9323国际营销 第三章

2021年1月19日发(作者：managers)

How does an understanding of history help an international marketer?

To understand, explain, and appreciate a people’s image of itself and the fundamental
attitudes and unconscious fears that are often reflected in its view of foreign cultures, it
is necessary to study the culture as it is now as well as to understand culture as it was,
that
is,
a
country’s
history.
An
awareness
of
the
history
of
a
country
is
particularly
effective
for
understanding
attitudes
about
the
role
of
government
and
business,
the
relations
between
managers
and
the
managed,
the
sources
of
management
authority,
and attitudes toward foreign MNC’s. History is what helps define a nation’s “mission,”
how it perceives its neighbors, and how it sees its place in the world. To understand a
country’s attitudes, prejudices, and fears it is necessary to look beyond the surface or
current events to the inner subtleties of the country’s entire past for clues.

The
marketer
“should
also
examine
the
more
complex
effect
of
geography
upon
general
mark
et characteristics, distribution systems, and the state of the economy.” Comment.

There
can
be
no
doubt
that
geography
has
had
a
“complex
effect
upon
general
market
characteristics,
distribution
systems,
and
the
state
of
the
economy.”
Therefore,
the
world

marketer should be careful not to look just at how his product must be changed to fit into a
foreign market. That is, he must not just fit his electric motors, say, with high-temperature
operating characteristics and stop there.

There’s more to it than t
hat. Consider the diverse nature of South America, for example. The
channels
of
distribution
that
a
domestic
marketer
has
been
accustomed
to
using
might
not
even
exist
because
of
natural
barriers.
These
same
natural
barriers
also
cause
quite
varied
levels
of
economic
development
within
the
same
country.
Cities
and
rural
areas
might
not
even be on the same economic plane. Finally, as a result of these barriers and thus physical
isolation of various population centers, areas of the same economic development might have
entirely different cultures. Therefore, the general market characteristics of these areas would
also differ greatly and have a direct effect upon the success of marketing plans.
Discuss
how
each
of
these
communications
innovations
affects
international
business
management.
An underpinning of all commerce is effective communications, knowledge of where goods
and services exist and where they are needed and the ability to communicate instantaneously
across vast distances. Facilitating the expansion of trade have been continuous improvements
in
electronic
communications.
First
came
the
telegraph,
then
the
telephone,
television,
satellites, the computer and the Internet. Each revolution in electronic technology has had a
profound effect on human conditions, economic growth and the manner in which commerce
functions.
As
each
“new”
communications
technology
has
had
its
impact,
new
business
models
have
been
spawned
and
some
existing
businesses
re-invented
to
adapt
to
the
new
technology
while
other
businesses
have
failed
to
respond
and
thus
ceased
to
exist.
The
Internet
revolution
will
be
no
different;
it
too
affects
human
conditions,
economic
growth,
and the manner in which commerce operates. As we will discuss in subsequent chapters, the
Internet has already begun to shape how international business is managed. However, as the
Internet permeates the fabric of the world’s cultures, the biggest changes are yet to come!