INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

MID TERMS EXAMS

TOTAL MARKS 30
DATE: 19th November 2020

INSTRUCTIONS:
ATTEMPT 3 OUT OF 4 QUESTIONS. EACH QUESTION CARRIES 10 MARKS? 30 MARKS

Question No.1

Case 1.2: Medical Vacation: The Globalization of Health Care Pg.43

Points to Consider

Evaluate the appropriateness of the concept of ‘medical vacation’ as well as the concept of
providing health care in a luxury setting. Is medical care a culture-free product in the sense that
medical treatment is universal regardless of cultures? Should culture be taken into consideration
when treating and marketing to patients from the different parts of the world? What part of the
hospital's marketing mix can be standardized, and what part should be adapted? Should premium
health care be offered to those who can afford the high prices?
Question 2-
QUESTION 3:

Language of color:
Flowers and colors have their own language and meaning. Preferences for particular colors are
determined by culture. Because of custom and taboo, some colors are viewed negatively. A color deemed
positive and acceptable in one culture may be inappropriate in another. According to FTD and Interflora
Inc. which send flowers by wire to some 140 countries, the color red is used to cast spells in Mexico, and
a white bouquet is necessary to lift the spell. In Spain, red roses are associated more with lust than with
love. In France, a dozen as well as thirteen yellow roses are inappropriate: yellow suggests infidelity, and
cut flowers by the dozen or any other even number are unlucky. Both the color yellow and the number
thirteen are also inappropriate in Latin America where yellow is associated with death rather than with
infidelity. In Italy, roses serve as tokens of affection when they are sent in odd numbers to women. In
Japan, on the other hand, men are on the receiving end of Valentine’s Day. Since a sixteen-petal
chrysanthemum is used in the imperial family crest, any other use is disrespectful. Swiss women do not
want flowers with strong scents. To Swedish women, a cactus signals the end of a romance.

Other than flowers, colors by themselves have special meaning. Yellow is associated with disease in Africa.
White is an appropriate color for a wedding gown in the USA, yet white is used alternately with black for
mourning in India, Hong Kong, and Japan. Americans see red when they are angry, but red is a lucky color
for the Chinese. It is customary for the Chinese to put money in red envelopes as gifts for employees and
children on special occasions, especially on the Chinese New Year’s Day. Using the Lusher color test, a
group of researchers asked Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and American respondents about which color they
associated with certain words (e.g., expensive, happy, love, and dependable), countries (e.g., Italy,
France), institutions (e.g., restaurants, theaters), and product packages (e.g., soft drink label, box of
headache remedy). Some colors appear to show cross-cultural consistency. Such colors as purple and gray,
however, hold opposite meanings in different cultures.

Marketing managers should be careful when using certain colors since their products because using the
wrong color can make or break a deal. A manufacturer of medical systems lost a large order for CAT
(computerized axial tomography) scanners in one Middle Eastern country due to the whiteness of the
equipment. Parker’s white pens did not fare well in China, where white is the color of mourning. Its green
pens suffered the same fate in India, where green is associated with bad luck.

Q3. Do certain colors have universal connotations, or are their meanings unique to a
particular country or region? Pick a few primary colors and show them to people from
your country and gauge their reactions. In particular, identify the colors that have
negative meanings in the culture in question.
QUESTION 4:
Some managers of McDonald’s, buoyed up by the success in Asia and Moscow, want to “McDonaldize”
the world. Discuss the implications of this statement. Should McDonald’s try to standardize its product
mix? What aspects of McDonald’s are universal and thus can be exported to other countries? Should
the company introduce into the USA the products that are successful in Europe and Asia?