MSc International Management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

MSc International centering - Dissertation ExampleCultural diversity is a trend in the age of globalization. Meanwhile, the demand for situate products is growing. Adaptation is one innovation that global organizations have to apply in their merchandise strategies to adjust to heathenish differences. McDonalds UK is the main focus in our study of standardization and adaptation. McDonalds originally came from the United States. When it penetrates impertinent markets, it has to adapt to the cultures of the country of destination. This is what they call adaptation, as opposed to standardization of products. McDonalds UK suffered rough sailing in the initial stages. Later on, it adapted strategies. How the company did it is a test of the companys desire to break through is the primary focus of this paper. There are criticisms that McDonalds do not apply diversity in its marketing strategy and that as an world(prenominal) organization, it is an agent of globalization. Adaptation is coping with a culture of a country where an organization operates. If an organization wants to do business in a country with a various culture, it has to adapt. It always has to cope with the local culture. Cross-cultural aspects affect the people in the organization, including organizational knowledge, marketing, product mix, etcetera International organizations have their own way of doing foreign marketing. Some modify a little of their products and strategies, or adapt to the culture and behavior of the local community. 2. Literature Review A remarkable gap surrounded by standardization and adaptation is that it is still one of the controversial issues and has always been a subject of flip over among international companies since 1961 (Vignali and Vrontis 1999 Elinder, 1961 cited in Vrontis et al., 2009). To date, international companies still battle over which one to choose. There have been numerous studies conducted on these two subjects but it remains a hot topic for dis cussion (Vrontis et al., 2009). Vignali and Vrontis (1999 cited in Vrontis et al., 2009) stated that the debate started as far back as 1961 when advertising was one of the primary topics. Multinational companies wanted to regulate advertising, and to further apply it to other promotional mix and marketing mix. Until now the debate whether to standardize marketing (or to adapt new products) remains a focal point for discussion (Schultz and Kitchen, 2000 Kanso and Kitchen, 2004 Kitchen and de Pelsmacker, 2004 Vrontis et al., 2009). Ryans et al. (2003 cited in Vrontis et al., 2009, p. 478) pointed out that pedantic research on this subject has covered much of the literature on marketing. They pointed out that because of globalization, there has been a surplus of exports over imports, prompting international companies to minimize cost of production. However, firms realized that it was necessary to answer or meet the needs and wants of consumers. Meeting the needs and wants of customer s is a primary marketing strategy of international companies nowadays. A study was conducted by Hite and Fraser in 1988 on whether firms used standardization or adaptation in their international trade and business throughout many countries. The study utilized a sample of 418 Fortune calciferol companies, and the findings were varied and, in fact, surprising. The respondents comprised of 66 percent international firms who advertised internationally, but of this percentage, only 8