Suggested Answers to Discussion Questions
1. What is a global market segment? Pick a market that you know something about,
and describe the global segments for this market.
2. Identify the major geographic and demographic segments in global markets.
3. What is positioning? Why is it an important tool for the global marketer?
4. Some marketing experts believe that positioning should be the fifth P of the four
P’s of marketing. Do you agree? Why? Why not?
5. Amazon.com has been an early winner in the on-line book business. Which
market segments has Amazon served? Are the Amazon target market segments in
the United States and the rest of the world identical?
6. Smoking is on the decline in high-income countries where the combination of
longer life expectancy, education, income, and legal action has created a
powerful anti-smoking campaign. Global tobacco companies are shifting their
focus from high income to emerging markets where the combination of rising
income and the absence of anti-smoking campaigns is leading to ever-increasing
demand for cigarettes. Is this shift in focus by global tobacco companies ethical?
What, if anything, should residents in high-income countries do about the rise in
smoking in emerging markets?