International Marketing Standardization & Impact of Fit on Performance

This study addresses a long-standing debate in the literature regarding the appropriateness and performance consequences of marketing strategy standardization vs. adaptation. Much of the relevant literature represents the headquarters' viewpoint and broadly assesses antecedents of standardization or adaptation across widely varying markets. Using strategic fit as the theoretical platform for analysis, the study investigates international marketing strategy for a specific product or line within subsidiaries of Taiwanese multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in the Vietnam. The results indicate that all of four environmental factors such as marketing infrastructure, customer's characteristics, competitive intensity and technological velocity can influence the standardization or adaptation of international marketing strategy.