IBV · Fachoberschule Bayern · Year 13 · NEW LehrplanPLUS
valid from 2028/29approx. 40 lessonsbilingualBritish EnglishUNTERNEHMER AG
All content follows the official LehrplanPLUS Bayern.
Making strategic decisions for an international company
International marketing is not simply about translating an advert. A company must decide how internationally integrated or locally adapted it wants to be, understand customer needs in different markets and turn this orientation into consistent product, pricing and communication decisions. Sustainability claims must also be supported by evidence rather than becoming greenwashing.
Contents
- EPRG strategic orientation
- Ethnocentric approach
- Polycentric approach
- Regiocentric approach
- Geocentric approach
- EPRG comparison
- Market research
- Customer needs
- Hofstede
- Critical use of cultural models
- Product policy
- Product design
- Brand name
- Number of product lines
- Pricing policy
- Regional pricing
- Payment terms
- Communication policy
- Advertising
- Sustainability
- ESRS Environmental
- Greenwashing
- Authentic sources
- Corporate and consumer responsibility
- Integrated case
- Exam training
1. Strategic starting point: standardise or adapt?
International companies face a fundamental tension: transfer a successful home-market concept abroad or adapt it to local conditions. Standardisation may reduce complexity and strengthen a consistent identity. Adaptation may improve customer fit but increase costs and organisational complexity.
2. Perlmutter’s EPRG model
The EPRG model distinguishes four international orientations: ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric and geocentric. It is the strategic frame for the marketing decisions that follow.
3. Ethnocentric approach
The home market is the central reference point. Products, management ideas and marketing concepts developed at home are transferred abroad with limited adaptation.
| Strengths | Risks |
|---|---|
| consistent brand; lower adaptation costs; easier central control; transfer of proven know-how | local needs may be underestimated; cultural differences ignored; communication may not fit |
4. Polycentric approach
Each national market is treated as distinct. Local units receive substantial scope to adapt marketing to national customer needs and cultural conditions.
| Strengths | Risks |
|---|---|
| strong local fit; local knowledge; customer proximity | duplication; higher complexity; fragmented brand identity; fewer synergies |
5. Regiocentric approach
Countries are grouped into meaningful regions. Similarities within a region create synergies while differences between regions are respected.
6. Geocentric approach
The world is viewed as an integrated market and the company searches globally for the best solutions. This does not mean “identical everywhere”: a global core may coexist with evidence-based local adaptation.
7. EPRG comparison
| Criterion | Ethnocentric | Polycentric | Regiocentric | Geocentric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference point | home country | host country | region | worldwide system |
| Adaptation | rather low | high | regional | evidence-based mix |
| Coordination | central | decentralised | regional | globally integrated |
| Risk | home-market bias | fragmentation | regional silos | coordination complexity |
8. Strategic choice – UNTERNEHMER AG
| Market | Research signal | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| EU | similar technical standards; strong sustainability expectations | regional synergies possible |
| USA | different buying process and payment expectations | pricing/communication adaptation |
| Japan | different service and communication expectations | local research particularly important |
9. International market research
The curriculum explicitly requires market research to analyse customer needs. Research bridges EPRG strategy and concrete marketing decisions.
Evidence may come from surveys, interviews, observations, sales data, complaints, distributors, competitor analysis and reliable secondary sources. The method must fit the decision problem.
10. Analysing customer needs
| Need | Evidence | Marketing consequence |
|---|---|---|
| reliability | downtime is a major purchase criterion | service package and reliability proof |
| low operating cost | customers focus on total cost | efficiency-oriented design/message |
| flexible financing | longer payment periods requested | adapt terms after risk assessment |
| environmental performance | customers demand emissions/recycling data | evidence-based sustainability information |
11. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
LehrplanPLUS requires the incorporation of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. They can help formulate hypotheses about cultural differences but must not replace market research.
| Dimension | Marketing question |
|---|---|
| Power Distance | How strongly are hierarchy and status accepted or expected? |
| Individualism | Individual benefit or group belonging? |
| Masculinity | Achievement/competition or care/quality-of-life emphasis? |
| Uncertainty Avoidance | How important are rules, guarantees and risk reduction? |
| Long-Term Orientation | How strongly do long-term benefits matter? |
| Indulgence | How may gratification/restraint tendencies differ? |
12. Using cultural models critically
Country-level scores describe broad statistical tendencies, not individuals. A strong analysis combines cultural frameworks with current target-group-specific evidence.
Didaktischer Hinweis: Hofstede ist verbindlicher Lehrplanstoff, aber kein Werkzeug für stereotype Aussagen über einzelne Menschen.
13. From strategy to marketing concept
The curriculum focuses on product policy, pricing policy and communication policy. All three must fit the EPRG orientation and market evidence.
14. Product policy
The official content explicitly names product design, brand name and number of product lines. The central question is which elements create value through standardisation and which require adaptation.
15. Product design
| Element | Standardisation argument | Adaptation argument |
|---|---|---|
| technical core | scale economies, quality control | different standards/use conditions |
| interface | consistent experience | language/local workflow |
| documentation | lower complexity | legal/customer requirements |
16. Brand name
A brand name may be globally consistent or locally adapted. Companies should research pronunciation, meaning, legal availability and cultural associations before transferring it.
17. Number of product lines
A narrow global range can reduce complexity; additional local or regional lines can improve market fit. The benefit of differentiation must justify extra development, inventory, training and communication costs.
18. Pricing policy
Pricing must fit costs, competition, customer value, positioning and strategy. LehrplanPLUS explicitly names regional pricing and payment terms.
19. Regional pricing
| Factor | Possible effect |
|---|---|
| competition | limits or expands pricing power |
| willingness to pay | influences acceptable price |
| service/logistics | changes cost base |
| currency exposure | changes home-currency revenue risk |
| positioning | supports premium/value logic |
20. Payment terms
Longer payment periods may support sales but tie up capital and increase credit risk. Advance payment reduces seller risk but may be less attractive to customers.
| Term | Customer | UNTERNEHMER AG |
|---|---|---|
| advance payment | high cash burden | low receivables risk |
| 30 days | moderate benefit | moderate tie-up |
| 90 days | strong financing benefit | higher tie-up/default exposure |
21. Communication policy and advertising
International advertising must fit strategy, research and cultural context. A company may preserve a global brand promise while adapting execution, language, examples or channels.
| Element | Possible global core | Possible adaptation |
|---|---|---|
| brand promise | reliability/efficiency | emphasis by researched needs |
| visual identity | logo/layout principles | imagery/examples |
| language | core terminology | translation/transcreation |
| evidence | verified performance | locally relevant proof points |
22. Strategic consistency
A marketing concept is weak if its individual decisions contradict one another. A premium product with a low-price message, a globally integrated strategy with unrelated national brands, or a sustainability claim without evidence can undermine the concept.
23. Sustainability in marketing
The curriculum requires students to discuss the significance of sustainability in marketing using authentic sources. Sustainability can affect product design, brand positioning, purchase decisions and reputation. It also creates a responsibility to communicate accurately.
24. Environmental within ESRS
LehrplanPLUS explicitly names the Environmental dimension within the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, including examples such as emissions of pollutants, recycling rates and use of hazardous substances. Such data can provide evidence for marketing decisions.
| Environmental information | Marketing relevance | Critical question |
|---|---|---|
| pollutant emissions | environmental performance | What exactly is measured and compared? |
| recycling rate | circularity/resource claim | Product, packaging or process? |
| hazardous substances | safety/environment positioning | Has use actually fallen, and by what metric? |
25. Sustainability versus greenwashing
Greenwashing is the risk that environmental communication creates a misleadingly positive impression not adequately supported by facts. The decisive issue is the gap between claim and evidence.
| Weak claim | Problem | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| “100% green” | vague and absolute | state measured improvement and scope |
| “eco-friendly packaging” | unclear criterion | state recycled content/recyclability and basis |
| “clean production” | undefined comparison | identify metric, period and baseline |
26. Working with authentic sources
Authentic sources may include sustainability reports, ESRS-related disclosures, product documentation, verified environmental data, consumer research, official statistics or reputable market studies. Students should distinguish source, claim, evidence and interpretation.
27. Corporate and consumer responsibility
The curriculum connects sustainability marketing with the social responsibility of companies and consumers. Companies are responsible for truthful, comprehensible communication and the consequences of decisions. Consumers influence markets through demand, but informed choice depends on reliable information.
28. Integrated international launch case
Management receives the following model data:
| Evidence | Europe | North America | East Asia |
|---|---|---|---|
| energy cost priority | high | medium | high |
| local service demand | medium | high | high |
| acceptance of global brand | high | high | medium |
| preferred payment period | 30 days | 60 days | 30 days |
| environmental evidence requested | very high | medium | high |
29. High-quality decision structure
1. State strategic objective.
2. Classify EPRG orientation.
3. Use market evidence.
4. Use cultural dimensions carefully.
5. Derive product, pricing and communication decisions.
6. Check sustainability evidence/greenwashing risk.
7. Evaluate trade-offs and justify the concept.
30. Typical exam mistakes
| Mistake | Better approach |
|---|---|
| EPRG merely defined | derive marketing consequences |
| “Geocentric = identical worldwide” | distinguish integration from blind standardisation |
| country stereotypes | Hofstede as hypothesis + research |
| marketing measures listed independently | check strategic consistency |
| payment terms ignored | include liquidity and credit risk |
| sustainability claim accepted at face value | require specific measurable evidence |
| ESRS confused with advertising | use reporting information as evidence/input |
31. Exam training
32. Learning area at a glance
| Curriculum block | Competence |
|---|---|
| EPRG | explain and apply ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric and geocentric approaches |
| Market research | analyse customer needs |
| Culture | incorporate Hofstede critically |
| Product | product design, brand name, number of product lines |
| Pricing | regional pricing, payment terms |
| Communication | advertising consistent with strategy/evidence |
| Sustainability | discuss using authentic sources |
| ESRS Environmental | pollutants, recycling rates, hazardous substances |
| Greenwashing | compare claim and evidence |
| Responsibility | companies and consumers |
✏️ Practise with the task generator
Generate tasks on EPRG, international market research, Hofstede, product, pricing and communication policy, sustainability, ESRS evidence and greenwashing – aligned with IBV 13.