International Marketing in a Global

¶ … International Marketing in a Global Environment: Examples from the Proportion of Immigrants in the Society

The paper will be organized so as to present firstly an overview of the international marketing generally. The study will then explore and summarize how international marketing strategies can be explored in an international context with a focus on the cultural challenges that exist in Dublin, Ireland. This will be thoroughly augmented with a methodological approach that uses statistical (albeit limited due to the sample size) techniques to analyse responses on a survey, qualitative analyses will also be employed. The discussion and findings will concentrate on the assumptions and actions defined within previous sections of the paper that will be integrated with the survey results so as to get a clear understanding of the impact of international marketing applicability in certain international environments with the sample from proportion of immigrants in the Dublin's society. Overall, the results show that the dynamics of international marketing although applicable within the international marketing context can have its impact minimized based on certain cultural dimensions. The sample from proportion of immigrants in the society showed that database marketing was not applicable and was hardly used within the global context. The interviews were used within the methodology since they provide the necessary data and preliminary analysis that would help to formulate a useful model to explore and answer the research questions. The interviews were used to formulate the questionnaire to test for content validity and applicability to the research questions Also, the applicability of international marketing in based on the proportion of immigrants in the society an sample faced serious limitations due to the culture of the region but was still being implemented in many organizations.

Submitted by John Brown

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract

i

Table of Contents

ii-iii

List of Illustrations

iv

1. Introduction

1-3

1.1

Statement of Problem

3-4

1.2 Research Questions

4-5

1.4 Purpose of Study

5-7

2. Review of Literature

7-8

2.1 Impact of Culture on Direct/Database Marketing: An

International Marketing Context

8-11

2.2 Proportion of immigrants in the Society & International Marketing: A Cultural Context

11-16

2.3 International Marketing: The Business Sector and the Immigrant Population

16-20

3. Methodology

20-23

4. Results

23-29

5. Appendices

5.1 Appendix I: Questionnaire

30-32

5.2 Interview Guidelines

33-34

6. References

35-39

List of Illustrations

Table 1:

Types of Direct Marketing

page 16

Figure 1:

Business Type

page 23

Figure 2:

Database Marketing

page 24

Figure 3:

Direct Marketing

page 24

Table 2:

Culture & Direct Marketing

page 25

Figure 4:

Direct Marketing Strategies

page 26

Table 3:

International Applicability of Direct Marketing

page 26

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

International marketing has been widespread and has been implemented in many organisations, (Hochhauser 2007). This paper will concentrate on applying international marketing across different cultures with a concentration on the challenges that ensue as this is done. The research will use small and medium sized enterprise (firms in Dublin, Ireland) as a direct organizational platform to understanding how international marketing affects the operations of these firms, within a global context. The research hypothesis will be tested via the business sector in proportion of immigrants in the society as measurement criteria with a questionnaire and interviews that were distributed to different firms in the region. This methodological approach is similar to other papers that examined internationalization motives and facilitating factors in the marketing segment, (Hutchinson et al. 2007).

The theoretical construct will be based on understanding how cultural challenges affect the operations of international marketing, so as to get through criteria of how to apply international marketing across cultures. The proportion of immigrants in the society was chosen as the primary analytical framework because of its political and economic structure as it applies to current trends in Dublin, Ireland. That is, the research was designed not to be descriptive and reiterate international marketing in conventional sectors, but to show how the strategies employed could be beneficial to a sector such as the business industry and to examine how universal the strategies employed in international marketing are. Hence the research focus will be descriptive as well as analytical as the exploration is devised to understand the rudiments of international marketing within the country specific framework for proportion of immigrants in the Dublin society. More importantly the analysis will be also use the firms in Dublin, Ireland as an organizational framework to integrate the study and to understand the role of firms in Dublin, Ireland in an environment that utilizes international marketing for increased sales and competitiveness.

The paper will be organized so as to present firstly an overview of the international marketing generally. The study will then explore and summarize how international marketing strategies can be explored in an international context with a focus on the cultural challenges that exist. This will be thoroughly augmented with a methodological approach that uses statistical (albeit limited due to the sample size) techniques to analyse responses on a survey, qualitative analyses will also be employed. The discussion and findings will concentrate on the assumptions and actions defined within previous sections of the paper that will be integrated with the survey results so as to get a clear understanding of the impact of international marketing applicability in certain international environments with the sample from proportion of immigrants in the society's business sector.

Hettinger (1992) argues that understanding different types of marketing strategies, especially international marketing from an international perspective requires the use of formal cultural theoretical constructs and an examination in an environment that offers complexity in terms of culture, economics, and political practices, hence the paper will concentrate on using proportion of immigrants in the society as a comparative construct for the analysis within the paper.

This study may be useful in understanding the impact of international marketing in the international context especially as it relates to challenges that ensue to differences in culture and how this affects other areas of the economy, (Hettinger 1992).

The objective of the paper is to:-

1. Understand the strategies and goals of international marketing from a cultural perspective.

2. Investigate how international marketing can be applied within a cultural framework model, using Hofstede's analysis as a measurable platform.

3. To propose evidence-based international marketing strategies and its applicability in an international context, using firms in Dublin, Ireland with the proportion of immigrants in the society's sector as the methodological framework.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Direct marketing campaigns are ideal for businesses that have a lot of knowledge about the customers, (Wheaton 2007). It is essential that the business understands that measuring purchasing behaviour and using these results for advertising and designing future communications with customers is critical to the overall process. "Direct marketing is an interactive system of marketing which uses one or more advertising media to affect a measurable response and/or transaction at any location," (Lumpkin et al. 1989).

Database marketing is a customer-based, information-intensive, and long-term oriented marketing method, (Jackson and Wang 1994). The idea behind database marketing is that it links information related to the customers including purchasing transactions, products purchased, promotions, media, geodeomographics, lifestyles, demographics, and financial characteristics to guide ongoing marketing efforts.

It is clear that international marketing is expansive and extremely useful in a myriad of environments -- however, there has been limited examinations of how cultural differences affect the strategies employed or the differences that ensue in an international framework, (Ojala and Tyravinen 2007). This paper will focus specifically on this specialized area.

The importance of this study is based on the fact that international marketing are strategies that will be affected by culture and oftentimes have to change scope due when being applied within a global context, (Tan et al. 2006). As such issues relating to marketing strategies that affect the sector have to be examined and explored so as to gain an understanding of how the changes in marketing, technology, and business strategies affect important sectors such as the business sector in proportion of immigrants in the society.

RESEARCH QUESTION(S)

The following research questions will provide a guide for this study.

1) What are the challenges that are faced when international marketing strategies are applied within a framework that has a high proportion of immigrants in the society?

2) How does international marketing apply across different?

It is assumed that the researcher includes information from firms within the business sector so that the research questions can be directly addressed. The basic purpose of this study is to investigate the application of international marketing. The theoretical frameworks to testing the hypotheses are international marketing and direct/database marketing in an international context. International marketing research from Ojala and Tyravinen (2007) as well as Hutchinson et al. (2007) have explored aspects of the research question above but the combination of the different organizational, economic, and business strategies has not been addressed in a single study as such this paper will concentrate on using research from previous literature and augmenting the current methodological approach with information from the survey that is analyzed in the methodological section.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The focus of this research on international marketing and its applicability in an international context is the main contribution of this study. The addition to the literature is using the cultural framework of proportion of immigrants in the society to understand how cultural differences affect the applicability of international marketing. That is, the paper will expand on other international marketing papers to present a wider look at how international marketing differs form other countries. The study also refines the analytical framework by exploring firms in Dublin, Ireland in the business sector -- the sample as chosen from this population to get the unique perspective of these firms. How are modern business strategies that use direct marketing tools and new technological processes affecting specific sectors in the society? Also, what is the role of firms in Dublin, Ireland as it relates to the immigrant population? These are some of the major questions that will be answered as the literature framework is developed to directly analyze the two main hypotheses above.

This research is a necessary addition to the literature since it will examine a rather profound issue, the influence of international marketing on business activities and provide a clear understanding of the impact of culture on direct marketing within an international context. The overall methodology employed will not be opinion-based nor will it be a position paper, but with the use of content analysis on the literature as well as sample of businesses in proportion of immigrants in the society's business sector, the paper will provide a clear analysis that is scientific in nature and will be used to test the research questions related to the impact of international marketing the business sector in proportion of immigrants in the society.

Research on such a micro level of business strategies that is specific to a particular sector within a particular country will be infrequent but useful since it will use more general theories to explore more specific markets and sectors which can produce some insightful results. Specifically the application of direct marketing and database marketing in proportion of immigrants in the society within an international marketing context.

The following major issues within the literature also provided a guide for this study.

1) What are the major arguments presented within the literature that highlights the applicability of international marketing within an international market?

2) What is the role of international marketing; especially for proportion of immigrants in the society's firms in Dublin, Ireland?

3) How can these can international marketing techniques be instituted across different cultures?

These business issues are expansive and will provide a thorough analysis of the general framework for the research issue -- the impact of international marketing on firms in Dublin, Ireland in the business sector. In addition, the research questions will provide an analysis on the nature and composition of firms in Dublin. However the main purpose to provide a clear understanding of the applicability of direct/database marketing for proportion of immigrants in the society's firms in Dublin, Ireland within an international context and the role of cultural differences within the overall framework.

SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

There has been a plethora of work that examines the applicability of direct/database marketing within an international context. This paper will use this theoretical basis to look at the applicability of international marketing applicability with the secondary control variable related to the proportion of immigrants in the society and also analyse how culture affects both of these marketing strategies. The review of literature presented in this section will be organized as follows:-

The applicability of direct/database marketing within an international context,

An examination of the role and importance of small and medium sized enterprises (firms in Dublin, Ireland),

Communication and cultural issues within the business environment that may have an impact on the marketing process, and The innovative environment that has been provided thorough the integration of direct marketing and database marketing.

The literature is organized to present the major research related to different aspects examined within the research questions. The focus will be on major studies that examined the direct/database marketing in an international context many of which used a formal cultural model or methodology to identify the cultural challenges that affect these marketing strategies. There will also be a brief examination of the role of small and medium sized enterprises in proportion of immigrants in the society, since this can provide general overviews of international marketing, the historical context of the current analysis, as well as a methodological framework related to Hofstede's hybrid analytical exploration of business development issues.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: AN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING CONTEXT

The research question being examined is well-laden, however, the theme that will be continuously explored relates to international marketing, especially as it relates to firms in Dublin, Ireland. According to Hutchinson et al. (2007) empirical work has shown that firms in Dublin, Ireland "that have not fully exploited opportunities in the domestic market and have a strong brand identity are suited for international activity." This activity can be supported via direct or database marketing. However, there are specific aspects of international marketing that have to be addressed before it can be readily applied across different cultures -- Hutchinson et al. (2007) focused on these issues with their empirical findings to explain the role of firms in Dublin, Ireland within the international marketing realm.

The multi-case approach used by Hutchison et al. (2007) found that international marketing activities where applicable to firms in Dublin, Ireland within an international context needed to take into consideration known 'push and pull' factors. Push factors related to industry competition, economy, legislation, and the domestic situation, while the pull factors concentrated on economic and political stability in international markets and the opportunity for profits within the international markets.

Ojala and Tyravinen (2007) presented research to suggest that cultural distance was a major factor in determining international marketing strategies within the international marketing context, even firms in Dublin, Ireland also faces similar criteria. The authors found that international marketing from an international perspective allowed firms in Dublin, Ireland to expand the market by offering a large markets size and helped to shape market entry for firms.

Ojala and Tyrvainen (2007) used empirical data to show firms in Dublin, Ireland strategies for international marketing within an international context and found that cultural distance as measured by the composite Hofstede's four cultural dimensions of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity was a major determinant of market penetration and entry priority of firms in Dublin, Ireland and the use of international marketing strategies.

Closely related to the analysis of international marketing and the challenges that international marketing faces in this context is managing the global supply chain from a firm's perspective. Tan, Smith, and Saad (2003) shows that international marketing has to change when being analyzed in a global context. The analysis focused on how cultures affected strategic development and marketing in an international context. Tan, Smith and Saad (2003) used Hofstede's cultural framework with the five dimensions of culture relating to values in the workplace. Hall's classified cultures in terms of high context and low context examples and how culture variables such as relationships, communication, authority, and agreement affect marketing activities. Laurent's culture model was also used to highlight how authority, role formulation, and hierarchical systems affect how the type of marketing strategies that are implemented within a region. The authors also used classified patterns of cross-cultural business behaviour fro Guirdham's model to understand how marketing strategies are affected by different types of cultural behaviours or variables.

The framework for international marketing activities and aspects of direct marketing that was affected by cultural differences was based on the power dynamic and differences between cultures affected how marketing activities could be organized, management control differed across cultures as such techniques utilized across nations defined the differences that existed when implementing international marketing techniques, and organisational and social issues that are exacerbated by cultural differences can impact how successful marketing activities are within a global context, (Tan, Smith, and Saad 2003).

Maravelak et al. (2006) presented a model to identify the difficulties firms in Dublin, Ireland faced when trying to improve performance and enhance innovativeness especially when expanding internationally. The paper found that cultural differences were important when since they affected product, process, and management dimensions that are considered important aspects of international marketing strategies.

Usunier and Cestre (2007) performed a very useful analysis to highlight how "consumers make associations between products and countries" and found that international marketing strategies are not universal or can be implemented in all environments due to cultural differences.

Cultural dimensions such as masculinity, higher power distances, and economies that are not market economies are less likely to have success with international marketing due to infrastructural differences, (Usunier and Cestre 2007).

Hutchinson et al. (2007) found that marketing strategies across global economies is affected by cultural dimensions, more specifically it was found that brand identity, product image, market appeal, original lifestyle concept, and niche marketing opportunities are affected by cultural diversity and is facilitated in economies that were more open and could be applicable even when organizations entered foreign economies.

PROPORTION OF IMMIGRANTS IN THE SOCIETY AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: A CULTURAL CONTEXT

The proportion of immigrants in the society in Dublin has been earmarked as part of the composition that has led to the society's success and has also been at the forefront of marketing activities. This change with the society can and has alleviated some of the challenges and extend some of the opportunities for firms in Dublin, Ireland, (UNCTAD 2006). The underlying role of firms in Dublin, Ireland in relation to the proportion of immigrants in the society is related to the fact that the country's current development strategy is based on its technological status and economic prospects that are linked to its productive capacity, (Bayati and Taghavi 2007). That is, there is a need to have firms in Dublin, Ireland involved in the advanced industrial base; "as they will be a part of the innovation strategy that focuses on learning and linkages, become embedded in joint ventures that can shift the economy from production to innovation, add flexibility to the production process, create employment, strengthen local economies, and provide innovation leadership," (UNCTAD 2006).

Although this study will highlight some major aspects of development there is a need to transition from the technological aspect to the economic and social role firms in Dublin, Ireland. More specifically, firms in Dublin, Ireland play an important role in absorbing the workforce as countries make transitions from production to innovation like proportion of immigrants in the society, (Pingkan and Rachmadi 2005). These authors argue that firms in Dublin, Ireland will continue to pivot growth in the region, since these firms do not need specialized labour and can enhance entrepreneurial capabilities which acts as a major driver for economic growth and competition. Also, the diversity of firms in Dublin, Ireland usually has positive external effects on the society via employment and innovation.

These perceived benefits and the importance of firms in Dublin, Ireland in proportion of immigrants in the society was confirmed by Jafari et al. (2007), who found via regression analysis that the learning factor of immigrants in the society's was dependent on training, interactive participation of employees, flat structure in firms in Dublin, Ireland, and CEO support and commitment. These results were statistically significant, and proved that development strategies in proportion of immigrants in the society should focus on knowledge-based sectors that can gain increased competitiveness via an organization's development.

The importance of immigrants in the society stems from the fact that they provide over 8% of the jobs within the economy, are important to the manufacturing and industrial sector (who will determine economic growth strategies), and have the potential to diversify exports from the region, (UNIDO 2003).

The UNIDO study (2003), states that immigrants are becoming more important in proportion of immigrants in the society due to the fact that they are at the centre of the job creation process. That is the firms have the potential to reduce unemployment in the country by its direct linkages to productivity improvement, total quality management, and lower costs of production and increasing profits.

With a clear understanding of the role of immigrants in the society generally, then the international marketing impact on firms in Dublin, Ireland needs to be examined, (Crick et al. 1998). With immigrants in the society's diversification mandate then there is a need to develop sectors that increase non-oil exports. According to UNIDO (2003), direct marketing and database marketing have had a generic impact on firms in Dublin, Ireland via:-

Marketing advancements that have allowed communication direct interaction with the consumer base to cost less and are more efficient to market and produce goods and services; this relates directly to proportion of immigrants in the society's industrial development priorities. Firms in the society have taken advantage of the necessary economies of scale (lowering average costs) so that they can gain a competitive advantage in economy via efficient integration with marketing activities that use technology processes to create advantages.

International marketing has created new markets and have identified industries that were either neglected or non-existent. Growth and identification of competitive advantage means that emerging economies with lower wages and cost of production are effectively competing with traditional production and marketing centres in the society are at the forefront of this process that was made possible via the marketing strategies identified above.

The marketing strategies have also resulted in direct shifts in demand characteristics, which have proven advantageous for firms in Dublin. That is, changes have ideally resulted in a more informed consumer market; as such consumers have been exposed to many other goods and services and this is helping to diversify the market.

There is also a supply-side effect that has led to increased opportunities for firms. As changes international marketing has affected production and operations, it has led to increased efficiency and expansion. This can be characterized as an increase in supply within many sectors including the business sector

International marketing is being utilized on the global markets. It has resulted in an expansion of the consumer base, (Crick et al. 1998). Firms in Dublin have to use the avenues created by the marketing strategies to improve mobility and has allowed consumers to easily move from one country to the next (electronically that is), hence making the domestic market more global. They have augmented the current business structure to make it more competitive on a global scale.

The UNIDO study found that immigrants in Dublin are important in the economy and that they have become the pillar of economic growth and development. Also, these studies have found that the status of economies in relation to the proportion of immigrants in the society have been largely impacted by changes in the global economy, most notably competition, transparency, intellectual property rights, evaluation, firm commitment, social responsibility, and marketing activities (including international marketing), (UNIDO 2003). Currently, the underdevelopment of the sector is directly linked to the government policy that embraces activities that encourage international marketing. The business environment for firms in Dublin, Ireland within the UNIDO study in proportion of immigrants in the society was one that could see a significant development and growth in the sector if international marketing was more cohesive within other aspects of the sector.

It is clear that the literature has a consistent theme; firms in Dublin, Ireland have the potential to lead to significant growth within proportion of immigrants in the society, (UNIDO 2003; Crick et al. 1998; Salavou, Baltras, and Lioukas 2004; Sethna 2006). Similarly, international marketing has played a central role in this development process by being integrated within the overall marketing mix of firms in Dublin, Ireland in proportion of immigrants in the society, (Sethna 2006). Similarly, the business sector continues to play a dominant role within proportion of immigrants in the society's economic sector and firms in Dublin, Ireland have been integrated within this process, (UNIDO 2003).

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING: THE Business SECTOR IN PROPORTION OF IMMIGRANTS IN THE SOCIETY

Direct marketing usually communicates directly with the consumers to obtain an immediate response since the marketing offers usually match the needs of the defined marketing segments or individual buyers.

Direct marketing allows the firm to target specific markets and segments. The noted fundamentals of direct marketing are as follows:

Concentration: Direct marketing allows a firm to direct marketing actions to the specific target group and maximize sales volume and revenue. Conventional marketing takes a general approach by covering all aspects of the population with the hope that the consumer who is interested in the good will purchases the product. Direct marketing removes inefficiency by practicing precision marketing by engaging in selectivity, (Nash 1982).

Personalization: Communications between the firm and the consumer is personalized, since the firm will select specific audiences to market to.

Immediacy: Direct marketing engages the consumers so that they are inclined to either try the product via the promotions being offered or order the product because it meets their needs. "Direct marketing consists of direct communications with carefully targeting consumers to obtain an immediate response," (Kotler and Armstrong 1998).

International marketing is a broad term that encompasses different types of marketing. However the literature shows that there are distinct types of direct marketing communication that are applicable to the proportion of immigrants in the society and business sector.

The major forms of direct marketing are highlighted in the table below:

Table 1: Types of Direct Marketing

Type of Direct Marketing

Technological Needs

Utilization in the Business Sector

Use of Conventional Marketing Channels

Economic and Social Value to proportion of immigrants in the society

Ethical Considerations/Risk Factors

Face-to-Face Selling

None

No

Unlikely

Very high

High

Direct Mail Marketing

Has other options and can be of value

Catalogue Marketing

Telemarketing

Direct-response Television Marketing

Moderately High

Well developed

Low

Online Marketing

Very low

Direct businesses have had a host of avenues to market their products. Almost all sectors can now integrate their marketing activities by focusing on direct marketing spheres to promote their services. Unconventional markets such as those in proportion of immigrants in the society even have the opportunity to successfully market their products via methods that utilize target marketing and provides a "low cost gateway to global marketers in medium-sized enterprises such as those form the business sector in proportion of immigrants in the society," (Hamill 1997).

International marketing is considered one of the few areas within business that incorporates aspects of strategic planning, marketing, and economic analysis in within one aspect of planning. It becomes somewhat complex because direct marketing goes beyond the 'four P's of marketing'. That is, it evolves price, product, place, and promotion and enters within the realm of a structural analytical framework.

Sectors use this very same concept for their marketing strategies. This research paper will analyze marketing strategies as it relates to interaction with the consumer for proportion of immigrants in the society's business sector. The auspices of direct marketing will be applied to business sector in proportion of immigrants in the society so that the analysis will be somewhat technical since the direct marketing framework will be applied to a country analysis.

Says Frost, "countries that use of direct marketing strategies are centered on some basic concepts and questions," (Frost 2004):-

How applicable and effective will the direct marketing strategies be?

Will the phases of direct marketing strategies fit the country and it's the business sector?

Markets exist to bring buyers and sellers together in an effort to exchange goods and services. This is the underlying concept for equilibrium for economic analysis. Direct marketing that is being analyzed within this paper has the same function, but within a global framework. According to Cundiff, "direct marketing is grounded under the assumption that opportunities will be recognized, and that the firm's resources will be efficiently allocated to find a profitable marketing exchange," (Cundiff 1988).

"Direct marketing is shaped by the needs of consumers being directly met by the marketer or firm," (Cundiff 1988). The analysis has to complete within the framework of direct economics so as to understand direct trade, balance of payments, exchange rates, and other notions of marketing that now have a global undertone. "It is imperative that direct marketing strategies include environmental dynamics from the global market place," (Kripalani 1985). According to Cateora "the major difference between marketing domestically and marketing directly is that marketing activities are take place across direct borders, which makes all aspects of marketing concepts, processes, and principles more complex," (Cateora 1987).

Sandhusen argues that "there are also some important trends that influence direct marketing and provide a base for how it is defined," (Sandhusen 1997).

Economic integration/cooperation among nations creates larger markets and expands the demand prospects. As such non-traditional sectors engage in direct marketing since they can reach a wider audience and target consumers that are more likely to purchase their products. With the promotion of free trade and formations such as the European Union (EU), it is clear that the global market is becoming more intermingled. This makes it imperative that marketing plans adapt and embrace the economic trends, direct marketing is no longer a choice, but is fast becoming a pre-requisite for company survival in sectors such as the business industry.

Technological advancements have allowed communication and transportation technology to cost less and be more efficient to market and produce goods directly.

Growth and identification of competitive advantage means that emerging economies with lower wages and cost of production are effectively competing with traditional production and marketing centers.

SECTION 3: METHODOLOGY

The purpose of the study is to investigate the challenges that international marketing within a global framework or to understand how culture affects strategies within the global marketing framework. The methodological approach used to analyze qualitative data in the form of the literature that examines the effectiveness of international marketing on an international basis. The literature alluded to Hofstede's research design that used a literature review or study to comprehend the context of the how firms in Dublin, Ireland within the business sector in proportion of immigrants in the society are impacted by international marketing, as well as provide a clear theoretical framework for the current section to be completed. This was further augmented with quantitative analyses, which is the main context of this section.

After reviewing the pertinent literature in these areas of study and conducting a series of exploratory interviews with managers, a questionnaire was formulated. The results of both processes are presented in the sections below. Ten interviews were conducted to explore the issues concerning the impact of direct/database marketing in an international marketing context and how these strategies have been impacted by culture.

The interviews were used within the methodology since they provide the necessary data and preliminary analysis that would help to formulate a useful model to explore and answer the research questions. The interviews were used to formulate the questionnaire to test for content validity and applicability to the research questions.

Although the interviews could potentially have bias with in-depth discussions and questioning managers knowledgeable in the subject area, this should be minimized.

The questionnaire was considered the quantitative aspect of the methodology section it was used to augment the interviews and to provide some of the advantages of statistical analysis, the ability to ask open questions, and the possibility of testing the hypotheses directly by asking a series of relevant questions.

The sample size was extremely small, however with the use of an interview the results can be meaningful given a qualitative interpretation, questionnaires and other quantitative methodological approaches can lead to biased, inefficient, and inconsistent results with small sample sizes, since the normality assumption is violated. The results however can still be used to understand general trends.

As such the research methodology is considered qualitative. It is characterised by an emphasis on describing, understanding, and explaining complex phenomena and relationships related to the challenges that international marketing faces on the international market or how culture impacts international marketing. This is carried out through interviews and a questionnaire, which was administered in proportion of immigrants in the society, so as to make it seem like a case study. This approach is suitable and appropriate since the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. The data is collected through interviews, observations of events and interactions and the collection and analysis of the data described in the literature, and a questionnaire.

The major criticism of the approach is that it is unrepresentative, and that the possibility of generalizing is minimal, it helps to discover relationships and structures and it gives an opportunity to become familiar with the process in detail and the patterns of organization and management as they occur in practice.

The methodology uses firms in Dublin, Ireland in proportion of immigrants in the society to understand some of the challenges face firms in Dublin, Ireland as it relates to international marketing. The research design will test the hypothesis using the information from proportion of immigrants in the society's business sector, so as to understand how culture affects marketing strategies within an international marketing framework.

SECTION 4: RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Information from the interviews was from a wide cross-section of businesses with over 90% of the respondents using direct marketing. Many respondents did not use database marketing but focused on direct marketing mail and telemarketing. The results from the interview are summarized in the diagram below:

The interviews showed that not many individuals utilized database marketing within the respective sectors, although direct marketing was extremely popular throughout the analysis. Similar the respondents thought that culture moderately affected how they implemented international marketing, but perceived that cultural impact on advertising and the type of direct marketing technique chosen was strongly interrelated.

Smaller companies were affected by culture even more than medium sized organizations, and many of the respondents did not think that the government impacted the operations of the firm.

In order to do a preliminary test of the hypotheses, a series of correlation matrices exploring, the relationship between the obstacles that affect organizations in the sample and perceived gains from direct/database marketing is analysed. This is used to show the strength of the linear relationship between the two variables -- to get an understanding of how culture perceived obstacles, including cultural differences affect gains from international marketing. This type of analysis is only used to show the nature of the relationship between the variables, and is not intended to show causation.

Table2: Are Obstacles to Marketing Operations -- Including Culture a Major Determinant of International Marketing?

Spearman's rho a54 Major Obstacle

Correlation Coefficient

1.000

.092(**)

Sig. (2-tailed)

.000

N

10

10

a4_Gain from direct/database Marketing

Correlation Coefficient

.092(**)

1.000

Sig. (2-tailed)

.000

N

10

10

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

All associated correlation coefficients were significant at the 0.01 level following the necessary 2-tailed test. There was a positive relationship associated with major obstacles and the associated gains from international marketing, which implies that as obstacles related technology change to cultural and business factors (external to internal factors), then the gains from direct/database marketing increase. Hence culture limits or minimizes the gains from direct/database marketing.

Table 3: International Applicability of Direct/Database Marketing