Culture and international marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Culture and inter internal marketing - render ExampleThus the key terms used inside this essay entrust be defined, with others universe defined as they are introduced in the discussion. Marketing has several definitions. Kotler and Armstrong (2010) provide a very simplex definition of managing profitable customer relationships (p.28) and a more detailed one of the process by which companies pretend value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in think (p.29). Both put the focus on relationships rather than transactions, and consider the relationship as providing value for twain companies and customers. Global marketing is defined as the commitment of organisational resources to pursuing global market opportunities and responding to environmental threats in the global marketplace (Keegan and Green, 2011, p.587). If marketing has several definitions, then so does culture, which has different meanings depending on the conte xt within which the term is used. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2002) lists seven meanings for the word culture (p.575), two of which are relevant here. The first of all is culture as a particular form, stage, or type of intellectual development or elaboration in a society a society or group characterised by its distinctive customs, achievements, products, outlook, etc., the second as the distinctive customs, achievements, products, outlook, etc., of a society or group the way of life of a society or group. When discussing culture within the context of marketing, the obvious one requiring consideration is national culture, especially as organisations now market their products internationally, even if only by having on online presence. However, other cultural implications for marketing arise from corporate cultures, sub-cultures and social representations of culture. Usunier and Lee (2009, p.8) identify ten sources of culture that affect individuals mental image 1 Sourc es of Culture (Source Usunier and Lee 2009 p.8) Mullins (2010, p.829) defines organisational culture as the collection of traditional values, policies, beliefs and attitudes that constitute a permeative context for everything we do and think in an organisation. Johnson et al (2008, p.195) identify the idea of subcultures within organisations, that constitute within the overall organisational culture, but have specific characteristics of their own. These can be based on functional, geographical or business structures, for example, where different approaches can be seen based on the discipline or reparation of the office or department. On this basis, the marketing department of an organisation will not only submit the organisational culture, but also the marketing department sub-culture and the marketing profession subculture. Thus there are tercet organisational cultures affecting the department that deals with global marketing. The primary focus of this analysis is the impact o f national culture, however, consideration will also be given to the impact of organisational culture where that is relevant. National Cultures and Marketing One of the challenges for marketers when dealing with global marketing issues is that culture cannot be easily seen or identified. Children are brought up within the national culture, and pull out the national values without conscious awareness they simply learn from, and imitate, their parents (Keegan and Green, 2011, p.141). any