International Marketing - GSM 527
Spring 2006
Rev.: 1/9/2006
Saturday, 10:00 am- 1:00
Professor: Maurice Gervais
Office Hours: Before/after classes or by appointment. Tel. 617 521 3807
Home telephone: (781) 271 1288 - Email: maurice.gervais@simmond.edu

Objectives: This course will address the challenges specific to marketing products and services in foreign markets. It is assumed that you have a basic knowledge of the marketing functions.

Today, all firms have to compete on a global scale and must adapt to an ever-changing environment. The tasks of the Marketing Manager are much more complex when the enterprise operates in several countries where the needs and preferences of customers are different.

The Marketing Manager must learn new skills to detect the emerging customers needs, to adapt the products to local requirements, to enter or exit foreign markets, to implement a worldwide organization, which motivates local managers with different cultures while insuring the proper flow of information.

We will analyze the alternatives to enter foreign markets, the benefits and pitfalls of global marketing, the challenges of managing products that address fast changing customer needs, keeping in mind that the Sales and Marketing Manager is directly accountable for the revenues and profits of the enterprise.

One of the subjects of our discussions will be the difficult choice between the centralization of the Marketing activities at the headquarters to benefit from economies of scale and consistency, and the larger freedom to be provided to the local Management to adapt to local needs.

This course will address these challenges with contemporary readings and business cases that will take place in the major regions of the world and will cover different business sectors such as retail, consumer products, industrial products, services and high tech industries. Your analysis and the class discussions of business cases will prepare you to make