The Culture-Smart Global Business Playbook
How Canadian Firms Can Compete and Win in a Rapidly Changing Global Marketplace
by Marvin Hough

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Why do strong products and companies fail in promising foreign markets? The most commonly overlooked variable may surprise you. Culture. As Canadian companies expand into unfamiliar regions, they need more than sound products and competitive pricing. They need cultural intelligence to understand how customers make decisions, how partners build relationships, how employees communicate, and how local expectations influence everything from packaging and advertising to regulation, after-sales service, and digital trade. Drawing on thirty years of experience helping Canadian firms enter global markets, Marvin Hough turns these often-invisible forces into practical business guidance. Culture-Smart Global Business combines clear strategies, cautionary tales, and detailed cases involving McCain Foods, Lululemon, Canada Goose, IMAX, Tim Hortons, and other Canadian companies. Each example shows how businesses have adapted—and what happened when they didn’t. Written for executives, exporters, entrepreneurs, and anyone else working across borders, this book will help you ask better questions, avoid costly mistakes due to faulty assumptions, choose and manage local partners, preserve your firm’s core identity while adapting to local expectations, and build the trust required for lasting international success. As Mr. Hough argues in this book, in a volatile global economy, cultural competence is no longer simply an advantage. It’s an essential business capability.

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"Though framed around Canadian exporters, the cultural intelligence in this book speaks to anyone navigating business across borders. As a cross-cultural communication strategist, I found real value in how clearly Marvin lays out the need to adjust both business approach and communication style to fit the cultural context you're operating in." Natsuyo Lipschutz, Keynote Speaker, Breakthrough Speaking “One of the most under-valued principles in doing international business is the role of culture. One must be willing and able to adapt to the nuances present in any particular market, and understand how to leverage these variables to create a winning strategy in the region. Marvin’s years of experience in supporting Canadian firms doing business abroad has given him the grasp and understanding of the important role that culture plays in creating successful international ventures, and ensuring their continuity through a focused and curated culture-oriented mindset.” Todd Burns Chief Executive Officer Cypher Environmental "Culture addresses the “why” behind market success. It is the critical connective tissue essential for steady market growth. Culture fosters long-term relationships, which in turn drive sustainable market growth. Culture is a soft skill, and soft skills are among the hardest to hone. Marvin is a practitioner who spent many years in global markets on behalf of the Canadian government, and he has mastered one of the key market differentiators. His business playbooks are easy to digest and designed for companies serious about market success". Sophia Leong, CEO Bintang International Group

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Marvin Hough is a Canadian international business executive, educator, consultant, and author with more than thirty years of experience helping companies navigate global markets. During his career with Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada’s official export agency, he supported Canadian exports and investments around the world. Assignments in India, China, and Mexico gave him firsthand experience of the cultural realities that shape business decisions, relationships, and results. He has also participated in trade missions throughout Central and South America, the Indo-Pacific, and Africa. Mr. Hough has taught international business courses at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management and mentors young professionals pursuing careers in international business. He serves on advisory committees for international business programs at George Brown College, Centennial College, and the International Business University. He has also served on the boards of the Canada China Business Council, the Canada-India Business Council, the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association, and the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Hough is also the founder of Marvin Hough International Research and Analysis Limited (MIRA), which supports companies, educational institutions, and governments entering and operating in diverse international markets. His previous books are A Career in International Trade and The International Business Culture Pathfinder, both published in 2023. He lives in Ottawa with his wife, Genoveva.

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Marvin Hough