A critical review of Viswanathan, N. & Dickson, P. 2007,
‘The fundamentals of standardizing global marketing strategy’,
International Marketing Review, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 46-63.

Introductory Academic Program – Academic English
The issue of standardisation versus adaptation, which affects all international business organizations, continues to evolve as markets and technologies develop further. In the article ‘The fundamentals of standardizing global marketing strategy’ (2007), Viswanathan and Dickson contribute to the discussion by examining the considerations related to the standardisation of a multinational company’s marketing practices. The authors subsequently propose a new theoretical framework that identifies three complex drivers to be considered in evaluating the degree of marketing standardisation possible: the similarity of consumer response to the marketing mix, the transmissibility of competitive advantage, and similarities in the amount of economic freedom in different markets. The article imparts perceptive insights on the latter two drivers, which, according to the literature review, have been relatively ignored by researchers in comparison to the role of consumers. This critical review assesses the structure and practicality of the proposed conceptual framework, as well as the comprehensiveness of the authors’ exploration of the issue. The proposed theoretical model, intended for the use of marketing practitioners as an instrument in decision-making, appears reasonably sound, with potential for long-term relevance. However, the relative weights of the three drivers comprising the model, as well the degrees of standardisation possible for each major and minor element of the marketing mix, deserve more thorough consideration and further elaboration.

Viswanathan and Dickson provide an informed summation of the standardisation versus