

- Presentation: 10%

Class contribution: 20%

Mid-term and final exam: 4 to 6 essay questions; some of these will ask you to analyze real problems faced by a company; please see class
objectives at the end of the syllabus for covered materials.

Main criteria for grading project:
· Is the marketing plan comprehensive?
· Is the paper well structured?
· Is the data used appropriate/ sufficient to support decisions? Does the paper clearly identify further data needs and suggest how this data can be gathered?
· Are recommendations appropriate?
· Is the paper clearly written?
· Does the paper cover the topics discussed in the class?

Note: I do not intend to ask for group peer evaluations. If there is free-riding within the group, you are supposed to first discuss the issue within the group. If the problem persists, please feel free to schedule a meeting with me to discuss the matter. I do not expect you to wait until the end of the semester to address the issue – it is then too late to solve it. Nonetheless, I reserve the right to ask for a group peer evaluation at the end of the semester.