Whether an organisation markets its goods and services domestically or internationally, the definition of marketing still applies. However, the scope of marketing is broadened when the organisation decides to sell across international boundaries, this being primarily due to the numerous other dimensions which the organisation has to account for. For example, the organisation’s language of business may be “English”, but it may have to do business in the “French language”. This not only requires a translation facility, but the French cultural conditions have to be accounted for as well. Doing business “the French way” may be different from doing it “the English way”. This is particularly true when doing business with the Japanese.
Defination
Let us, firstly define “Marketing” and then see how, by doing marketing across multinational boundaries, differences,
where existing, have to be accounted for.
S. Carter defines marketing as:
“The process of building lasting relationships through planning, executing and controlling the conception, pricing,
promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create mutual exchange that satisfy individual and
organisational needs and objectives”.
The long held tenets of marketing are
• customer value
• competitive advantage
• focus
This means that organisations have to study the market, develop products or services that satisfy customer needs and
wants, develop the “correct” marketing mix and satisfy its own objectives as well as giving customer satisfaction
on a continuing basis. However, it became clear in the 1980s that this definition of marketing was too narrow.
