Welcome to International Marketing

Welcome back to school!

And welcome to the exciting world of International Marketing. In this course, you will get to know several great brands and emerging brands; and Filipino companies that are home-grown and has successfully made it to the global arena.

During my first lecture, I laid down the course objectives and target learning outcomes of the course. We also discussed the class requirements and the tools that we will be using to facilitate our learning process.

For our reference text, we will be using Global Marketing Management 5th Edition by Masaaki Kotabe and Kristiaane Helsen and International Marketing: Analysis and Strategy by Sak Onkvisit and John Shaw. Click the links to access the e-files.

Except for the 8:30 am class (MARK 109-3), Learning Groups have been formed and assignments for the next session have been announced. Watch out for the detailed instructions on my next blog post.

I end with two items to inspire you this semester - this being your last full year in school and by around this time next year, you will all be embracing the challenges of a full adult life. The first is a "letter" to your generation from the founder of Virgin Group Richard Branson, and the second item is the short video which I also presented during our first session, entitled Are you Ready for the Future? 

Here is an excerpt from Richard Branson's "If I were 22: Have a Blast But Build Your Future":

If I were 22 today, I would embrace the opportunities technology has given us. While I am in my sixties, I am incredibly excited about the transformative power of the web and all sorts of new technology. From opportunities to tackle climate change to research to beat terrible diseases, as well as inventions to improve everyone's lives, I am sure the coming years will be a period of tremendous innovation. Most 22-year-olds today think that the way to make their fortunes is through setting up tech businesses, and it is true that can be a fruitful direction. But other more conventional businesses shouldn't be forgotten. There are still plenty of different sectors that need shaking up. It is more important to follow your passion than going into tech simply to make a fortune. Not everybody is technically minded anyway, and if you don't really love what you do you won't succeed.

So, there-- have a blast and start building your future. Now.