Jan Napoleon Saykiewicz, Ph.D.
Duquesne University A.J. Palumbo School of Business Administration John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business
Submitted for The International Conference Innovation in Management Poznan University College of Business and Foreign Languages June 29-30, 2006 Poznan, Poland
Current Issues in International Marketing Management
Contemporary international, multinational, or global marketing managers frequently discuss challenges and problems related to the events taking place in the international markets. They express a lot of concern for current business developments and how to succeed in a turbulent global marketplace. As the history of business indicates, it was rather unusual that the marketplaces were not turbulent. However contemporary developments, changes and rivalries emerging from the global marketplace of today result in quite unusual challenges. The greatest challenge business is facing today is the management of change. It seems obvious that no product or service is likely to remain relevant forever and that leadership, in most cases, is transitory and very often short-lived. This refers not only to business but also to politics, as well as to many concepts and approaches in academe. Another challenge is the search for and creation of distinct competences. The global marketplace produces new customer needs and wants, while the emergence of new technologies contributes to the development of new products and services. In the search for distinct competences, the managers need to apply a dynamic approach to management development while trying to develop managerial ideas, concepts, and strategies effective in the future. Effective response to changing market requirements, competitive conditions and customer preferences requires specific managerial actions. International managers try to anticipate emerging technology changes, market requirements and customer