Introduction British Petroleum [BP] is a private limited company that operates in the UK oil and gas industry. The firm was established in 1909 and has been in operation for over 100 years. BP has attained substantial growth since its inception. Its growth has arisen from integration of effective growth strategies such as internationalisation and formation of mergers and acquisition. For example, on 21 st March 2013, BP acquired 5.66% of Rosneft which is the leading oil producer in Russia ( BP , 2013). The firm’s success has also arisen from integration of effective marketing strategies. The UK oil and gas industry has become very challenging over the past few decades. This has arisen from changes in the internal and the external business environment. Despite the prevailing environmental changes, firms within the industry are committed towards maximising their profitability. As a result, firms are considering expanding their marketing activities by venturing into the international market. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive definition of the marketing and to illustrate how environmental factors affect international marketing process. The analysis is achieved by comparing the macro environments of China and the US which are some of the countries that BP has ventured. Definition of marketing Traditionally, organisation did not pay much emphasis on the element of marketing. Their main concern was on how they would sell the products that they produced. However, the concept has undergone significant transformations over the past few decades and has gained prominence. Various experts have tried to define the term ‘marketing’. According to Phillip Kotler, marketing refers to a societal process through which consumers achieve their needs by creating and exchanging products and services that are of value. On the other hand, Peter Drucker defines marketing as the process through which organisations try to understand consumer needs and produce products that result in delivering customer value. William J. Stanton defines marketing as the sum total of various business activities such as pricing, promotion and distribution that are aimed at satisfying consumer needs. The concept of marketing is essentially aimed at enabling organisations generate their desired level of profit. Organisations can market their products locally or in the foreign market. The process through which organisations market their products overseas is referred to as international marketing. There are various reasons that motivate organisations to incorporate international marketing. Some of these reasons include the need to maximise the level of profit, existence of a saturated domestic market, intense competition in the domestic market and high demand in the international market. Moreover, international marketing is also motivated by existence of product life cycle differences between the local and the foreign market. To be effective in the international market, it is important for the parties involved to select the most appropriate market entry method. Some of the methods that an organisation can select include licensing, franchising, formation of mergers and acquisition and joint ventures. In addition to market e