Ikea’s European pricing strategy

Author: Livria Laurent International companies use different price points for identical products. Basically, such an approach is feasible as buying power is different among countries. However, the price comparison analysis of the sofa KLIPPAN from retailer IKEA, shows a very different picture. Surprisingly, the sofa KLIPPAN can be bought in Switzerland for EUR 218.00, the lowest price of all countries involved in the analysis. By having a look at the statistics, it shows that Norway’s buying power is 6% higher …

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Do you Like Spicy?

Author: Nana Riz A good example of misinterpretation of Intercultural Communication is the case of “China in Box” in Brazil. After a big national success, this company decided to expand and go abroad, first to Argentina and afterwards to Mexico. The result was a flop. They used the same strategy that they had used in Brazil without doing any research first. Brazilians like spicy food in contrast to the Argentineans, therefore the product itself needed an adaptation to agree with …

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Dedicam: Flying high through Social Networks?

Author: Kathrin Kunz Business success through outstanding products and network marketing: Start-up company Dedicam, specializing in using drone aircraft to film movies, commercials and extreme sports events, has maximized the use of networks to communicate its unique product nabbing renowned clients like Audi, Red Bull, Mercedes or Porsche. Instead of classic advertisement, content and inbound marketing was the topic which helped Dedicam to fly. At the commencement of operations in 2010, the founders Davide Tiraboschi and Dionys Frei understood that …

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How to do business in China? Guanxi — the Chinese art of networking

Author: Nadine Clauder Guanxi is a system of networks and relationships in business and private life in China. Furthermore it´s a door-opener and confirms commitment. Guanxi is all about giving and taking. It is essential for being successful in the People´s Republic of China. Due to the lack of strong legal institutions, the ‘Chinese way of schmoozing’ is based on the traditional values of loyalty, accountability and obligation. These give the people an orientation while interacting with each other. It …

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Emerging market India – a cultural challenge

Author: Esther Grob Photo: Zurich Tourism, Martin Rütschi On my first business trip to India, I was amazed by the cultural differences; but my experience at a business dinner gave me pause to think. MyIndian business colleagues, in my opinion, behaved disrespectfully towards the taxi driver and the staff at the venue. On the other hand their attituted towards me was friendly, reverential, professional and open-minded. During my entire stay in India I noticed different behaviour among the locals and …

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