International Marketing Training Program - Essay Example

As revealed from the Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, international marketing “occurs when firms plan and conduct transactions across international borders in order to satisfy the objectives of both consumers and the firm” (1). Obviously, as a global organization where our operations have been expanding in various countries all over the world, the strategies that were previously applied in our domestic markets are not sufficient and applicable in global settings. Accordingly, “unique environmental factors that need to be explored by firm managers before going global include trade systems, economic conditions, political-legal systems, and cultural conditions” (Encyclopedia of Business and Finance 1).

These factors are macro-environmental factors that impinge on the performance of global organizations as they impact the host countries’ operations. For instance, trade systems encompass “regulations and restrictions include tariffs, quotas, embargoes, exchange controls, and nontariff trade barriers” (Encyclopedia of Business and Finance 1). Economic factors consider “industrial structure and income distribution. Industrial structure refers to how well developed a country's infrastructure is, while income distribution refers to how income is distributed among its citizens” (Encyclopedia of Business and Finance 1).

Politico-legal factors take into account the prevailing government structure, laws, policies and regulations, status of stability and impending threats. Finally, and equally important are cultural factors that include familiarity with the language, customs and traditions, values, and dimensions that affect practising business in host countries.The rationale for IM TrainingJust like any other objective for training and development programs, specialized training for IM would prepare and enhance the skills, knowledge and abilities of all personnel on trading within an international scope.

As emphasized in Education Center Online, “the "5 Ps" of marketing are still valid however the international marketing professional needs to think about local customs, mores, traditions or religious connotations of everything he or she does” (Education Center Online 1) in additional of increasing awareness in other macro-environmental factors that have been previously identified that would influence and impact the organization’s performance.For global organizations like ours that are continuously searching for other countries to expand their operations, more than IM training is required for all personnel to acquaint themselves with diversity in culture, to address threats and barriers to entry, and to increase our competitive advantage in the global scene.

Advantages of IM TrainingFrom among the advantages that current personnel would gain from being trained on international marketing, the following are prominent: Enhanced awareness in cultural diversity and the dimensions that influence business practices; Increases global competencies in complying with responsibilities with wider international perspectives; Significantly improve the accuracy of training and development needs of all personnel on a global scale; The development programs would ensure the delivery of comprehensive and detailed marketing strategies for individuals, groups, and departments and thereby assist in the effective achievement of defined goals; Identify methods and processes to be improved in terms of addressing the human resources needs and demands of host countries and be able to address these needs accordingly; Significantly improve performance and productivity of personnel through increased motivation accorded by training and development programs.

Costs of Not Training in IMShould the organization deem that training in IT would be costly, one must realize that not training in IM would be more detrimental for the organization in terms of potentially experiencing the following: High employee turnover: If personnel become demotivated from not being able to perform according to the expanded requirements and responsibilities of their job, there would be increased tendencies for resignation and low performance. High recruitment cost: Looking for qualified personnel to replace those who resign are most costly, time-consuming and tedious.

 High training costs: The costs to train new personnel are greater than training current qualified people to assume expanded responsibilities in a global market. Low productivity: Not training current personnel would not equip them to apply marketing strategies in international markets, and would therefore result in low productivity and performance. Low financial returns: Low productivity and performance lead to decreased financial returns and the inability to compete appropriately and effectively in international markets.

Given the brief description of what IM entails, the rationale for training personnel in IM, the benefits to be gained from training and development programs and the costs of not training them in IM, it is effectively justified that our organization should seriously consider conducting training and development programs for all personnel to expand understanding and competencies in the global sphere. Your immediate and positive response is therefore highly appreciated.