Question: How can analysis of national competitiveness

> If you were purchasing magazine advertising space for a marketer of running shoes such as Nike, Ascis or New Balance what factors would you consider? Would your media plan be limited to running magazines or would you run ads in other types of publication

> What is meant by native advertising? Do you think it is appropriate for advertisers to run native ads that appear to be editorial content rather than sponsored advertising? Why or why not?

> Discuss the role of magazines as part of an advertiser’s media strategy. What are the advantages and limitations of magazines?

> The chapter opener discusses the Print Magazine Sales Guarantee that is being used by a number of major magazine media companies to encourage advertisers to run ads in print editions of their publications. Evaluate the decision by magazine publishers to

> What are some of the advantages online newspapers have for advertisers? Find the online media kit of a newspaper and analyze how the publisher is promoting the digital edition to prospective advertisers.

> Recently there has been a great deal of attention paid to environmental issues resulting in a number of companies embarking on “green” campaigns. Discuss some of the reasons as to why companies are developing such campaigns. Do you think these campaigns

> What are some of the reasons there has been such a dramatic decline in the readership of newspapers? What might newspaper publishers do to address this problem?

> Find a copy of a national newspaper such as USA TODAY or your local newspaper and analyze the types of companies that are advertising in it and how they vary by section. Why do you think these companies are advertising in this newspaper?

> Discuss the digital disruption that is impacting the traditional print media of newspapers and magazines. Do you think magazine and newspaper publications can respond to these changes and attract and retain readers and in turn advertisers?

> What is a commercial rating and how does this measure differ from a program rating? Discuss why advertisers and media planners prefer commercial ratings rather than program ratings.

> Discuss recent developments in the measurement of television viewing audiences and their implications for advertisers. Do you think advertisers should have to pay for viewers who watch TV shows on a time-shifted basis on their DVRs or video on demand?

> Evaluate the use of sweeps ratings periods as a method for measuring local television viewing audiences. Do you feel think sweeps ratings provide reliable and valid estimates of local television viewing audiences? How might they be improved?

> What are the various options available to advertisers for purchasing advertising time on television? How does the use of these options differ for national versus local advertisers?

> Discuss how digital and social media are influencing the way people watch television. What are some of the ways television advertisers can leverage social media to work to their advantage?

> IMC Perspective 11-1 discusses how intercollegiate athletic programs have become very dependent on revenue from broadcast rights for football and basketball games. Discuss the reasons behind the growing popularity of sports programming on television and

> Discuss the advantages and limitations of television as an advertising medium and how these factors affect its use by major national advertisers as well as smaller local companies.

> Why is understanding consumer behavior of such importance to marketers? Give examples of how marketers apply their understanding of consumer behavior to their marketing strategies.

> Discuss how radio stations, as well as advertisers, can deal with the clutter problem on radio and draw attention to their commercials.

> Discuss the way Nielsen measures the listening audience for radio stations. Do you think the rating methods are providing reliable measures of radio audiences?

> Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of advertising on radio. Discuss how radio advertising might be used by national versus local advertisers.

> The chapter opener discusses the major developments impacting the television industry. Discuss these developments and how they are likely to impact TV’s role as an advertising medium. How might these factors impact the way marketers use television as pa

> Discuss the differences between CDI and BDI. When would an advertiser use these indexes?

> One of the more popular metrics now being used in nontraditional media (Internet, social media, etc.) is engagement. This term has also been used in evaluating traditional media. Explain what is meant by engagement. Is this term being used the same in re

> Figure 10–27 discusses the advantages and disadvantages of media. Describe any factors that may be taking place that might change the disadvantages or advantages of various media.

> Explain the differences between CPM and readers per dollar. Which is the most valuable relative cost comparison for advertisers to use? Why?

> The media landscape is rapidly changing. Explain what is meant by this statement. Then discuss some of the reasons why this is occurring. What can traditional media do to continue to exist? A number of studies have examined the role that personality and/

> What are GRPs and target GRPs? Explain what these terms mean and discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of using them.

> Discuss the responsibilities and duties of an advertising or marketing communications manager in a company that uses a centralized organizational system versus a company that uses a decentralized system.

> Compare the definition of integrated marketing communications developed by Don Schultz with the original definition developed by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. How do they differ?

> According to Hofstede and Hall, Asians are (a) more group-oriented, (b) more family oriented and (c) more concerned with social status. How might such orientations affect the way you market your product to Asian consumers?

> A country’s natural environment influences its attractiveness to an international marketer of industrial products. Discuss.

> How can the change of major political goals in a country have an impact on the potential for success of an international marketer?

> Describe the ways in which foreign exchange fluctuations affect (a) trade, (b) investments and (c) tourism.

> Distinguish between: (a) free trade area, (b) customs union, (c) common market, (d) economic and monetary union and (e) political union.

> How useful is GNP when undertaking a comparative analysis of world markets? What other approaches would you recommend?

> Identify different types of barriers to the free movement of goods and services.

> Distinguish between internal and external validity. What are the implications of external validity for international marketers?

> What are the dangers of translating questionnaires (which have been designed for one country) for use in a multi-country study? How would you avoid these dangers?

> How should the firm decide whether to gather its own intelligence or to buy it from outside?

> What is meant by the concept of ‘psychological’ or ‘psychic distance’?

> In forecasting sales in international markets, to what extent can the past be used to predict the future?

> Do demographic variables have universal meanings? Is there a chance that they may be interpreted differently in different cultures?

> What are some of the problems that a global marketing manager can expect to encounter when creating a centralized marketing information system? How can these problems be solved?

> Explore the reasons for using a marketing information system in the international market. What are the main types of information you would expect to use?

> What were the most important export motives in the Japanese firms (Exhibit 2.2)?

> What were the most important change agents in the internationalization of Haier?

> Explain how a combination of the product values chain and the service value chain can create further customer value?

> Explain the main advantages of centralizing upstream activities and decentralizing downstream activities.

> How can a country with high labour costs improve its national competitiveness?

> Explain the main differences between the three theories of internationalization: the Uppsala model, the transaction cost theory and the network model.

> Export motives can be classified as reactive or proactive. Give examples of each group of export motives. How would you prioritize these motives? Can you think of motives other than those mentioned in the chapter? What are they?

> Performance reviews of subsidiary managers and personnel are required rarely, if at all, by headquarters. Why?

> Discuss how the international organization of a firm may affect its planning process.

> This chapter suggests that the development of a firm’s international organization can be divided into different stages. Identify these stages and discuss their relationship to the international competitiveness of the firm.

> Explain why the negotiation process abroad may differ from country to country.

> Identify and discuss problems associated with allocating the company’s promotion budget across several foreign markets.

> Explain how the multinational firm may have an advantage over local firms in training the sales force and evaluating its performance.

> Evaluate the ‘percentage of sales’ approach to setting advertising budgets in foreign markets.

> Why don’t more companies standardize advertising messages worldwide? Identify the environmental constraints that act as barriers to the development and implementation of standardized global advertising campaigns.

> Compare domestic communication with international communication. Explain why ‘noise’ is more likely to occur in the case of international communication processes.

> Explain why internationalization is an ongoing process in constant need of evaluation.

> Many markets have relatively large numbers of small retailers. How does this constrain the international marketer?

> Why is physical distribution important for the success of global marketing?

> When would it be feasible and advisable for a global company to centralize the coordination of its foreign market distribution systems? When would decentralization be more appropriate?

> What services would the manufacturer like to receive from the retailer?

> What relevance has the international product life cycle theory for pricing strategy in international firms?

> International buyers and sellers of technology frequently disagree on the appropriate price of knowledge. Why?

> In order to protect themselves, how should marketers price their product in a country with high inflation?

> Explain how exchange rates and inflation affect the way you price your product.

> How and why are export credit financing terms and conditions relevant to international pricing?

> How does inflation affect a country’s currency value? Is it a good idea to borrow or obtain finance in a country with high inflation?

> How is the ‘virtual value chain’ different from the ‘conventional value chain’?

> Name some of the financing sources for exporters.

> What is the importance of ‘country of origin’ in international product marketing?

> Discuss the factors that need to be taken into account when making packaging decisions for international product lines.

> What are the requirements that must be met so that a commodity can effectively be transformed into a branded product?

> Why is the international product policy likely to be given higher priority in most firms than other elements of the global marketing mix?

> To what degree should international markets be offered standardized service and warranty policies that do not differ significantly from market to market?

> What implications does the product life cycle theory have for international product development strategy?

> What are the characteristics of a good international brand name?

> Why should customer-service levels differ internationally? Is it, for example, ethical to offer a lower customer-service level in developing countries than in industrialized countries?

> Identify the major barriers to developing international brands.

> Discuss the most critical barriers to the process of exporting.

> Explain the shift from seller to buyer initiative in subcontracting.

> What are the reasons for the increasing level of outsourcing to international subcontractors?

> What are the key problems associated with profit repatriation from subsidiaries?

> Why is acquisition often the preferred way to establish wholly owned operations abroad? What are the limitations of acquisition as an entry method?

> What is the idea behind appointing a ‘lead country’ in a region?

> Is the establishment of wholly owned subsidiaries abroad an appropriate international market development mode for SMEs?

> What are a firm’s major motives in the decision to establish manufacturing facilities in a foreign country?

> By what criteria would you judge a particular foreign direct investment activity to have succeeded or failed?

> Why would a firm consider forming partnerships with competitors?

> Do you believe that licensing in represents a feasible long-term product development strategy for a company? Discuss in relation to in-house product development.

> What is meant by ‘change agents’ in global marketing? Give examples of different types of change agent.

> Why are strategic alliances used in new product development?

> Why are joint ventures preferred by host countries as an entry strategy for foreign firms?

> When a firm begins direct exporting, what tasks must it perform?

> How can the carrier and the rider both benefit from a piggyback arrangement?

> What is the difference between direct and indirect exporting?

> The international marketer and the intermediary will have different expectations concerning the relationship. Why should these expectations be spelled out and clarified in the contract?