MKTG 445 Global Marketing(3) Role of international marketing in the global environment; political,economic, geographic, historical, cultural conditions; developing andimplementing international marketing strategies.

Prerequisites: BA 303 or MKTG 301

Course Overview

This course focuses on the wide range of issues, which face enterprises as they develop and execute marketing strategies and tactics, designed to support business activities in markets outside their home country. This course deals directly with these issues as they apply to firms, which concentrate on a few markets closer to home, or on many markets throughout the world, including via the Internet. This course also deals with the important role played by governments in shaping the global marketing environment, including through trade policies, treaties and marketing supports. Students successfully completing this course also gain a greater understanding of the cultural, technological, economic, political and social environments which international businesses and global marketers face as they seek to expand their product and/or service offerings into other nations. Understanding this important part of the challenge facing international businesses and global marketers is achieved through the text, lessons, case analysis, and student group projects focused on specific countries, including both major trading partners of the United States and select emerging new markets. Online class discussions and activities are designed to help students explore these topics in greater depth. Although online, this is an interactive class and therefore, a portion of the grade each student achieves will be based on participation in the discussion board activities.

Course Goals

The objective of this course is to develop your knowledge and understanding of the global marketing environment through key concepts, theory, and tools. In this course, you are introduced to the opportunities and problems faced by marketing managers in the competitive global marketplace. You will be challenged to think critically about global completion and get an overview of institutions involved in the process. Some of the topics that we will be covering involve global environment, product development, promotion strategies, pricing and distribution in global markets. Special attention will be given to the management of cultural differences encountered by global marketing managers.

More specifically, the course is designed to provide you with (1) an understanding of problems and perspectives of marketing across national boundaries; (2) an understanding of consumer similarities and differences outside the home country; (3) the analytical ability to make marketing decisions; (4) knowledge of trade laws and regulations and so on.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Recognize the complexities of market entry strategies and fundamental concepts unique to global marketing.
2. Utilize techniques for analyzing culture, product pricing, distribution, and promotion strategies in a foreign market.
3. Identify and utilize key sources of information for conducting global marketing research.
4. Create a Global Marketing Plan.
5. Recognize the importance of global marketing within a socially responsible and ethical framework.

Required Course Materials

Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.

Library Resources

• access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
• borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
• get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
• much more.

You can view the Online Students' Library Guide for more information.

You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and services. Once you have a Penn State account, you will automatically be registered with the library within 24–48 hours. If you would like to determine whether your registration has been completed, visit the Libraries home page and select  My Account.

Technical Specifications

If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.

For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!

Arranging a Proctor

Course Requirements

Method of Instruction

This course is designed for on-line delivery; therefore, you have the full responsibility of keeping track of your class lessons, quizzes, and assignments (individual or team-based). In order to enhance the learning experience, I encourage you to share your knowledge and experiences with your classmates and me. Make sure that you submit your assignments by the deadline stated each week in the course schedule.  Grading for class participation will based on your participation in the discussion forums assigned for specific exercises, cases, as well as all team project assignments. Assigned readings are very important for your course preparation and serve as a reference to complete assignments.  Some useful tips are:

• Be enthusiastic and maintain a positive attitude
• Submit quality work in terms of writing (i.e. spelling, grammar, vocabulary) and content (i.e. personal comments on the subject matters learned, applications and inclusions of concepts and theories from readings)
• Be creative, analytical and innovative in negotiation exercises such as role plays and film negotiation analysis
• Utilize the assigned readings

Written Assignments

Standard Format: should be written in Microsoft Word--double-spaced with one-inch margins.
References: Proper references MUST be given whenever a source is referenced using APA guidelines.

Exams : Mid-Term (80 Points) and Final (80 Points)

There will be two exams in this course: The Mid-term and a Final during week seven (7) and week thirteen (13) respectively. The mid-term exam will consist of objective multiple-choice questions from the textbook.  You will be asked to pick the best answer from among those presented. The mid-term exam will sample about evenly from both the general concepts and the details presented in the text.

Similar to the mid-term exam, the final exam will consist of multiple-choice questions. These questions will sample the textbook concepts covered after the midterm exam and will consist of about 80 questions.  The final exam will not include any "repeat" questions asked on the mid-term exam.

Written Case Anaylsis (50 Points)

Case analyses are useful in providing you with practical experience in dealing with international marketing problems faced in the “real world.”  This type of applied experience is vital in developing a complete understanding of the development, implementation, and modification of global marketing strategies.  Appropriate preparations are expected for ALL CASES, including an individually prepared, a minimum five-page analysis of the case.
Although there is no one best way to analyze case studies, the following guidelines could be useful for case analyses.

• Read the case carefully—understand the facts and try to identify relevant information that are related to the problems/challenges in the case.  Most of the time, these challenges are hidden, left unmentioned, or implicit.
• Identify significant environmental uncontrollable factors faced
• Identify key marketing mix components/strategic marketing management aspects
• Do a SWOT analysis of the firm
• Possible courses of action and their pros and cons
• Connection between case issues and course concepts
• Formulate a recommended solution and support your arguments

Answer the following five questions using the guidelines above as a guide:

• Why did Negroponte do what he did?  Why was it necessary?  Be sure to support your answer.
• What were the main marketing challenges and non-marketing challenges confronting OLPC?
• How well have they done in overcoming these challenges?
• What were the difficulties associated with marketing the OLPC to governments?
• With new competitors offering lower cost machines, what are OLPC’s strategic options?

Group Project: Global Products Roundtable (70 Points)

A difficult and much needed skill in global marketing is the ability to discover and to think about customers’ (consumers and organizations) needs in different cultures, to interpret those needs into products, and to market those products in way which are meaningful to their target markets. In this exercise, you are asked to put yourself in the place of the foreign consumer, encountering your product for the first time. To do this, you need to select an ethnic group (or foreign customer) other than your own that you would like to study.  Go to shopping areas (online or in-store) that specializes selling those products for that specific native/foreign customer group. Then follow the steps below in writing up your report:

1. Describe the ethnic/foreign customers that you are studying (i.e., their characteristics, shopping habits, size, economic impact etc.)
2. Select a product that you were unfamiliar with that this ethnic/foreign customers buy/use. Write down your first impressions of what you think the product is made of and what it is used for.
3. What cues are there on the product? What information can you find? Did the store signs give you any information? What information would you want to know about this product as a consumer?
4. Describe what section of the store you product is placed in (what products were near it).
5. Interview store management, staff, or store clerk to find out what the product is.
6. After finding out what the product is, consider whether or not the product would be marketable in the US. Place yourself in the role of the product manager who is searching for products to import to the US. Be prepared to describe why or why not you would want to proceed with this product (give pros and cons, tell if the product be standardized, adapted, or completely changed; discuss the types of data that you would want in order to make your presentation to management; if possible provide a photo or picture of the product).

The World is Flat Paper (120 points)

This is an individual project that is due in week ten, and the paper should be in APA 6.0 format including an abstract, title page, and reference page.  This paper should not be a regurgitation of the World is Flat; instead, it should be based on your analysis of the questions below based on what you have learned in this course.  Each answer should be at least two pages in length.  It is recommended that you start on this project early so you have enough time to critically analyze the content and construct a well-written response.

Chapters 2-3

1. Describe five of the flatteners and how they have affected your life.  What two flatteners do you believe do not apply to Global Marketing?  Please support your answer.

Chapters 5-9

2. Friedman discusses free trade and the advent of the ‘new middle’.  Describe in your own words five of the new middlers and how it will influence your future career.

Chapter 10

 3. What do you think about Friedman’s assessment of culture’s role in a nation’s economic success?  Why do you think he was so cautious when he raised the issue?  Do you think Mexico has any chance for success in the flat world?  Please support your answer.

Chapter 11

4. Pretend a firm offers a commodity product, such as milk, oil, or electricity, how would you apply Friedman’s rules to define itself?

Chapter 12-14

 5. Friedman argues that some might reject a flat world because there are people who are “too sick,” “too disempowered,” or “too frustrated.”  Can you think of other reasons that people or nations might reject the flat world?

Chapter 15

6. What are three of your favorite examples from the book (each example must be from a different chapter), and how do they apply to Global Marketing?

Class Participation (100 Points)

Students are expected to participate in online activities and discussions for each chapter review. Because of the importance of discussions in meeting the objectives of the course, students will be evaluated on the frequency and quality of their participation in these discussions. This evaluation will be based on the level of preparation for class discussion and student analysis and integration of the assigned materials. Students are expected to participate in the discussion board each week.

This means that you are to post a response to each discussion forum question and respond to at least two other class members. You do not have to respond to each and every posting every week. I do find the more you participate in the discussion the more likely you are to be less confused and the better grade you earn.  Just because you post a response to the discussion board does not give you full points.  The post needs to be well researched, and extend on a point or class discussion. A post such as I agree with you, is worth little in the form of participation.  Your first post to the discussion board should be by 8:00 AM Thursday of each week.

Study Expectations

Senate Policy 42-23 states "for the average student, a total of at least 40 hours of work planned and arranged by the university faculty is required to gain one credit." That yields 120 hours for this 3-credit course. This averages to about 8 hours of preparation per week for this course. The workload of this course is based on this expectation. You will have to keep up with the work or you will quickly fall behind. Please email your instructor if you encounter difficulties with the workload.

Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.

Grading

Course grades will be based on exams, case report, group roundtable project, contribution and participation in discussion forums. Details are illustrated below:

Mid-Term Exam	80 points
Final Exam	80 points
Global Products Roundtable (Points PowerPoint) Team-Based	70 points
Participation: Discussion Questions (assessed at mid-semester and the last week of class)	100 points
Written Report (World is Flat)	120 points
Case Study	50 points
TOTAL	500 points

Assignment of Letter Grade

Please refer to the University Registrar's information about University grading policies.

If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.

For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.

Academic Integrity

Accommodating Disabilities

Additional Policies