Jonathan S. Swift

International relationship marketing ‐ The importance of psychic distance

This conceptual paper outlines why, when working in the international as opposed to the domestic environment, the success of a relationship marketing strategy is heavily dependent on levels of psychic distance. The higher the level of psychic distance, the greater the time and effort required to develop successful business relationships. At the different stages of relationship development, different variables of psychic distance assume relatively greater levels of importance which are likely to have implications for the implementation of a relationship marketing strategy.

Cultural closeness as a facet of cultural affinity

Deals with the relationship between cultural closeness and cultural affinity. The basis of the research is that a correlation exists between the level of affinity (or “liking”) executives feel for a foreign culture, and the extent to which they feel psychologically close to that culture. Findings indicate a moderate level of correlation between cultural closeness and cultural liking (r = 0.4048, p = 0.0000), which would suggest that cultural closeness is a contributory element to psychic closeness. Looks at the concept of psychic distance, examining the component elements. It then details the empirical research on which the conclusions are based, explaining how a sample of industry executives was identified, and how the research was carried out. Concludes with an overview of culture as an element of distance in international business, and makes some suggestions for pre‐departure executive training.

Foreign Language Ability and International Marketing

Examines the role of foreign language ability in international marketing. Suggests that the importance of language is more than much recent language‐oriented literature would have us believe. Looks at how and why language can become a barrier to communication, and then details the uses of a foreign language in marketing operations. Concludes by suggesting that language is the key to achieving market “closeness”, and it is for this reason that it is important.

Ecotourism at a Crossroads: The Case of Costa Rica

This article examines tourism development in Costa Rica, with particular emphasis on the strategic choices facing the country in the future. It suggests that the traditional approaches to visitor segmentation may no longer be applicable. Visitor requirements and motivation are becoming more varied than in previous decades and more widely diversified across the spectrum of offerings. Drawing on qualitative empirical research with tour operators in Costa Rica, the study examines their approach to the marketplace and the management choices they face in terms of market development. The evidence suggests that Costa Rica is at a crossroads in terms of the strategic choices faced in the development of tourism. As the country moves towards a mass market culture, it will be necessary for both government and tour operators to apply stronger controls over access to its national parks and nature reserves.

Pre‐departure cultural training: US managers in Mexico

Purpose – The variety of differences encountered when interacting with people from other cultures can be daunting for foreign nationals operating in another country. Consequently, many companies send their managers on some form of cultural orientation training, before beginning their duties in a foreign country. The problem for companies is: “Which programme to choose?” This paper seeks to examine forms of cross‐cultural training, and assess the relative effectiveness of each.Design/methodology/approach – Potential participants were identified using a stratified random sample of companies that do business in Mexico. Individuals received a personal e‐mail, requesting their participation in the research. Those who agreed to participate completed a questionnaire and cultural understanding survey online.Findings – The data showed that meetings with experienced international staff were the most common type of training. The second was lecture training. Behaviour modification methods and field experiences were t...

The role of the tour operator in South America: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay

The role of the tour operator in the supply chain has focused traditionally on the dominant position of companies situated in the generating countries of Europe and North America; despite recognition of the tour operator located in emergent receiving countries, the area has not been discussed extensively. This paper investigates the opinions of 37 tour operators in four emerging countries in South America, with a view to evaluating the nature and level of contact with foreign tour operators and suppliers. It assesses the degree of internationalisation that occurs, and the extent to which tour operators are involved in the process of tourism development. The paper confirms the role of the receiving tour operator within the distribution chain, but concludes that in terms of stimulating tourism development there is a need for more research into the relationships between government and the wide range of organisations involved in the process. Copyright

Attitudes to Language Learning

Language training has assumed a higher profile over the last five years, yet many employers still appear to lack understanding of the needs, motivations, and attitudes of staff who undertake a course in a modern language. This study was carried out over a six‐month period (1991‐1992), specifically to obtain data on participant attitudes, and the various positive and negative influences on their linguistic performance. Of greatest interest to industrial trainers is the way in which the findings detail those influences which motivate or demotivate those already working, to learn a foreign language – information which could be invaluable when designing language programmes for specific individuals or job‐functional areas within an organization.

Foreign language competence and cultural affinity: a study of UK executives in foreign markets

Reports exploratory research which examines the relationship between the extent to which executives have a positive attitude towards a foreign culture and the level of competence they have achieved in that language. Suggests that this was a weak correlation but a much stronger one existed between these two factors within the Spanish market. Cites that cultural liking may be a positive factor in foreign language acquisition but only in some circumstances or cultures and ecnourages further research in this area.

Business culture in Latin America: interactive learning for UK SMEs

In 2000, Academic Enterprise in the University of Salford, UK began working with TradePartnersUK to investigate how higher education could support the development of international trade, particularly in the small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) sector. The UK business community has traditionally suffered from a lack of foreign language and business culture skills and little understanding of the cultures within which they operate. SMEs in particular, with more limited financial resources, find it difficult to free staff to attend even short‐term courses. This suggested that e‐learning might provide a partial solution, enabling courses to be accessed at a time and place convenient to the learner, and at a fraction of the cost associated with more traditional methods of delivery. From this background the BUCLA (Business Culture in Latin America) project emerged, initially focused on Mexico. In view of the success achieved, the project was subsequently extended to cover other Latin American countries.

Problems with Learning Foreign Languages for International Business

An attempt to analyse a number of major problems that executives frequently cite as having contributed towards language learning difficulties. The objective is to highlight the various work‐related pressures, and psychologically‐demotivating attitudes that prevail amongst too many learners. Identifies five problem areas, and looks at each in detail, suggesting possible strategies for trainers to minimize the influence of these problems.