Macroeconomic Conditions and International Marketing Management

Defines the milieu in which marketing actions are shaped and implemented, selectively surveys the knowledge base that underlies such actions, and suggests unique research opportunities to enhance both knowledge and action. Macroeconomic conditions materially influence managerial decisions regarding entry, maintenance and expansion strategies at regional, national and international levels. Such conditions include interest rates, trade deficits, savings and unemployment rates, foreign debt ratios, consumer and industrial spending ratios, and public sector expenditure ratios for economic,social and military endeavours. Successful competitive strategies during the 1990s will necessarily emphasize the development of approaches to“pro‐position” and/or “reposition” marketing strategies with regard to shifting macroeconomic conditions. Current theory and strategies are inadequate to the tasks of confronting these shifts or identifying their presence in a timely fashion. Rapid transformations of many national macroeconomic systems have compounded these challenges, placing insatiable demands upon an enterprise′s information resources necessary to support “appropriate”marketing actions. Outside the enterprise, strategic alliances with multinational customers or even competitors may be the most creative approach to managing changing macro‐economic environments.