1. Teaching Schedule MICAI M1 Intercultural Marketing
Block Time Room Activity / Topic
1 120 See Unit Introduction. Schedule. Resources. Assessment. Subject
mins ADE intro.
2 120 See Marketing as a Communication. The Rationale for Market
mins ADE Extension.
3 120 See Strategic Direction. ‘Roadblocks’. Culture in International
mins ADE Marketing. Differentiating Anglophone Markets. Practical
Application of Theories and Concepts
4 120 See TEAM DEBATE (Live debates are assessed. Team evidence
mins ADE reports to be submitted).
5 120 See Critical Issues in International Marketing. Assignment Feedback
mins ADE Plenary Session. Unit Review.
ASSESSMENT MICAI M1 Intercultural Marketing (Anglophone)
In this short unit (10 hours) there will be ONE item of assessment comprising two components :-
• A team v team ‘debate’ upon two ‘sides’ of a particular issue. (Team base mark moderated
for conspicuous individual contribution/performance). 60% of unit mark. Debate to take
place in Block 4 in class. ALL students to take equal parts in the preparation and presentation.
• A team-produced, written review of the evidence in support of the team’s ‘case’ /
argument. 40% of unit mark. To be submitted in class in support of the debate in Block 4.
There will be FOUR teams of equal size.
The Assignment Specifics
Using illustrations of products/services or brands developed in Europe that have subsequently
been extended to native English-speaking countries (or vice-versa), consider the following:
Teams 1A and 1B Branding & Culture.
• Proposition A. (Team 1A). "To create a vibrant and well-recognised international product
or organisation brand with even a single, globally-standardised identity, essence,
personality, value(s) and slogan is desperately expensive. In today's globally connected
economy, with a common language of international trade (English), there can be simply no
financial or operational justification for producing multiple, culturally-specific variants of
brands: attempts to do so will not only be prohibitive in cost, but also potentially dilute the
value of the 'core' brand." Miss N.
Omer (2011)
• Proposition B. (Team 1B). "Marketing is about reaching people: pure and simple. People
are not homogeneous: never were and never will be – we are all different at the level of the
individual. If there are commonalities between us, however, they tend to be based solidly
upon culture. Any branding programme that neglects this fact and opts for convenient, lower-
cost standardisation will always under-perform a suitably culture-specific alternative."

2. Miss Take (2011)
Teams 2A and 2B Technology & Culture.
• Proposition A. (Team 2A). "For generations those wishing to sell colonised the High Street
in every city and town seeking maximum 'footfall' (a position chosen on the basis of the
highest number of passers-by). This was perhaps best exemplified by Conrad Hilton's
immortal comment regarding the three keys to successful hotel operation: 'Location,
location and location'. In today's internet-enabled world we speak of 'market-space' rather
than 'market-place', where one site and message can cost-effectively reach and relate to
every individual ‘connected’ to this system. Technological convergence and standardisation,
plus the recognition of English as the effective ‘lingua franca’ of international trade now
means that market extension, export and successful customer relationships can be achieved
via a single, standardised website." N. Abled
(2011)
• Proposition B. (Team 2B) "Technology might enable us to reach the entire world's
wealthier population online, but that does not mean that an organisation is able to create
viable 'relationships' with customers if they are treated 'en masse'. Relationships are
intensely individual and personal and normally take place within a culturally familiar
context. As such, the very idea of CRM and creating relationship clearly excludes the
possibility of an online 'one size (or site) fits all' approach. Added to which, it is far from
being proven that the customer feels he actually enters into any real 'relationship' with a
company or a product via a technological device such as a website. Technology seems ill-
equipped to deal with either cultural-specificity or individuality." I.M Dis-Abled (2011)