Global Marketing issue

Description

To increase your understanding of Global Marketing issues, you have been perusing several course-related materials, including video lectures, the textbook, classic and contemporary journal readings and HBS cases. In order to assess if your learning has increased, you will be asked questions that are related to the course materials in class to engender discussion on key concepts and issues. The questions that appear in the Module 09 Discussion Questions document below are questions you must address.

Use any resources necessary (e.g., text, video lectures, etc.) in answering the discussion questions. Please remember that your explanations to the discussion questions above must be substantive, clear, deliberate, and meaningful detailed essays.

For an answer to be considered excellent, first show that you know the meaning of the concept or theory being discussed by providing a definition of it and then briefly discussing its tenets and its core components. Then, answer the question by articulating your position as best you can and defending your perspective, if necessary. If you provide short answers and leave the reader guessing as to the intent of your answer, then your answer is incomplete and will be graded as such.

Formatting

Answer the questions in an MS Word file. Please use the following guidelines to format your paper.

Submission File Name: Last Name_First Name_Assignment3

1.Underline and/or use boldface to highlight the key/crucial points of your answers.

1. If you feel that some questions are repetitive, be on the safe side by answering the question again, expanding on it as necessary.
2. Please check/edit your assignment answers, ensuring there are no grammatical mistakes.
3. Answer all questions in one file.
4. For ease of readability, type each part of the question in bold and then answer the question.
5. Please number each part of all questions and answer them in chronological order, as it makes reading easier for everyone.
6. Provide citations at the end of each part of every answer.

Instructions
Individual Assignment 03 Discussion Questions on Chapters 13 and 16 (50 pts):
Presentations on Module 06, 07, and 08 Instructional Materials pages in Moodle, “Can Sales Promotions Go Global?”, Ivey case Ben & Jerry’s – Japan, and the HBS case Minolta

1. The concept of standardization and customization applies to all aspects of Promotion Strategy (10 pts).
   a) Define all of the components of promotion strategy, i.e., advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling, and direct marketing. Can all these components be standardized or do they need to be customized in devising a global promotions strategy?
   b) Are there promotion strategy components that are more easily standardized for consumer products than for industrial products? If so, identify and explain which one(s). If not, explain why you don’t believe that to be true.
   c) In the context of global markets, explain the significance of social media as a promotional tool. Analyze its specific pros and cons as it pertains to global promotions (You may conduct additional research and use external sources of information to explain your answer, but be sure to cite all your sources of information after each answer.)
2. The following questions are based on the Ivey Ben & Jerry’s – Japan case (20 pts).
   a) What is the central problem facing Ben & Jerry’s?
   b) Should Ben & Jerry’s enter the Japanese market? Explain in the reasoning for your answer.
   c) If Ben and Jerry’s does decide to enter the Japanese market, how should they do so? With Seven-Eleven, Mr. Yamada, or another means? Address the pros and cons of each choice.
   d) Even if you recommended against entering the Japanese market, identify and discuss each of the following:
   i. What target market do you suggest Ben & Jerry’s pursue?
   ii. What product strategy do you suggest Ben & Jerry’s use?
   iii. What promotion strategy do you suggest Ben & Jerry’s use?
   iv. What pricing strategy do you suggest Ben & Jerry’s use?
   v. What distribution strategy do you suggest Ben & Jerry’s use?
3. The following questions are based on the HBS Minolta case (20 pts).
   a) What is the central problem facing Minolta?
   b) As suggested in the case, identify several different strategies that Minolta can use to reduce the gray market problem. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy.
   c) Other than those already considered in the case, identify further strategies which you suggest be used in addition to curb the gray market problem faced by Minolta. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy you suggest.
   d) Based on the identification and discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of various strategies in (b and c) above, which strategy (or strategies) would you recommend to be implemented to resolve Minolta’s gray market problem? Why? Fully defend your suggestion.
   e) Based on the various readings do you think it is possible for firms to standardize pricing for all the country markets they operate in? Identify and discuss some factors that prevent the standardization of pricing.

Reminder: When analyzing HBS cases, please do not conduct additional research either on the Internet or in the library nor introduce additional information from external sources. Introducing additional external information will only contaminate the case. Base your answers on the information contained in the case. That is the information the case author(s) have provided you, as managers or consultants, to make your decisions and recommendations. Besides conducting external research on the HBS cases will circumvent your learning as well as diminish the development of your judgment and decision making skills (That is also plagiarism!).