Chapter 3: Question 2 on page 80 2. Why study geography in international marketing?

Geography greatly affects the marketing process and should have an influence when considering a strategy. The needs of customers in a market will vary greatly depending on their climate which is an aspect of geography. It will also determine the needed attributes of a product. If a product will be sold in a hot area, cold area, humid area, or in a desert climate, it needs to operate properly in the area it will be used. The geography of an area may also determine costs of transportation as many areas of the world have natural barriers that restrict the movement of goods and even form barriers of trade. Geography also affects the availability of resources, the quantity, and the cost to transport those from one area to another. Another important reason to study geography is to understand the time differences across the globe. There are areas in the world not in the same day as you and when dealing with other countries or companies it is important to know what day and time it is when you are communicating.

Chapter 4: Question 14 on page 123 Suppose you were asked to prepare a cultural analysis for a potential market. What would you do? Outline the steps and comment briefly on them.

The main aspects of culture are the values, rituals, symbols, beliefs, and thought processes of the people. I would begin by looking at the values of a market; this would include the markets individualism/collectivism index which is the extent to which the population focuses on pursuing the greater good for themselves or the group. The next value would be the power distance index which is the extent to which the population accepts the difference between supervisors and subordinates. It is how much the people accept social inequality in their social system. The uncertainty avoidance index measures how much risk a populace is willing to take or how accepting of new ideas the society is. Next I would look at a cultures rituals. This includes what is considered normal interaction between employees and customers, coworkers, supervisors and subordinates, or between business acquaintances. This may also include manners as it may be considered appropriate to shake hands when meeting someone in the U.S., but in many Asian countries it may be more respectable and accepted to bow instead. The next aspect to study would be the cultures symbols. The most important element of symbolism is the language spoken by the culture and all that entails. One major problem companies have are poor translations of product directions or descriptions when marketing in a foreign market. IT is important to understand the sayings and slang of a foreign language. Being called a pig in the United States may be bad, but it could be a curse word in another language. Beliefs are important to cultures as they are often based off a regions religion or superstitions. It is important to understand a cultures beliefs in order to not offend customers and to better understand them. The last element of culture is the thought process of the general population. One element of the thought processes that affect

marketing is how customers make decisions. Does the population generally make quick decisions or are they more prone to taking their time and analyzing all the options? Perception is a part of the thought processes and is important when advertising. The book gives an example that most people in the U.S. notice a pictures foreground elements, whereas Asians tend to focus and remember the background more often.