CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICO

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Department of Finance and Marketing

MKTG 277: INTERNATIONAL MARKETING Fall 2004

Instructor:              Shekhar Misra

Office:                    307A Tehama

Office Hours:          MW 10:00-12:00, 1:30-2:00

TR 10:00-10:50; 12:20-2:00; and by appointment

Phone:                     898-5666

Email:                      smisra@csuchico.edu (preferred mode of communication)

Textbook:                International Marketing by Lascu (includes online materials)

Country Manager: The International Marketing Simulation (Interpretive Software; to be purchased online)

(WebCT access required for this course)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course is designed to familiarize you with the problems and opportunities associated with marketing in other countries, and provide a perspective on global marketing. It will help you gain knowledge of tools for analysis as well as issues related to the structuring and controlling of marketing programs for global business. A better understanding of cultural diversity is a prerequisite for successful international marketing.  At the end of the course you should not only have a better ability to deal with cultural diversity but also have developed the ability to analyze and synthesize different aspects of a country’s environment – cultural, legal, political, and economic – and develop appropriate marketing strategies.

COURSE FORMAT:

Class discussion is an important part of your learning experience. It is expected that you will attend classes regularly. It is expected that you will read the chapters and articles assigned in a timely manner. There will only be a limited discussion of text material in class but you should read the text and apply the concepts in case analysis as well as other discussions. In case of problems, feel free to contact me. Presentations by individuals and groups, as well as real-life cases, will also lead to substantial in-class discussion. The level and quality of class participation, based on my judgment, will be taken into account when assigning final grades. All dates listed are tentative, and will be confirmed in class. You must adhere to the University’s policy on Academic Integrity as I do take it seriously. In case there are any deviations from this syllabus, they will be announced in class, in advance. Attendance is required during the group presentations, near the end of the semester. Feel free to talk to me before or after the class, in addition to office hours. All submissions are due at the beginning of class on the designated day. Thereafter you may lose points. I will use WebCT as a supplement to the course, and you should check online at least once a week. I will use it as the principal tool in communicating with you. More details will be provided in class.

I would like to emphasize that a high level of academic integrity is expected. Please note that plagiarism and unauthorized sharing of information with fellow students can result in sanctions ranging from an “F” in the course to suspension from the University. When in doubt check with me and look up the University policy on academic integrity.

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION:

You have to make a presentation to the class based on a recent article (June 1, 2004 or later) in a business-oriented publication (e.g., AsiaWeek, Business Week, The Economist, Fortune, Far Eastern Economic Review). You should choose an article (not a news item) that is relevant to international marketing. Presentations will be evaluated on relevance, originality, significance, and ability to handle queries from the class as well as from me. You should hand me a copy of the article before you start your presentation. Guidelines are listed near the end of the syllabus.  You should sign-up for the presentation by the end of the second week. If you do not sign-up by then I will assume that you do not wish to present but will do  a detailed write-up instead. (But if you do sign up and do not present on the scheduled date you will get a score of zero, unless you have my prior approval, which can only be for “good cause.”) The write-ups will be due December 2.

An alternative to the article presentation is to make a presentation about one selected country. Guidelines are included later in this syllabus. This option is not available to those doing the write-up only.

IN-CLASS EXERCISES

To further help you apply concepts, we will analyze cases/video cases and other relevant situations, and you should be prepared to discuss them in class. This will essentially be conducted in-class and will involve submitting your written responses. There will be approximately six of these interactive exercises and the lowest score will be dropped. Alternatively, you may miss one assignment. There will not be any “make-ups” for these assignments. Questions based on these discussions may be on the exam.

COUNTRY MANAGER SIMULATION:

This is a group project. This international marketing simulation is based on a “real” case. Students are expected to analyze the business situation and decide on the appropriate course of action in a dynamic simulated environment.

I will assign students to groups. In the workplace, you will have to work with people you do not know and people you do not agree with. College is a good time to get used to it, while the “learning cost” is relatively low. You will get experience of working effectively with others and completing an assigned

project.  

Initially, you are expected to read the case and be prepared to discuss it in class. Then you will start making decisions about market attractiveness, sales forecasting, market entry, and so forth. The case/simulation provides you with  ample information to help make decisions, and the proceed to the following levels you will be able to “see” the consequences of your decisions. You will required to make periodic submissions. Details will be provided in class. This is the first time I am using this simulation, so expect some modifications over the semester.

Finally, the research findings have to be presented to the class during the last two weeks, and exam week. Professional presentations are expected. Presentations should be about 15 minutes long. Guidelines will be provided in class. Class presence is mandatory during these presentations. Missing more than one presentation will lead to a reduction in final class grade by one “notch” for each absence.

EXAMS:

Examinations will include material from the text, assigned readings, and other material distributed/presented in class or via WebCT. Specific dates for exams are announced one week in advance.  Requests for early/late exams, or for any other late assignments, must be supported with substantial documentation that is acceptable to me.

EVALUATION:

Individual Presentation/Write-up                       20 points

In-class Exercises                                             40 points

Simulation/Case:

                  A.   Country Manager Quiz                20 points

                  B.   Market Assessment                    50 points

C. Decisions/Reports 60 points

D. Relative Performance 20 points

                  C.   Presentation/Report                    70 points

Exams                                                                220 points

500 points

I may modify the point distribution, if needed. Final grades are assigned on a straight-line basis, adjusted for class participation. In order to get a passing grade in this course, a minimum of 63.3% average score on exams is required.

COURSE  OUTLINE

Week No.       Topic Chapter#

1.                     Scope and Concepts of International Mktg.                            1

                        International Marketing Environment                                       2

2.                     International Trade – Barriers and Facilitators                       3

Regional Economic/Political Integration                                 4

3.                     Cultural Influences on International Marketing                        5

4.                     International Marketing research                                            6

EXAM 1

5.                     International Marketing Segmentation, Positioning                 7

                        The Marketing Plan and Entry Mode Selection                       8

6.                     Products and Services – Branding Decisions                       9

7.                     International Product and Service Strategies                        10

8.                     International Distribution and Logistics                                  11

EXAM 2

9.                     International Retailing                                                           12

                        International Promotional Mix and Advertising                      13

10.                   Publicity, PR, and Sales Promotion Strategies                      14

11.                   Personal Selling and Sales Management                               15

12.                   International Pricing Strategy                                                 16

13                    Developing and Controlling an Intl. Marketing Plan                 17

EXAM 3

14                   Presentations

15                    Presentations

16                    Exam Week:  Presentations 

Guidelines for Individual Presentation

The article you choose must be recent – published June 1, 2004 or later. Older articles will lose points unless you have obtained prior permission.  Be especially careful with articles off the Web, as it is sometimes difficult to tell when that article was written. Make sure the article relates to International Marketing. Do not select a news item, a piece that is reporting a fact or event.  The article should have some degree of analysis.   Submit a copy of the article. Make sure you include the following:

Your name

Publications name, date, article title, author name, and page numbers (or complete Web address, and date of access)

The article copy should be handed to me before you begin your presentation.     

Your presentation should be about 3 to 5 minutes long and should include the following:

Which international marketing concepts/techniques are relevant here? Be

specific.  Elaborate

Your critique of the situation – do you agree or disagree with the author? Why?

Any other comments

Do not read the article – present it.

ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer, instead of presenting an article you can select a country of your choice from a list provided by me and make a 3-minute presentation about it. Guidelines are flexible on this one but you must submit a single sheet with your name, name of the country, basic facts (size, population, GNP, etc.) as a fraction of the USA and California. Also include several interesting facts about that country and why you chose it. You must also include TWO business-related things you would do differently there than you might do in the U.S. In summary, your presentation should enable the rest of the class get a “flavor” of that country. Further guidelines will be discussed in class. The selected country may not be one of the ones assigned for the team project or one that has been presented in class earlier. Discuss with me if you have questions.

GRADING SYMBOLS USED IN THIS CLASS

I use various symbols when grading papers, exams, and other assignments. Some of

the approximate “meanings” are listed below for your convenience.:

√          Yes/Correct/I agree

√        Wow! Great! Very good point!

X          incorrect

X         Whoa, you are really should look up this point!

?          I am not sure of what you are saying. Needs clarification

? I have no idea what you mean by that! Needs a lot of clarification

?X       I am not sure I know what you are trying to say, but if it is what I

think it is, it is incorrect

! I am very surprised you say that given what we have already discussed in class/text!

… You should have elaborated on the issue

I hope you get the essence of the scheme. It is pretty much intuitive. Of course, whenever you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Graded assignments are best discussed during my office hours, and not before/after class, or via email.