MARKETING STRATEGIES AND CULTURE
I. Introduction
(1998) stated that marketing can be defined in four different aspects: “an attitude of mind; a way of organizing the business; a range of activities; and the producers of profits ().”
Customer is always the most important and primary entity of the entire process or flow of information and products of a supply chain of any company, therefore, having a properly managed and implemented marketing strategy will enable companies to gain their competitive advantage by having the attention of their customers and eventually building a name, relationship and loyalty from the customers.
Marketing strategy is important to ensure that the company or the product as well as other factors and aspects that are involved in customer relations are properly managed and controlled. Marketing strategy is a process of knowing the needs and demands of the customers or the target market or a given product or company as well as the different methods or ways that should be used in order to meet those said demands. It can also be consider as a linking or relating process for the company and their customer and market. During this process, the company must create different techniques that are related to advertisements, innovations, branding and packaging that will help them to catch the attention of their prospect market.
Due to the presence of globalization, the proper use, management as well as implementation of marketing strategy is a must. Most of the huge and multinational companies are focusing on their strategic and innovative marketing in order to maintain their position in the fast growing market. The problem that they are facing is the presence of different or various cultures of their customers or consumers. This is important especially for those companies that have different branches, offices or stores in different places or region of the world.
Different consumers have different preferences, tastes, needs and more importantly culture. These are considered as the most important aspects that help many organizations and companies to design their marketing plan, innovations and strategies. The dimension of the culture that is incorporated or included in the Keegan’s elements covers the: religion that has a big effect on the consumer’s attitude as well as consumption; family also has a big impact to the culture of an individual, it can be nuclear or extended as well as its role a given society; education can affect the usage of a consumer of a particular product and even the way or manner of receiving communication or information about the given product; social aspect focus on the social structure of a certain society that can affect to the tastes and preferences of an individual; language on the other hand, is a great factor that serves as an adhesive that binds all of the mentioned elements; and the last is the attitude that are engendered by the all of the mentioned element (1998) (see Appendix A for the essential elements of a culture).
II Case Study
A Information about the Article
1. Title: Mantero Seta Spa: a strategy for China
2. Author:
3. Publication Information: available in 2006, Exploring Corporate Strategy
4. Topic and Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study is to show the situation and condition of the Mantero Seta Spa, a company from the northern Italy that have decided to expand their business by targeting the market of China. The main objective of the study is to show how different cultures particularly of Chinese people, affects the overall strategy of the said company. It also tackles the different possible techniques that can be used of the company in order to prevent the dilemma of many textiles and clothing industry such as the results and consequences of having a short life style, high volatility as well as low predictable and high impulse of purchase (.). The main objective of the case study is to show how the different culture of Chinese affects the choice, taste as well as demand of different textiles products and how this different culture help them to categorize and plan their marketing strategy in a more efficient way.
B. Article Critique/ Methodological Analysis
1. Problem Formulation
Mantero Seta Spa case study shows the strategic plan of the said company with accordance to its growth and development of the company by targeting new market. The company has decided to expand their business in China. The main problem in the study is the different dilemma of the product that is belong to the textile industry that has different disadvantage such as short life cycle and the product is prone to sudden and unpredictable change. The main problem of the study is the effect of the culture in their marketing strategy more specifically in China that has a large geographic area with different groups and culture.
The main elements or factors in this study is the different culture of the Chinese people and how it will affect their preferences and tastes for clothing lines as well as how their tastes and preferences can affect the different marketing strategies of the company.
The case study shows that the different culture of the different people and groups in China can greatly affect the preferences and tastes of their target market about their product. More specifically in a very large place like China that has different beliefs and demand for clothing. The importance or the impact of the different cultures had helped the company to create or to generate their marketing strategy that will help them to reach the needs and demands of their customers.
2. Design
The study focuses on the different variation, categories and groups of people or citizens in China. It focuses on the different factors of those categories of cultures that can affect the demand and preferences of an individual that can affect the marketing strategy of the company. For example, because China is a huge country, different places have their own weather or climate, this can affect greatly for the taste and preferences of the consumer, because most of those people who leave in hot places will definitely prefer those light and relaxing fabric and style of clothing. On the other hand, those people who live in a cold place will definitely prefer the other way around.
This grouping or categorizing helps the study to recommend and create different marketing strategies that can be used by the company in order to catch the attention of their target market.
3. Sample
The study uses a descriptive method to show the different factors and aspects that can affect the marketing strategy as well as the overall performance of the company. Another thing is that, the study shows different method or technique that the company can use in order to meet the demands and preferences of their customers by focusing on their different marketing strategy that will catch the attention of their customers towards their products.
By the use of the descriptive method as well as using the different ideas and concepts of different authors as well as studies, the sample of the study have been able to show the possible factors that can affect the marketing strategy of the company as well as how it can be use to improve their overall performance.
4. Administration
The study use different research with accordance to the different factors that can affect the supply chain, the marketing strategy and other activities of the company with accordance to the plan of the company to expand their business to China. Research or gathering of different useful information from different studies and authors with the connection to the effects of culture to the strategic marketing as well as to the taste of the consumers is used as an instrument of the study. Another thing is that the study uses researching in order to categorize the difference between the different regions and parts of the country with accordance to their culture.
The instrument that have been used have been helpful to the study because it focuses on different areas and aspects of culture that can affect to the preferences of the consumers as well as how it can affect the marketing plan of the company.
5. Data Analysis
All of the gathered primary data from different books, journals as well as other studies of different authors have helped to show or to prove that culture can affect the preferences of different consumers as well as how it affect the different marketing strategies of the company.
6. Theory
The study focuses on the effect of the culture to the marketing strategies of the company that operates or will be operating in a large market that are separated by land as well as culture differences.
7. Conclusion
The study as a whole has been able to show the different factors that can or might affect the overall performance of the company. The study has focused on the main problem or aspect that the company will be facing with accordance to their plan of expansion in China. Another advantage of the study is that it focuses on the possible effect of the cultural differences with accordance to the life cycle of the company’s product. It had helped to produce different classifications or groups of possible customers or market that can help them to plan and implement the appropriate marketing strategies.
The main disadvantage of the study is that it didn’t use or show theories from different resources such as books or journal that can help them to justify the study. It is hard to tell if the information or theories that are available in the study are from the latest from studies or not. Due to the said reason, the information that are applied in the study are only useful for the same case because all of the data that have been connected and studies are all from the present or past experience of the company.
III Survey Study
A. Information about the Article
1. Title: The Effect of Culture on Marketing Strategies of Multinational Firms: A Survey of Selected Multinational Corporations in Nigeria
2. Author:
3. Publication Information: Journal of Study Monographs,
4. Topic and Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study is to examine the extent to which different cultural elements affect the overall operations of different chosen multinational firms and companies as well as investigates the way or method on how can these problems are dealt with. It also recognized and classified the different cultural groups and scrutinized and inspected different marketing strategies that can be achieve using the organizational objectives of a given firm. It focuses on the different aspects that can affect the marketing strategy. Another thing is that it focuses on the different aspect of cultural differences that might affect the overall performance of the company to their partner country using the perspective of the workers or the employees such as their language, customs and beliefs.
B. Article Critique/ Methodological Analysis
1. Problem Formulation
The main problem of the study focus on how culture can affect the different marketing activities of different multinational companies in Nigeria that are also has their operations in other country more particularly in the USA.. The study was based on the experiences and perspectives of different employees from different multinational companies.
The survey study has three hypotheses:
Ω There is no significant culture influence on marketing strategies of multinational corporations in Nigeria
Ω There is no significant marketing strategy adopted by the multinational corporations
Ω There is no significant remedy available to overcome cultural influences on marketing strategies of multinational corporations
The hypothesis of the study shows that there is no significant culture influence on marketing strategy but it didn’t mention that it doesn’t have. So the study is still concerned with how the culture can affect and can help to plan, control and implement different marketing strategies.
2. Design
The study uses survey method or approach in order to get the primary data that the study needs in order to evaluate as well as analyze the current situation or event of the hypothesis. The study uses the different companies that come from the different part of USA, France, Italy, Great Britain and Canady but have their parent companies that are located and operate subsidiaries in Nigeria. The study have chosen 17 multinational companies that are manufacturing or processing different products such as food, softdrinks, detergent, beer, soap and other cosmetic industries. More specifically, the study have used data from 2 softdrinks companies; 2 beer companies; 2 beverage and food, 2 cosmetic and health companies, 2 soap and detergent companies and 4 department stores and supermarket. All of the chosen companies sell their products directly to the population of the country. The reaction or the answers of the respondents from the questionnaires and interviews are used as the primary data or source for the result of the study.
3. Sample
In order to get the desired data of the study, the respondents have been asked to give if their marketing operations covered the entire states in Nigeria. All of the chosen companies have claimed that they operate in all of the states. Another thing is that, the respondents were asked about their different marketing activities and how culture affects it in a way.
All of the response of the respondents from the data gathering method of interview and questionnaires are tally and computed in order to get the desired result that will justify or defend the given hypothesis.
4. Administration
Survey questionnaires and interview have been used by the study in order to gather different information from different respondents of the study that has been mentioned in the previous part of the paper. They have been given a questionnaire that can be answered by yes or no and some open questions for their interviews. With the use of the interview and questionnaire method, the result of the study will be balanced because the data will be gathered from real time source.
5. Data Analysis
All of the data that have been gathered from different respondents through the questionnaires and interviews have been tallied and showed in table format. According to the result of the survey, the hypothesis 1 and 2 were correct or acceptable based on the processed or tallied answers of the respondents about culture influences marketing strategies and marketing strategies adopted by multinational firms that On the other hand, the hypothesis 3 did not pass to the perspective of the respondent based on the question about remedies to overcome cultural influence and extent remedies assisted to solve cultural problems.
6. Theory
The main theory that has been applied in the study focuses on the effects of cultural differences such as language and belief in the perspective of the multinational companies. It focuses on the performance of the workers or the employees of the said type of enterprise.
7. Conclusion
The study had been able to show that the cultural differences between the different countries or particularly between the mother country and the partner country has a great impact to the overall decision making and implementation of the company’s marketing strategy. Like the first article, it also focuses on the different marketing channel or medium that can be used in order to meet the cultural needs of the target market. It also shows the results of the study in understandable manner by using tabular form.
The main flaws of the study is that it uses resources or studies that are from year 1968 to 1996 and it was approved or accepted in 2001. All over, there are about 5 years of gap. There are many things that might happened in 5 years, more especially in the field of business, management and marketing due to the widespread use of the Internet and the growing demand of globalization.
IV. Literature Review
A. Information about the Article
1. Title: The Impact of Culture on the Strategy of Multinational Enterprises: Does National Origin Affect Ownership Decisions?
2. Author:
3. Publication Information: Journal of International Business Studies
4. Topic and Purpose of the Study: The main goal and aim of this study is to show and carry out a careful and efficient test of the proposal and scheme that shows that culture can affects the different strategies of the international firms. The main attempt of the authors is to ascertain if the national origin can affect the subsidiary of ownership policies of multinational companies that enters the United States, the keeps all the firms and industry-level factors that are known to have an affect to these policies in constant way. It will also tackle the different effects of culture in the decision-making of different firms and companies. It also focuses on different areas or aspects that can affect the overall relationship of the mother company to the partner in terms of language and cultures that can affect the performance of each employee and eventually affects the performance of the company as a whole.
B. Article Critique/ Methodological Analysis
1. Problem Formulation
The main problem of this study is to show if culture can affect the strategy of different multinational enterprise in ownership decisions. There are different variables that have affected the study such as diversification parent-affiliate, research development intensity, experience and firm size. The study is related to the theory of the National Character that explain the idea of having different psychological characteristics of different countries and also explain that the subsidiary ownership that are implemented by the MNEs will reflect the characteristics and distinctiveness of the countries where the headquarters or control centers are located (1998).
2. Design
The study focused on the choice of MNEs between taking full ownership of their affiliates and sharing it with another firm acquisition. It also uses different ideas and concept from different recent studies with accordance to the problem of the study. It focuses on the different entries that are located in the United States; due to the fact the USA is one of the minorities of those countries that has minimal explicit and implicit entry restrictions as well s severely competitive environment, where in the process of choosing an inefficient entry by entry mode will quickly bring them to failure (1998).
It also gives important to the entries of the firm that are based in only two countries: Japan and Finland. This is to ensure that the study will obtain and shows details and similar firm-level data.
The study will also serve as a good test of the impact of the national culture as well as characteristics of the cultural distance about the entry mode as well as focus on different theories. The design of the study will be able to show the different side or categories of the situation with regards to the problem that will help to be more specific and broad.
3. Sample
The sample of the study shows different 28 ventures between two Japanese firm and 10 between two Finnish firms. It shows the pooling of two databases, one of the Japanese and one of Finnish manufacturing entries in the United States. The overall databases are made up of 401 manufacturing associates and partner. There are about 266 Japanese entries that were made between 1978 and 1987, of which 113 or 42% were partially owned, and there were about 135 Finnish envies that made between 1977 and 1993, of which 40 or 30% were partially owned. This is helpful to ensure that the result will be able to include all of the major manufacturing entries of the different countries in the USA.
4. Administration
Just like the Mantero Seta Spa case study, this literature review also uses different perspective of different authors with different side about the topic or the problem. With the use of this research method, it will be easy to analyze and balance the different side and create an own ideas and concepts. It will also help to compare and connect the current situation to the past as well as how it developed and how it affected the different entities or process that are involved and related.
5. Data Analysis
The study have used different sides or ideas of different authors and studies with regards to the issue of whether the culture has its affect on the strategy of different multinational enterprises and more particularly the national culture or national origin theory. This study have been able to balance or connect the different concepts of different author in order to give its own
6. Theory
The study focuses on the theory about how culture can affect the overall performance and productivity of the different Multinational companies. It focuses on the possible effect of having different culture, beliefs and custom of the worker or employees that can affect the overall communication and relationship of the human resource of the Multinational companies in general. It also gives emphasis on the effect of the culture differences to the demand, preferences as well as tastes of the customers.
7. Conclusion
Just like the first two articles, it also focuses on the effect of the cultural differences on the different activities about marketing strategies of the different companies but it gives emphasis on the issue of the ownership. The main advantage or edge of the study is that it uses different ideas of different authors as well as different theories from different writings and studies. It also give emphasis on the contrast of the ideas with regards to the main or core idea of the study.
On the other hand, the main disadvantage of the study, is that it uses references from 1980 – 1997. Although, it is acceptable because the paper was published in 1998, again there are some gaps from the different references that have been used by the author.
0 comments:
Post a Comment