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Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries

This research study explored how multinational enterprises (MNEs) adapt their marketing strategies to the level of cultural distance in their host countries. The research topic is relevant today as companies continue to expand their reach and enter countries which may have a high level of cultural d...

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Main Author: Mdladla, Ntandokayise
Other Authors: Luiz, John
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Graduate School of Business (GSB) 2024
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access_status_str Open Access
author Mdladla, Ntandokayise
author2 Luiz, John
author_browse Luiz, John
Mdladla, Ntandokayise
author_facet Luiz, John
Mdladla, Ntandokayise
author_sort Mdladla, Ntandokayise
collection Thesis
description This research study explored how multinational enterprises (MNEs) adapt their marketing strategies to the level of cultural distance in their host countries. The research topic is relevant today as companies continue to expand their reach and enter countries which may have a high level of cultural distance compared to the home country. The research explored the marketing strategies of MNEs, for instance how different organisational communication structures such as a centralised and decentralised approach can impact the marketing communications of a company and their adaptation to different levels of cultural distance in host countries. To gain a more in-depth understanding, a qualitative and exploratory research was undertaken, and the case study approach was selected in analysing an advertising campaign in West Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts within the marketing industry and employees within an MNE. The findings showed certain themes that came up in relation to the topic as found through the interviews. These included the generational difference in views on culturally or racially insensitive advertisements, how social media has possibly fuelled sensitivity to such advertisements, how the composition of the team could impact a company's ability to adapt to countries with a high level of cultural distance, and how the organisational structure of a company can impact the marketing communications of the company. It was found that a company's ability to adapt their marketing strategies to countries with a high level of cultural distance is also dependent on many factors, as identified in the themes previously listed, and to look at just the cultural distance in the Hofstede's model in isolation may prove more as a way an MNE may start to understand the impact of cultural distance and not an overall way in which to understand its impact on the marketing strategies. Culture distance is a topic that shall remain relevant to businesses that continue to expand their operations into different countries of the world. Therefore, this research explored how MNEs can adapt to the level of cultural distance and its role in their marketing strategies
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:47:50.408Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher Graduate School of Business (GSB)
publisherStr Graduate School of Business (GSB)
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39740 Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries Mdladla, Ntandokayise Luiz, John International Management This research study explored how multinational enterprises (MNEs) adapt their marketing strategies to the level of cultural distance in their host countries. The research topic is relevant today as companies continue to expand their reach and enter countries which may have a high level of cultural distance compared to the home country. The research explored the marketing strategies of MNEs, for instance how different organisational communication structures such as a centralised and decentralised approach can impact the marketing communications of a company and their adaptation to different levels of cultural distance in host countries. To gain a more in-depth understanding, a qualitative and exploratory research was undertaken, and the case study approach was selected in analysing an advertising campaign in West Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts within the marketing industry and employees within an MNE. The findings showed certain themes that came up in relation to the topic as found through the interviews. These included the generational difference in views on culturally or racially insensitive advertisements, how social media has possibly fuelled sensitivity to such advertisements, how the composition of the team could impact a company's ability to adapt to countries with a high level of cultural distance, and how the organisational structure of a company can impact the marketing communications of the company. It was found that a company's ability to adapt their marketing strategies to countries with a high level of cultural distance is also dependent on many factors, as identified in the themes previously listed, and to look at just the cultural distance in the Hofstede's model in isolation may prove more as a way an MNE may start to understand the impact of cultural distance and not an overall way in which to understand its impact on the marketing strategies. Culture distance is a topic that shall remain relevant to businesses that continue to expand their operations into different countries of the world. Therefore, this research explored how MNEs can adapt to the level of cultural distance and its role in their marketing strategies 2024-05-28T10:07:36Z 2024-05-28T10:07:36Z 2023 2024-05-28T10:01:57Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Master of Management http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39740 eng application/pdf Graduate School of Business (GSB) Faculty of Commerce
spellingShingle International Management
Mdladla, Ntandokayise
Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
title_full Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
title_fullStr Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
title_full_unstemmed Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
title_short Marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
title_sort marketing strategies of multinational enterprises and their adaption to culturally distant host countries
topic International Management
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39740
work_keys_str_mv AT mdladlantandokayise marketingstrategiesofmultinationalenterprisesandtheiradaptiontoculturallydistanthostcountries