The central challenge for international enterprises is the sustainable assurance of international competitiveness. The focus of the work is on the question of what constitutes successful international management and which tools can be used to ensure the success of international enterprises. The literature particularly highlights internal company factors as being critical to success. Therefore, the emphasis is placed on the internal resources and competencies of the enterprise, which is why the relatively young competence-based theory of the firm is chosen as the theoretical framework. The concept of so-called internal marketing is seen as a way to bring the theoretical framework of the competence-oriented approach to life. Against this background, the question is examined and answered regarding how internal marketing can and must be designed and implemented, or integrated within the considered theoretical approaches, in order to achieve international competitiveness.