The increasing globalisation of markets and competition drives the strategic approach towards international marketing programmes to the very heart of corporate success in the beginning of the 21st century. More than ever, the marketing manager of today has to permanently balance the potential advantages of an international marketing standardisation and the benefits gained by an adaptation to local preferences. Therefore, this book aims not only at providing a strong theoretical background of key concepts, past notions and the latest developments in the international marketing debate. Instead, it also focuses on key factors which determine an adequate international marketing strategy with regard to consumer goods, industrial goods and services. Thus, this study elaborates on crucial aspects applying to international marketing managers facing global competition by analysing empirically the marketing approach chosen by the 500 largest German companies by turn-over which represent to quite some extent one of the most successful and internationally-orientated economy in the world.
