Global Marketing Management

Global Marketing Management

Article Type: Suggested reading From: Strategic Direction, Volume 27, Issue 1

Global Marketing Management by Kiefer Lee and Steve Carter is split into three broad parts and consisting of 16 chapters – understanding the global marketing environment (first six chapters); the development of global marketing strategies (next eight chapters); and implementing and coordinating global marketing operations (last two chapters).

The first part covers the macro environment, culture and ethics, as well as opportunity analysis of global markets – the part ends with a case study of Daimler AG (Mercedes Benz) the place of an icon in global marketing (p. 202). In the second part the key issues include market entry strategies, the global marketing mix and global services marketing – ending with a case study on furniture giant, IKEA’s long march to the Far East (p. 485). In the third part the reader is provided with some “rule of thumb” on how to go about organizing and controlling global marketing operations – and the closing case study on Oxfam International’s identity crisis could not have been better placed (p. 548).

With 16 chapters in total, Lee and Carter have demonstrated the “art of engagement” in higher education – i.e. the KISS principle of keeping it short and simple (although the latter remains debateable). Following on from here is a summary of thoughts for higher education instructors, students and administrators either currently or planning to adopt this textbook. The emphasis of this review is mostly pedagogical in a bid to clear up the fuzzy areas.

Starting with the case study at the end of chapter 4, The evolution of the Chinese middle class (p. 136) made good class discussion – as students seemed to be able to relate to the “honour among thieves” where the likes of China and Russia clamor to balance the power of the USA. But even as their government’s go scouring the world for energy security as in the case of China’s recent exploits in sub-Saharan Africa, Lee and Carter capture a parallel change dynamic, where the “Chinese middle class” seem to have embraced internet surfing as a past-time as their “growing sophistication … will be one catalyst to change” (p. 136).

Chapter 5, which was dedicated to global, social, and ethical issues, also makes interesting reading. This chapter made easy teaching particularly when the emphasis moves beyond the usual suspects – i.e. child labor and other environmental issues. In this chapter Lee and Carter dedicate four solid pages to the subject of corruption (pp. 143-6) citing both the corruption perception index (CPI) and the Bribe payers index (BPI) drawing on materials from Transparency International (see also Madichie, 2005).

In keeping in tune with the contemporary global marketing environment, the relationship perspective in chapter 6 (p. 196) is only one of the fulfillments of prophecy littered across the text, as it provides some challenges on the world travel and tourism industry – a trend that most readers can relate to in present climate of flight disruptions as a result of “Ash clouds” and “strike actions”. So also was the graphical illustration of the “waterfall” versus “shower” approaches to market entry (see Figure 6.11, p. 192), which draws on the work of Keegan (1989) where the waterfall approach is linked to the “incremental approach” where organizations enter a single market first, build up experiences in that market before expanding to others.

This is contrary to the bullish strategy epitomized by the shower approach where market entry is simultaneous as exemplified in the case of Microsoft – and more recently Apple’s futuristic iPhone lavatory buzz marketing in cahoots with a “believable” technophile – Gizmodo.

In chapter 7, however, I found the section on international business models rather distracting (see pp. 226-9) for a chapter entitled Market entry strategies. Be that as it may, the case study in chapter 8, on the global car industry – i.e. Proton’s challenge to survive in the global market (pp. 274-5) is a stark reminder of the recent Toyota recall crisis in the USA in particular.

Finally, another harsh reality is brought to the fore in chapter 9, as the authors rightly predict the economy of Greece as falling within the “Dogs” quadrant of the BCG matrix (see p. 290). What is not in doubt is that both the USA and the UK remain “cash cows” – with weak market growth, but still substantial market share despite the recent drive to cut back on the huge deficits by the recent coalition government in the UK. Furthermore, the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts, South Africa, was also persuasively captured as belonging to the “question mark” quadrant – as all eyes are set to see how the country pulls through the largest global football event to be hosted in the African continent this summer.

Despite it being in touch with reality, Global Marketing Management has its limitations, which the authors need to consider as they retire to the dressing room in preparation for their third edition. First and foremost, typical of most OUP textbooks, the language needs to be simplified in order to motivate non-native English speakers. Most other “western” textbooks have mastered this art of simplicity as they follow the “waterfall” into emerging market contexts. Second, but also two-fold, the scant coverage of the African sub-continent considering that one of the authors is a Professor of African Business, presents a worry on the one hand. On the other hand, the heavy emphasis on Hollensen (2007) – may serve to prompt readers towards seeking out the “real deal” – i.e. Hollensen! In the final analysis, Global Marketing Management remains a key contender for supplementary reading.

Reviewed by Nmamdi Madichie, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

This review was originally published in Management Decision Volume 48, Issue 8, 2010.

Kiefer Lee and Steve Carter,Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, NY, 2009, 565 pp.