Roche Diagnostics is a company that specializes in producing and supplying of diagnostic equipment. The company is making attempts at exploring the new market environment in the international market. There are various challenges that lie ahead of the exercise regarding the different cultural barriers and the communication factors in an attempt to explore the international market and gain a business momentum. The cultural difference can make the business for the organization difficult due to the difference in communication methods across the different cultures (Robbins, Judge, Millett & Boyle, 2013).
The cross-cultural communication barriers
When doing the business for Roche Diagnostics, it is imperative to consider the cultural differences that are present in the foreign country. The cultural differences between communications include mannerism, the basic customs, and gestures. For instance, a sales representative gets to a meeting with the knowledge of the customers cultural background, and then his body language, words, and actions can be adapted to suit the customer’s background. The event may, in turn, lead to being appreciated by the customer, thereby, increasing the salesman’s opportunity to have the deal done (Jandt, 2003).
Language barrier appears to be the primary problem the organization is likely to face. In some nations like Germany and the United States, it is often common for people to speak in high tones and be more aggressive or assertive when sharing some ideas. In countries like Japan, for instance, people speak softly and tend to be more passive about sharing their ideas. As a business organization, the salesmen of Roche Diagnostics must learn how to interact with people from the different origin. When interacting with different cultures, speaking using a neutral tone and making a sober effort to be considerate of the customer’s input can help foster an effective business communication for the organization. Linguistic diversity has been considered a great problem in the Latin America and some part of South Europe. The areas are critical to the expansion of a business. The common language used for communication in the key market of Brazil is Portuguese (Robbins, Judge, Millett & Boyle, 2013). The difference in language is a great setback noting that the country Roche Diagnostics is located primarily uses English. It is imperative to train the employees to communicate in Portuguese and other international languages to prevent the language barrier. Attitudes towards some cultures or language dialects create barriers in an international market. The use of different dialects like the Parisian French in Quebec and subcontinental Indian English in the US are noticeable and suggest the lack of familiarity (Jandt, 2003).
Technology and environment also play a critical role in the cross-cultural communication. The way in which different people use resources differ from one culture to another. The cultural-ingrained bias that involves the natural and technological environment can lead to communication barriers. Countries that have large domestic markets and plenty of natural resources are more likely to view some industries differently than have one of the characteristics. Some business fails to modify the cross-cultural communication so as to accommodate the environmental differences due to inflexibility towards some culturally learned views of technology (Jandt, 2003). The different conception of authority determines how the business operates in the international market. Some cultures like Sweden and Israel have a decentralized authority conception or a “small power distance.” The aspect determines the managerial and various business communication processes (Jandt, 2003).
Push versus pull strategies for Roche Diagnostic products in a particular country
The push strategy places the Roche’s products in front of the international customer to make sure that the client is aware of the existence of the product. The push strategy to be used by Roche includes trade shows and creating a supply chain to facilitate the distribution of the diagnostic products. The pull strategy will motivate the customer so as he can actively seek out for the diagnostic products. The pull strategies to be employed are the referrals, sales promotion, media advertising, and relationship management. The following is a step-by-step illustration of how the company will use the push and pull strategy in the foreign country (Chris, 2011).
The first step is finding the ideal customer through conducting a thorough market search that answers the questions regarding the buying habits, demographics, preferences, and cultural differences. The information will enable Roche to build a composite of the target consumer so that the organization can understand the dynamics of the customer’s behavior. It is then important to craft the push and pull strategies like if the consumers priority is price, the push message will be a promotion regarding low pricing. The pull message can extol the low cost and high quality of the product.
The next step is to maximize the appropriate methods of communication to reach the customers in the foreign country as dictated by the desires and needs of the target market. Within the pull and push marketing strategies, there exist multiple choices of medium, messaging and outlets. The effective marketing strategy is targeted and specific. The organization will try and maintain a consistent tone across the global communication in the process of building the cohesive bond (Chris, 2011). The product ambassador’s and sales staff have to be educated about the marketing messages Roche Diagnostics is disseminating. As the customers are pulled into our product distribution channel, the customers are met with some consistent messaging that are designed to push them through the final sale. Last it is inherent to set the quantitative and qualitative goals like increased product awareness, the number of inquiries, and sales. It is imperative to list the annual objectives that should be aggressive but can be achieved (Chris, 2011).
- Chris, R. (2011). Push and Pull Marketing Strategies: Using Them to Your Advantage
Retrieved from http://www.franchise.org/push-and-pull-marketing-strategies-using-them-to-your-advantage - Jandt, F. E. (2003). Intercultural Communications. New York, NY: Sage Publications, Inc.
- Robbins, S., Judge, T. A., Millett, B., & Boyle, M. (2013). Organizational behavior. Pearson
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