International Marketing and Communication: Reflective Analysis

This report presents a reflective analysis of international marketing and communication, focusing on the impact of cultural dimensions. The author reflects on their evolving understanding of international marketing, emphasizing the importance of culture and communication. The report delves into personal experiences, such as working at Starbucks in Australia and Marks & Spencer, to illustrate the influence of cultural differences on business practices. It examines Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory and its relevance to cross-cultural interactions, as well as the Three Dimensional model. The analysis covers practical considerations for international marketing, including ethical considerations, literacy levels, media choices, and language barriers. The report concludes by highlighting the significance of cultural awareness and adaptation for success in international markets.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION
International Marketing and Communication
Name of Student
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Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Personal reflection model on cultural dimension............................................................................2
Cultural considerations....................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References and bibliography.........................................................................................................10

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Introduction
As a student with a rudimentary knowledge of International Marketing, the concept
initially appeared to be limited to the activities coordinated by marketers across multiple markets
in different countries. During this semester I have developed a deeper insight into the theories
and perception of the marketing and communication and found that the primary aspects of
international marketing are culture and communication. In this report I reflect on my learnings of
the unit and analyse how cultural dimensions influence the understanding of key concepts. The
focus of the report is the change in my understanding after having learnt the wider definition and
theories of International Marketing.
The most crucial and interesting issues I have learnt from my studies is that when
marketing communications are conducted on the international level, a company needs to include
all methods for communicating with and providing information to existing customers (also to
the potential ones) and stakeholders. Several factors affect the process of international
communication that can be complicated a cross-cultural and cross-country setting. Some aspects,
like economic differences, linguistic differences, differences relating to society and culture,
competitive, legal and regulatory differences, might strongly affect communications in the
international market.
Personal reflection model on cultural dimension
Report
Analyzing the global competitive market, it has been identified that due to various
cultural dimensions in different countries, the international business is being influenced. It
cannot be denied that for introducing thee adversity in international market, culture plays a
significant role. Hence, in order to survive in the competitive business environment, building

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strong culture has become necessary. I have learned the importance of cross cultural
communication for analyzing the cultural dimensions in an organization. As per my
understanding, culture is something that helps to determine the intuitional qualities and values.
On the other hand, cultural dimensions are also very important for measuring the cultural
differences in the workplace. I believe, behavioral characteristics of the employees, can drive the
cultural impact in an organization. In case of entering in the international market, cultural
diversification can bring changes in internal culture of the company. Not only the behavioral
characteristics, but also operation, human resource management and customer relationship
management related practices are being influenced depending on the cultural dimension. As per
my understanding, in order to develop strong relationship with the global customers, every
organization needs to focus on understanding individuals’ cultural values. Equality in the cultural
distribution can help to increase the observation capability for reaching institutional variables
those leads success.
I have learned, due to intuitional differences in all over the world, the diversified culture
can be reflected through the business environment. Depending on the process of tolerance, it
becomes easier to predict the institutional qualities. It cannot be denied that depending on the
geographic location of the institution, cultural characteristics can be changed. While working as
an intern in Starbucks, I was appointed in Australian coffee store of Starbucks. During my
training period some cultural characteristics of Australian people have been analyzed by me that
Australian coffee culture is totally different from other countries. People in Australia are not too
much interactive and they prefer to their historical values in coffee culture. As its result, they
mostly prefer the coffee environment that glorify their history. On that case, the foreign
organizations do not get much priority by the Australian people. I have noticed that strong

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cultural values among the Australian people have also made them unique in the global market.
Due to lack of understanding of the cultural elements, Starbucks has faced huge loss in the
market.
Relate
While working as an employee in Marks and spencer, it has tried to identify the cultural
differences so that the impact on the business environment can be reduced. During my learning
session, the cultural dimension theory of Hofstede has been introduced to me. I have understood
that the concept of cultural dimension can help me to formulate effective solutions, which are
being faced by me during my job. Working in a totally new environment, communication was
the major barrier for me to cope up with my colleagues. While presenting my ideas, I have faced
several challenges as the needs of others were not clear to me. I believe, Hofstede’s theory has
played an influential role in case of motivating me to understand the cross cultural dimensions in
an organization, which indirectly influence the international business environment. I have
learned about cultural values and its impact on society. After the worldwide survey, Hofstede’s
has introduced different cultural dimensions such as individualism-collectivism, masculinity-
femininity, power distance and uncertainty avoidance (Al-Abdullah et al. 2018). Different cross
cultural traditions have been examined by me while learning the theory. I can relate the Hofstede
theory with the experiences faced by me. In the dimension of Individualism vs. collectivism,
group integration process been discussed. As I have already mentioned that I have been
appointed in Germany, there I faced many problem while communicating with the others
employees because most of them were from Germany. In that case, I use to search for the
Australian employees, as I am from the same cultural group. It cannot be denied that we made
our separate group within few moments as we got the cultural comfort on that group. In the

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dimension called Uncertainty avoidance, the tolerance of society for ambiguity is being indicted.
Here the behavior, guidelines as laws and these impact on absolute truth have been discussed. On
the other hand, in Masculinity vs. femininity dimension, masculinity has been defined as the
society achievement and material reword for the ultimate success. In the feminist society, I have
learned about the caring and modest characteristics of femininity.
Reason
Analyzing the influence of Hofstede theory, I can relate this with the experience, which I
have gathered during my job. As per my understanding the Hofstede theory can be beneficial in
terms of understanding different cultural values of people. It is also for analyzing the cultural
perspective of people that can help to drive the organizational environment. It cannot be denied
that depending on the current cultural perspectives, the behavioral characteristics of the
employees can be influenced. Therefore, it can be said that thee Hofstede theory of cultural
dimension can help to understand the cultural perspective of people in the international market. I
also believe, Three Dimensional model can be the alternative cultural dimension model that
can help to examine cultural impact on the international market. I believe, in order to understand
the national culture, this model can help to highlight the decision making process and collaborate
it with the cultural dimensions. The significant part of this theory is it has mentioned about
Monochromic and Polychromic Cultures. By relating it with the situation I have faced while
working, I believe these dimensions are very important.
Reconstruct
Depending on my learning, I believe, I can apply my knowledge in case of developing my own
organization. As per my understanding, the cultural dimensional knowledge is equally important
for the national market. In case of improving the organizational culture, I can use the Three

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Dimensional model. On the other hand, I have experienced that the communication becomes the
major barrier in case of dealing with the people with diversified culture. In that case, I believe,
using the Hofstede’s theory it will become easier for me to deal with the challenging situations.
Cultural considerations
It takes expertise to conduct communications in international markets. A company must
consider cultural issues and the influences on the choice of media while promoting its products.
Some of the consideration factors for effective communication include the ethics of customers
and workers that the media is targeting, literacy levels and education availability for the national
population, the similarity or diversity of religion, values, morality, values and beliefs among the
target audience in the nation (Samaha et al 2014). I did not consider the pros and cons of
personal selling until now. While personal selling is highly profitable in nations that have low
wages since the cost of staffing will be low, some cultural aspects and administrative concerns
must be considered. For instance, in countries that use different languages for communication, a
company needs personnel trained in relevant languages and cultures for conveying specific
messages. In addition, support must be provided to the sales forces to ensure effective
communication with potential customers. Sales enquiries, sending out samples and product
literature are tasks the administrative staff must take care of (Akakka et al 2013). Recruiting,
training, organizing and motivating require an adequate investment in effort and time. There is
also a dilemma in the decision of placing expatriate employees in the international market or
whether to recruit from local communities. If possible, I feel local communities are the best
source for recruitment since they know the target audience and the culture of the place better.
Since the business etiquettes of each culture are different, sales staff must be trained in what they

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can expect from certain areas and what they cannot, recruiting a salesman from the local
community is ideal under this circumstance (Okazaki and Taylor 2013).
The mode of advertisement and how different nations perceive them is another point of
consideration. In case of press advertising, the company must consider the literacy levels in the
target country. Visual campaigns are suitable for countries that have low levels of literacy. The
language in which the advert/message is written can also help in expanding product knowledge
which can help to determine the profitability of the business. Often the target market is split
between national or regional print media. Television channels also differ from region to region,
therefore the company should identify if this is digital, cable, HDD, satellite, cable or analogue.
For areas with paramount visual communication, posters in suitable locations are an effective
strategy for promotion. Target behaviour can be assessed in terms of the kind of entertainment a
section encourages. For instance, the Indian population is usually influenced by cinema and
commercials featuring popular movie stars and this typically has a tendency of drawing a huge
customer base. Media choices for international marketing are multiple and diverse. A domestic
site could be used for web-based marketing and the availability of per click or affiliate
advertising is beneficial; something I learnt about during one of the market survey sessions. The
international marketer can also use other marketing communications like sponsorships (sport
events, for example), trade missions, public relations (oil companies) and international
tradeshows.
The availability as well as the choice of media is influenced by several factors. The
decision depends on the level and nature of competition with rival companies in the target
market. The kind of media available in the target market is also an influential factor; this is
directly linked with the economic condition in the target area. For instance, some locations in

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Africa still do not have access to electricity hence it is almost impossible to create awareness of
global products electronically, even if they are available at prices the potential customers could
afford. In case of campaigns, the company must check if local resources are available to assist
them in the enterprise. Local news can play a major role in this matter by allowing specific
advertisement on news channels or by disallowing them because of cultural differences. For
example, some orthodox Muslim countries ban several international commercials on local
television on the grounds of indiscreet exposure and other inappropriateness. Moreover, all
international campaigns must be clear with their objectives for successfully conducting their
marketing communications.
I have identified language as one of the primary challenges in international marketing
communication. It is not possible to use one single language for international campaigns; since
this might not be understood by every member of the target audience, it is unlikely to have the
desired outcomes.
Branding choice and language choice are inextricably related, language choice could also affect
the names of services and products. It can be particularly challenging to convey humour and
other hidden messages. An example is Vauxhall Corsa, dubbed the Nova of the United
Kingdom. The term NO VA would not be acceptable to the people in Spain because the name
means ‘doesn’t go’ in Spanish .
I would like to go beyond what was taught to me in the unit and state that symbol, design and
aesthetics may sometimes fail to transcend the boundaries of nations. Japanese aesthetics, for
example, is focused on beauty and taste while the Russia preference revolves around colours and
appeal . Sales people must also consider cultural preferences like dress codes and greeting

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etiquettes. Ideally, salespeople who are conducting business overseas should stop strictly
adhering to corporate uniforms like collared shirts and suits. The increase in global competition
has triggered the interest in the ways culture can affect marketing strategies. The practices and
theories in management can be transferred across different cultures. Globalization, along with
technological changes according to some, has been the root cause of standardization, while
others are of the opinion products and services getting standardized, be it for globalization or any
other cause. Some core strong cultures are impervious to changes, the differences in culture are
unwavering over time and the management practices have to be different in different cultures.
Conclusion
The mixed findings in the research have made it challenging for me to clearly define a
conclusion on the topic of the impact and importance of cultural dimensions with respect to
international marketing and communication. My readings and limited experience with research
tells me that culture is still important and highly valid in the age of rapid globalization. As it
appears, several organizations still function with the belief in cultural convergences which makes
transferability of the practices in management a feasible strategy. Viewed this way, cultural
impacts on the management strategies of marketing is a central issue in the understanding of
international marketing and communications. I have c
But

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References and bibliography
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