MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
MAN-BCU2055
Marketing in an International Context
Complete Lecture Summary
All lectures (1A – 10) · Theories, frameworks and examples
Radboud University · 2026
Based on the official post-lecture slides of 2026
Page 1
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
Contents
Contents...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Lecture 1A: Course Introduction — What is Marketing? Why Go International?.........................................5
What is Marketing?.................................................................................................................................. 5
Customers vs. Consumers........................................................................................................................ 5
Stages in Marketing's Evolution............................................................................................................... 5
Marketing Today: Core Activities............................................................................................................. 5
The 4Ps (Marketing Mix).......................................................................................................................... 5
What is International Marketing?............................................................................................................ 6
Why Go International?............................................................................................................................. 6
Lecture 1B: Assessment Workshop — Short-Form Video (Brief Note).........................................................7
Lecture 2A: Segmentation and Targeting..................................................................................................... 8
Segmentation........................................................................................................................................... 8
Customer Segment Profiles...................................................................................................................... 8
Targeting.................................................................................................................................................. 8
Market Research...................................................................................................................................... 9
Spotlight Reading: Feral Segmentation (Diaz Ruiz & Kjellberg 2020)........................................................9
Lecture 2B: Relationship Marketing and Customer Loyalty........................................................................10
Why Customers Are Central................................................................................................................... 10
Relationship Marketing.......................................................................................................................... 10
Three Levels of Relationships (Berry & Parasuraman 1991)...................................................................10
Relationship Marketing Logic (process chain)........................................................................................ 10
Customer Satisfaction and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory.............................................................11
Customer Loyalty................................................................................................................................... 11
Measuring Loyalty.................................................................................................................................. 12
Lecture 3A: Consumer Decision-Making..................................................................................................... 13
The Consumer Decision-Making Process................................................................................................ 13
Problem Recognition.............................................................................................................................. 13
Information Search................................................................................................................................ 14
Evaluation & Selection........................................................................................................................... 14
Store Choice & Purchase........................................................................................................................ 15
Involvement........................................................................................................................................... 15
Lecture 3B: Consumers and Culture........................................................................................................... 16
Situation/Context................................................................................................................................... 16
Post-Purchase Processes........................................................................................................................ 16
Consumers and Culture.......................................................................................................................... 16
Consumer Culture Theory (CCT)............................................................................................................. 16
Page 2
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
Example CCT Studies (illustrating methods + insights on post-purchase and sociocultural influences). .17
Marketing Implications.......................................................................................................................... 17
Lecture 4A: Branding and Positioning........................................................................................................ 18
What is a Brand?.................................................................................................................................... 18
Why Build Brands?................................................................................................................................. 18
Brand Elements...................................................................................................................................... 18
Positioning............................................................................................................................................. 18
Points of Parity and Points of Difference................................................................................................ 19
Brand Identity vs. Brand Image.............................................................................................................. 19
Lecture 4B: Marketing Communications.................................................................................................... 20
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)........................................................................................ 20
Models of Marketing Communication.................................................................................................... 20
The Customer Journey (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016)................................................................................... 20
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)................................................................................................ 21
Lecture 5A: Products and Services............................................................................................................. 22
What is a Product?................................................................................................................................. 22
The Goods-Service Continuum............................................................................................................... 22
The Three Levels of a Product................................................................................................................ 22
The New Product Development (NPD) Process...................................................................................... 22
The Product Lifecycle (PLC).................................................................................................................... 22
The Unique Characteristics of Services................................................................................................... 23
Managing Services................................................................................................................................. 23
Service Quality (five dimensions)........................................................................................................... 23
Service Failure and Recovery.................................................................................................................. 23
Spotlight: Entropy Work — Franco et al. (2024)..................................................................................... 23
Lecture 5B: Pricing and Distribution........................................................................................................... 25
Basic Pricing Methods............................................................................................................................ 25
Pricing and Branding/Positioning........................................................................................................... 25
New Product Launch Pricing Strategies.................................................................................................. 25
Initiating or Reacting to Price Changes................................................................................................... 25
Dynamic Pricing...................................................................................................................................... 26
Price Promotions.................................................................................................................................... 26
Consumer Distribution Channels............................................................................................................ 26
Channel Selection................................................................................................................................... 26
Distribution Intensity............................................................................................................................. 26
Retailing................................................................................................................................................. 26
Offline vs. Online Retailing: The End of Physical Stores?........................................................................27
Lecture 6A: International Marketing.......................................................................................................... 28
What is International Marketing?.......................................................................................................... 28
Page 3
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
4-Step Market Screening Process........................................................................................................... 28
Cultural Biases to Manage...................................................................................................................... 28
Global Offerings or Localized Adaptations?............................................................................................ 28
Spotlight: Bell and Shelman (2011) — "KFC's Radical Approach to China".............................................29
Lecture 6B: Assessment Workshop 2 — Consultancy Report Launch.........................................................30
Lecture 7A: Modes of Market Entry........................................................................................................... 31
The Four Modes of Market Entry........................................................................................................... 31
1. Exporting............................................................................................................................................ 31
2. Contractual Agreements.................................................................................................................... 31
3. Strategic International Alliances......................................................................................................... 32
4. Direct Foreign Investment (DFI)......................................................................................................... 32
Lecture 7B: International Research Methods............................................................................................. 33
International Analysis Frameworks........................................................................................................ 33
PESTLE Analysis...................................................................................................................................... 33
Secondary Data...................................................................................................................................... 33
Primary Data.......................................................................................................................................... 33
Quantitative Methods............................................................................................................................ 34
Qualitative Methods.............................................................................................................................. 34
Competitive Landscape and Positioning................................................................................................. 34
Spotlight Reading: Cayla & Eckhardt (2007) — "Asian Brands Without Borders"...................................34
Lecture 8: Marketing Ethics in an International Context............................................................................36
Ethical Issues in Marketing..................................................................................................................... 36
Medicalization........................................................................................................................................ 36
Perpetuating Inequalities and Discrimination......................................................................................... 36
Marketing Ethics in an International Context......................................................................................... 36
Why Care?.............................................................................................................................................. 36
Spotlight Reading: Schroeder & Borgerson (2005) — "An Ethics of Representation for International
Marketing Communications"................................................................................................................. 37
Lecture 9: Marketing Pathways.................................................................................................................. 38
Session Content..................................................................................................................................... 38
The Marketing Career Landscape........................................................................................................... 38
Where Do Marketeers Work?................................................................................................................ 38
At Radboud............................................................................................................................................ 38
Lecture 10: Information Session and Q&A (Consultancy Report & Final Exam)..........................................39
Consultancy Report Q&A and Writing Tips............................................................................................. 39
Page 4
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
Lecture 1A: Course Introduction — What is Marketing? Why Go
International?
What is Marketing?
The course uses the American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of marketing: "Marketing is the
activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." Two reflective questions
follow from this broad definition: is there any part of an organization not (directly or indirectly) involved
in these activities, and is there any organization for which marketing is not relevant? The implied answer
is no — marketing is everywhere.
Peter Drucker reinforces this view: "Marketing is not a specialized activity. It is the whole business seen
from the point of view of its final result, that is, from the customer's point of view." Marketing is thus
presented as a guiding business philosophy, not merely a department or set of basic activities.
Customers vs. Consumers
The terms are often used interchangeably in the course, but there is a nuance:
• Customers: people who are in exchange relationships with a particular firm.
• Consumers: people, in a broader sense, who seek out, purchase, use, consume, and dispose of
offerings from a variety of firms.
Stages in Marketing's Evolution
Understanding this history explains how marketing became a guiding business philosophy rather than just
a department:
1. The Production Era (late 1800s–early 1900s) — focus on production.
2. The Sales Era (1920s–1940s) — focus on selling what is produced.
3. The Marketing Department Era (1950s–1970s) — marketing as a distinct function.
4. The Marketing Organization Era (1980s–present) — the whole organization is oriented around
the customer.
Marketing Today: Core Activities
At a basic level, marketing involves:
• Understanding customer needs and wants.
• Developing offerings (products and services).
• Positioning the value of offerings to customers in relation to competitors.
• Ensuring customers (and society) benefit from the offerings.
• Ensuring the organization can viably continue to provide the value it offers.
The 4Ps (Marketing Mix)
The classic framework popularized by E. Jerome McCarthy in Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach
(1960): Product, Price, Place, Promotion. Caveat from the lecture: the 4Ps are a helpful simple structure
for thinking about marketing, but there is much more to consider than just these.
Volvo example (mapping the core marketing activities):
• Understanding needs/wants: families seeking safety and convenience for everyday transport.
Page 5
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
• Developing offerings: family hatchback with top-of-the-line safety features and plenty of cargo
space.
• Positioning vs. competitors: safety/convenience versus luxury (Porsche), affordability (Toyota), high
technology (Tesla), performance (BMW), or sportiness (Jeep).
• Customer/society benefit: after-sales services, regulatory compliance.
• Organizational viability: cost-efficiency, brand reputation, fair working conditions, innovativeness,
market intelligence.
These run as iterative and continual marketing activities via the 4Ps (and beyond).
What is International Marketing?
AMA definition: "International Marketing is the multinational process of planning and executing the
conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that
satisfy individual and organizational objectives."
Key points on the multinational focus:
• It is marketing with the added consideration of creating, communicating, and delivering value to
customers beyond your own home country.
• Offering products/services in more than one country; operations may also be in more than one
country.
• International marketing is not limited to simply exporting products.
Why Go International?
Potential reasons firms expand abroad:
• An already saturated home market.
• Tap into growing markets.
• Diversify revenue sources.
• Leverage your country's and organization's global advantages.
• Brand image benefits — even for customers in the home country.
Illustrative example — Aesop (skin, hair, and body care company shown in the slides): "upmarket" brand
image oriented around minimalism and order; founded in Melbourne in 1987; expanded to over 235
stores globally (incl. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht); recent focus on Asian expansion; bought by
L'Oréal in 2023; now worth $2.5bn USD globally. Store photos (Melbourne, New York, Amsterdam, Kyoto)
illustrate consistent global brand presence.
Page 6
MAN-BCU2055
Marketing in an International Context
Complete Lecture Summary
All lectures (1A – 10) · Theories, frameworks and examples
Radboud University · 2026
Based on the official post-lecture slides of 2026
Page 1
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
Contents
Contents...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Lecture 1A: Course Introduction — What is Marketing? Why Go International?.........................................5
What is Marketing?.................................................................................................................................. 5
Customers vs. Consumers........................................................................................................................ 5
Stages in Marketing's Evolution............................................................................................................... 5
Marketing Today: Core Activities............................................................................................................. 5
The 4Ps (Marketing Mix).......................................................................................................................... 5
What is International Marketing?............................................................................................................ 6
Why Go International?............................................................................................................................. 6
Lecture 1B: Assessment Workshop — Short-Form Video (Brief Note).........................................................7
Lecture 2A: Segmentation and Targeting..................................................................................................... 8
Segmentation........................................................................................................................................... 8
Customer Segment Profiles...................................................................................................................... 8
Targeting.................................................................................................................................................. 8
Market Research...................................................................................................................................... 9
Spotlight Reading: Feral Segmentation (Diaz Ruiz & Kjellberg 2020)........................................................9
Lecture 2B: Relationship Marketing and Customer Loyalty........................................................................10
Why Customers Are Central................................................................................................................... 10
Relationship Marketing.......................................................................................................................... 10
Three Levels of Relationships (Berry & Parasuraman 1991)...................................................................10
Relationship Marketing Logic (process chain)........................................................................................ 10
Customer Satisfaction and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory.............................................................11
Customer Loyalty................................................................................................................................... 11
Measuring Loyalty.................................................................................................................................. 12
Lecture 3A: Consumer Decision-Making..................................................................................................... 13
The Consumer Decision-Making Process................................................................................................ 13
Problem Recognition.............................................................................................................................. 13
Information Search................................................................................................................................ 14
Evaluation & Selection........................................................................................................................... 14
Store Choice & Purchase........................................................................................................................ 15
Involvement........................................................................................................................................... 15
Lecture 3B: Consumers and Culture........................................................................................................... 16
Situation/Context................................................................................................................................... 16
Post-Purchase Processes........................................................................................................................ 16
Consumers and Culture.......................................................................................................................... 16
Consumer Culture Theory (CCT)............................................................................................................. 16
Page 2
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
Example CCT Studies (illustrating methods + insights on post-purchase and sociocultural influences). .17
Marketing Implications.......................................................................................................................... 17
Lecture 4A: Branding and Positioning........................................................................................................ 18
What is a Brand?.................................................................................................................................... 18
Why Build Brands?................................................................................................................................. 18
Brand Elements...................................................................................................................................... 18
Positioning............................................................................................................................................. 18
Points of Parity and Points of Difference................................................................................................ 19
Brand Identity vs. Brand Image.............................................................................................................. 19
Lecture 4B: Marketing Communications.................................................................................................... 20
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)........................................................................................ 20
Models of Marketing Communication.................................................................................................... 20
The Customer Journey (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016)................................................................................... 20
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)................................................................................................ 21
Lecture 5A: Products and Services............................................................................................................. 22
What is a Product?................................................................................................................................. 22
The Goods-Service Continuum............................................................................................................... 22
The Three Levels of a Product................................................................................................................ 22
The New Product Development (NPD) Process...................................................................................... 22
The Product Lifecycle (PLC).................................................................................................................... 22
The Unique Characteristics of Services................................................................................................... 23
Managing Services................................................................................................................................. 23
Service Quality (five dimensions)........................................................................................................... 23
Service Failure and Recovery.................................................................................................................. 23
Spotlight: Entropy Work — Franco et al. (2024)..................................................................................... 23
Lecture 5B: Pricing and Distribution........................................................................................................... 25
Basic Pricing Methods............................................................................................................................ 25
Pricing and Branding/Positioning........................................................................................................... 25
New Product Launch Pricing Strategies.................................................................................................. 25
Initiating or Reacting to Price Changes................................................................................................... 25
Dynamic Pricing...................................................................................................................................... 26
Price Promotions.................................................................................................................................... 26
Consumer Distribution Channels............................................................................................................ 26
Channel Selection................................................................................................................................... 26
Distribution Intensity............................................................................................................................. 26
Retailing................................................................................................................................................. 26
Offline vs. Online Retailing: The End of Physical Stores?........................................................................27
Lecture 6A: International Marketing.......................................................................................................... 28
What is International Marketing?.......................................................................................................... 28
Page 3
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
4-Step Market Screening Process........................................................................................................... 28
Cultural Biases to Manage...................................................................................................................... 28
Global Offerings or Localized Adaptations?............................................................................................ 28
Spotlight: Bell and Shelman (2011) — "KFC's Radical Approach to China".............................................29
Lecture 6B: Assessment Workshop 2 — Consultancy Report Launch.........................................................30
Lecture 7A: Modes of Market Entry........................................................................................................... 31
The Four Modes of Market Entry........................................................................................................... 31
1. Exporting............................................................................................................................................ 31
2. Contractual Agreements.................................................................................................................... 31
3. Strategic International Alliances......................................................................................................... 32
4. Direct Foreign Investment (DFI)......................................................................................................... 32
Lecture 7B: International Research Methods............................................................................................. 33
International Analysis Frameworks........................................................................................................ 33
PESTLE Analysis...................................................................................................................................... 33
Secondary Data...................................................................................................................................... 33
Primary Data.......................................................................................................................................... 33
Quantitative Methods............................................................................................................................ 34
Qualitative Methods.............................................................................................................................. 34
Competitive Landscape and Positioning................................................................................................. 34
Spotlight Reading: Cayla & Eckhardt (2007) — "Asian Brands Without Borders"...................................34
Lecture 8: Marketing Ethics in an International Context............................................................................36
Ethical Issues in Marketing..................................................................................................................... 36
Medicalization........................................................................................................................................ 36
Perpetuating Inequalities and Discrimination......................................................................................... 36
Marketing Ethics in an International Context......................................................................................... 36
Why Care?.............................................................................................................................................. 36
Spotlight Reading: Schroeder & Borgerson (2005) — "An Ethics of Representation for International
Marketing Communications"................................................................................................................. 37
Lecture 9: Marketing Pathways.................................................................................................................. 38
Session Content..................................................................................................................................... 38
The Marketing Career Landscape........................................................................................................... 38
Where Do Marketeers Work?................................................................................................................ 38
At Radboud............................................................................................................................................ 38
Lecture 10: Information Session and Q&A (Consultancy Report & Final Exam)..........................................39
Consultancy Report Q&A and Writing Tips............................................................................................. 39
Page 4
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
Lecture 1A: Course Introduction — What is Marketing? Why Go
International?
What is Marketing?
The course uses the American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of marketing: "Marketing is the
activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." Two reflective questions
follow from this broad definition: is there any part of an organization not (directly or indirectly) involved
in these activities, and is there any organization for which marketing is not relevant? The implied answer
is no — marketing is everywhere.
Peter Drucker reinforces this view: "Marketing is not a specialized activity. It is the whole business seen
from the point of view of its final result, that is, from the customer's point of view." Marketing is thus
presented as a guiding business philosophy, not merely a department or set of basic activities.
Customers vs. Consumers
The terms are often used interchangeably in the course, but there is a nuance:
• Customers: people who are in exchange relationships with a particular firm.
• Consumers: people, in a broader sense, who seek out, purchase, use, consume, and dispose of
offerings from a variety of firms.
Stages in Marketing's Evolution
Understanding this history explains how marketing became a guiding business philosophy rather than just
a department:
1. The Production Era (late 1800s–early 1900s) — focus on production.
2. The Sales Era (1920s–1940s) — focus on selling what is produced.
3. The Marketing Department Era (1950s–1970s) — marketing as a distinct function.
4. The Marketing Organization Era (1980s–present) — the whole organization is oriented around
the customer.
Marketing Today: Core Activities
At a basic level, marketing involves:
• Understanding customer needs and wants.
• Developing offerings (products and services).
• Positioning the value of offerings to customers in relation to competitors.
• Ensuring customers (and society) benefit from the offerings.
• Ensuring the organization can viably continue to provide the value it offers.
The 4Ps (Marketing Mix)
The classic framework popularized by E. Jerome McCarthy in Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach
(1960): Product, Price, Place, Promotion. Caveat from the lecture: the 4Ps are a helpful simple structure
for thinking about marketing, but there is much more to consider than just these.
Volvo example (mapping the core marketing activities):
• Understanding needs/wants: families seeking safety and convenience for everyday transport.
Page 5
, MAN-BCU2055 · Marketing in an International Context · Complete Lecture Summary
• Developing offerings: family hatchback with top-of-the-line safety features and plenty of cargo
space.
• Positioning vs. competitors: safety/convenience versus luxury (Porsche), affordability (Toyota), high
technology (Tesla), performance (BMW), or sportiness (Jeep).
• Customer/society benefit: after-sales services, regulatory compliance.
• Organizational viability: cost-efficiency, brand reputation, fair working conditions, innovativeness,
market intelligence.
These run as iterative and continual marketing activities via the 4Ps (and beyond).
What is International Marketing?
AMA definition: "International Marketing is the multinational process of planning and executing the
conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that
satisfy individual and organizational objectives."
Key points on the multinational focus:
• It is marketing with the added consideration of creating, communicating, and delivering value to
customers beyond your own home country.
• Offering products/services in more than one country; operations may also be in more than one
country.
• International marketing is not limited to simply exporting products.
Why Go International?
Potential reasons firms expand abroad:
• An already saturated home market.
• Tap into growing markets.
• Diversify revenue sources.
• Leverage your country's and organization's global advantages.
• Brand image benefits — even for customers in the home country.
Illustrative example — Aesop (skin, hair, and body care company shown in the slides): "upmarket" brand
image oriented around minimalism and order; founded in Melbourne in 1987; expanded to over 235
stores globally (incl. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht); recent focus on Asian expansion; bought by
L'Oréal in 2023; now worth $2.5bn USD globally. Store photos (Melbourne, New York, Amsterdam, Kyoto)
illustrate consistent global brand presence.
Page 6
