Discussion Exercises
Discussion Assignments and Mini-cases
Chapter 14 Promotion Strategies: Personal Selling, Publicity and Sales Promotion
- Compare domestic communication with international communication. Explain why ‘noise’ is more likely to occur in the case of international communication process in all five stages (source, encoding, information, decoding, and receiver).
Communication means the sharing of something in common between the sender and the receiver. The source can encode and the receiver can decode only through the experience each has had. This is a major problem in international marketing communication. More often than not, the sender and the receiver tend to have different psychological and social attributes. Because the area of overlap of the two parties' fields of experience is small when dissimilarities are great, communication is difficult. In contrast, in the case of domestic communication, the sender and the receiver have a whole lot more in common, thus facilitating the communication process.
- Why is telemarketing not as widely used outside of the United States?
In overseas markets, telemarketing is not as far developed as it is in the United States. The limited availability of land-line telephones for private households is one problem. The higher costs of telephone services are another. Furthermore, the privacy laws are tougher. It should be noted, however, that Congress has finally passed legislation in 2003 that puts restrictions on U.S. telemarketing.
It must be noted that telephones are becoming widely available — thanks to the popularity of mobile (cellular) phones. Texts (advertisements) can be easily sent to owners of mobile phones. Still telemarketing is likely to produce a backlash if a salesperson attempts to call a mobile-phone number — especially when a sales call interrupts or distracts a receiver of the call while being on the move.
- Should expatriate personnel be used? What are some of the difficulties that they may encounter overseas? What can be done to minimize these problems?
When desirable, there is nothing wrong with using expatriate personnel who are well qualified and knowledgeable of the company's product, technology, history, and policies. The difficulties, however, are many. Some expatriate personnel find it difficult to cope with a new and unfamiliar business environment. Also the expatriate's family must also share in the burden of making social adjustments related to shopping, schooling, and the limited entertainment opportunities. Also the expatriate may fear that the distance from the headquarters may eliminate chances for promotion.
To minimize the problems, the personnel for overseas assignments must be selected carefully. Their families should also be interviewed to determine the suitability of their temperament for an overseas assignment.