Cross‐cultural marketing strategies for delivering knowledge‐based services in a borderless world: the case of management education

Abstract

Purpose -Knowledge-based services range from accounting, engineering, and management consulting to educational services. This paper seeks to explore the nature of management education services and to discuss how business schools can employ cross-cultural product-market strategies to enter and serve foreign markets with programs that match the needs of the targeted markets. Design/methodology/approach -A framework is presented for delivering management education services across borders. Hofstede's cultural dimensions are integrated in recognizing the cultural characteristics of a target country and differing learning styles of students in making market entry decisions and the pedagogical styles that might apply to specific target markets. Findings -In seeking new globally diverse markets, providers of knowledge-intensive services such as management education must craft marketing strategies that recognize consumer demand and consumption characteristics as well as service design and delivery options that fit market needs. Research limitations/implications -Global expansion of management education services and the strategic and tactical considerations that are introduced in the framework can provide a fertile field for empirical research. Practical implications -The paper develops cross-cultural "product-market" strategies that business schools can consider in serving international markets, with product defined as the curriculum, instructional style, and all of the ancillary services that constitute the educational service experience. Generalizability of the findings to other knowledge-based services is also discussed. Originality/value -The conceptual framework recognizes a dominant theme in international business, suggesting that internationalization potential depends on service industry characteristics and on specific host country internationalization drivers.

Marketing Services Globally: A Fourfold Typology

“…In terms of theory, the theme of thinking globally, but acting locally and managing regionally has received a lot of attention (Javalgi, Joseph, & LaRosa, 2009).…”

Concept analysis of “cross-cultural marketing”: an exploration

“…This lack of consistency points to a lack of consensus among scholars on the definition, usefulness, and application of these ideas. For example, while scholars used attributes identified by Hofstede (1983Hofstede ( , 1984Hofstede ( , 1991Hofstede ( , 2001 as indications of cultural differences, they did not consistently use all of Hofstede's attributes , 2011bFranklin & Wilton, 2003;Javalgi et al, 2009;Mai, 2003;Malhotra et al, 1996;Rao, 2003;Rugimbana & Keating, 2003).…”

“…Communication was discussed in 57.7% of the CCM literature (a defining attribute) and "is central to all marketing activities" (Hermeking, 2006, p. 199). Aspects of communication in CMM include the issue of linguistic equivalence in market research, where issues of incorrect or incomplete translation can impact the validity of research results Javalgi et al, 2009;Kragh & Djurssa, 2001;Mai, 2003;Rao, 2003;Rugimbana & Keating, 2003;Zhou et al, 2005Product 14 Bhalla & Lin, 1987Graham, 1985;Javalgi et al, 2009;Kragh & Djurssa, 2001;Mai, 2003;Rugimbana & Keating, 2003;Zhou et al, 2005MARKET RESEARCH 15 Bhalla & Lin, 1987Mai, 2003;Malhotra et al, 1996;Walton et al, 2008 J.M. Mower et al 10 ; communication is also critical to branding .…”

A Service Perspective on the Marketization of Undergraduate Education

“…Related to education as a service product, this helps explain the movement away from a traditional emphasis on broad-based learning in education toward one focusing on relevance, engagement, and the quality of service delivery (as typically expressed through student satisfaction) within academic institutions. Javalgi, Joseph, and LaRosa (2009) assert that knowledge-intensive services such as higher education must consider the needs of the market when developing marketing strategies based on consumer demand, consumption preferences, and design and delivery options. Unfortunately, Forbes and Ng (2009) suggest that academic institutions typically have a poor understanding of marketing practices, even as they increasingly attempt to implement tactics for encouraging admissions and student satisfaction (hence the focus on "relevance").…”