Lesson correlates with National Business Education Association National Standards for Business Education, 1995, Reston, Virginia.
·· Standard VII. International Marketing... Achievement Standard:  Apply marketing cocepts to international business.
               A.  Foreign Markets and Consumer Behavior
· Level 3 (Secondary) - Performance Expectations: Evaluate market potential for a good or service in a foreign market.
Going Global

 
TIME REQUIRED:
300-360 minutes
 
RECOMMENDED GRADE:
Grades 11-12


 
MAJOR CONCEPTS:
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
 : Students will be able to
Evaluate the potential foreign market for a product or service
Research information about a country's culture through primary and secondary sources
Recommend a successful marketing strategy for a product or service
Work successfully as a team member
 
 
MATERIALS:
1. Information on successful marketing strategies in a foreign country.  
2. A resource person who can speak to students about the culture of another country.  Suggestions:  an international student, foreign language teacher, or community member who has lived for many years in another country.
3. Library resources where students can gather information about the history, economy, religion, and other cultural aspects of the selected country.  Suggested resources:  
  • Recent encyclopedia
  •  Culturegrams, David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, Brigham Young University, Utah
  •  Do's and Taboos of Interational Trade:  A Small Business Primer, Roger E. Axtell, New York:  Wiley
  •  Global Guide to International Business, Hoopes & Hoopes, Editors, New York:  Facts on File
  •  The Europa World Yearbook, London:  Europa Publications
  •  The Statesmen's Yearbook:  Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World, London:  Macmillan
RATIONALE:
 As businesses of all sizes become more global, they will want to determine if their products or services will be successful in another country.  Successful businesses will research a potential market thoroughly before spending the money to place their product in that market.  Students should be aware of these research procedures and their importance for a successful marketing campaign.
 
PROCEDURE:
 1. Discuss strategies that could be used to evaluate a potential market in another country.  Suggested questions for discussion:
What kind of information is needed about a country before determining an appropriate product to sell in that country?
Which types of information could be obtained through a person who has lived in that culture?  
Which types of information will need to be obtained from other sources?  What are those other sources?
2. Invite a resource person to speak to the class about his/her country.  Allow time for students to ask questions.
3. Have students research in either the library or through on-line resources information about the country.
4. Discuss the information that was learned from the resource person and through research.  Discuss different types of marketing strategies that might work in the country.  Ask students to individually list types of products that might be marketable in that country.  
5. Assign students into groups of three or four and have each group select a different product or service that they think could be successfully marketed in that country.
 
 
 
EVALUATION: 1. Each group will prepare a written report which addresses the following:
a. Characteristics about the country which might affect the marketing of the product they have selected.
b. Recommendations for promotional strategies that will be most effective for this product in this country.
c. Prediction about the future success of the product in this country.

2. Each group will present their report to the class.
 
 
 
AUTHOR:
  Dr. Lila Waldman, Murray State University, Murray, KY.
EDITORS:
Les Dlabay, Lake Forrest College, Wildwood, IL.
Robert Ristau, Eastern Michigan University (ret.), Ypsilanti, MI.

 
 
 
 
 

Click here to download Microsoft Word version of the plan including handouts.