文档介绍：PRODUCT AND PROMOTION
ADAPTATION BY EUROPEAN
FIRMS IN THE .
JAMESJ. WARD*
European subsidiaries surveyed in this study exhibit a strong tendency
to adapt products and promotion strategies to . markets. While
most products are adapted in some manner, changes and their costs
are relatively minor.
Introduction
Much attention in the field of international marketing has recently
been focused on the need for adaptation of strategies to new environ-
ments. One aspect of this is the extent to which products and promotion
require adaptation for ess in foreign markets. Writers have advanced
various guidelines as to when products and promotion strategies should
be standardized versus adapted.' Most of the literature on this topic is in
reference to the operations of . firms overseas. Few broadly based
empirical studies are available to substantiate the theorizing. We are
given many individual examples, mostly of foreign marketing failures
with too little systematic analysis.
A number of excellent recent studies, however, have dealt with the
operations of European firms in the These studies have shown that
the volume of direct investment by panies in the rich market
has been expanding quite rapidly in recent years. This is expected to
continue. A number of reasons can be cited to explain why. The .
represe