Conditions for company and countries selection:

Instructions; 1. The company must be an Australian edible oil (e.g. olive oil) or cheese company. 2. Selection of the two countries: They should be two of Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and The Philippines. From a structural perspective, this is a business plan and should be written in report format /genre. http://www.latrobe.edu.au/lasesl/assets/downloads/business-report-writing.pdf. The plan should include the following sections and sub-sections as a minimum: 1. Table of Contents: including sections, sub-sections, and page numbers. 2. Introduction: provides the reader with an understanding of the purpose of the project, its scope, and structure – sections and sub-sections. Do NOT talk about the company or the countries in details in this section. 3. Company and Product Background: provide an analysis of the business and product performance from a domestic perspective. This discussion should provide some information about the competitive advantages that the business might leverage in international markets. You should:  Briefly indicate company objectives and corporate strategies – what are the aims of the company?  Are the company’s business strategies directed toward gaining market share?  How has the company been faring in the last three years or so? Company size, assets, capabilities, competitiveness, strengths, etc.  What is the product and what needs does it satisfy?  Who is the target market for the product?  How has the product been performing? Sales, market share, revenues/profits.  Is the company already engaged in international marketing? What countries is it operating in? What entry strategies is it implementing?  What resources does the company have to go overseas (assets, HR/skills, experience, etc)? 4. Comparative Country and Product Market Attractiveness (12.5 marks [for country A] + 12.5 marks [for country B]): you are required to compare two countries by assessing the dynamic and competitive nature of the product market within each country. In order to do this, you should undertake a macro-environmental analysis of each country in question and then undertake a detailed micro-environmental (market) analysis of the chosen product market for each country. Assess the macro environment of the two countries as follows:  Political environment: including stability and security, safety, crime rate, corruption.  Foreign relations/trade: Is the country open for foreign relations and trade? Trade barriers, regional economic integrations/treaties.  Social and cultural environment: Ethnicities, religions, lifestyles, Hofstede's cultural dimensions, product (in)compatibility with cultural norms or religious rules, and so on.  Economic: including economic strength, stability, GDP/GDP per capita, forecasts, affluence, purchasing power.  Technological: including infrastructure and industrialization / development level of country, manufacturing, telecommunications.  Agricultural (if applicable): Is the country’s environment/climate suitable for farming the product (crops, livestock, etc)? What are the similarities and differences between the company’s country of origin and these two countries, in terms of these macro-environmental factors using the framework?  How might these similarities and differences influence your country selection, marketing strategy in your country and product market? Assess the micro-environment of the two countries as follows: Product Market Analysis:  What is the size of the market?  Is it growing and if so at what rate?  Are there clear and distinct product segments within the market? What are the sizes and relative growth rates of these segments?  At what phase is the market in relation to the product lifecycle?  To what extent is the market supplied by foreign sources?  What are the sources of foreign supply?  What are the major forms of marketing channels (distribution) used within the product market? Competitive Analysis:  Are there competitors in that market?  What form of competitors are these (providing identical products or substitute products)?  How many competitors are there in the market?  Who are the competitors and how do they operate?  Are the competitors foreign or locally-based?  If foreign, what entry strategies are they using?  Where do you see your company compared to those competitors (differentiation strategies and positioning)?  What are you company’s strengths in comparison to the competitor? Buyer Analysis:  Assess buyer behaviour within the identified market segments through consumer analysis (who are they, how do they consume/use the product).  Identify and describe your target market segmentation strategies. 5. Market (Country) Selection with Justification and Opportunity Statement : • Briefly outline the major opportunities and threats in both countries, which will mainly come from summarizing the above points (macro and micro analyses • Compare the opportunities and threats of both. • Which country among the two do you recommend your company to enter? This should be based on creating a fit between the company and the country. 6. Marketing Objectives (5 marks): Marketing objectives are usually derived from an assessment of the capabilities of the business and market opportunities. These should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time frame.  What market share do you aim to achieve?  Are you aiming for long/short term marketing, large/small scale marketing?  What are your target market segments? Where can you find them?  How will you position your product (based on competition and target segment)? 7. Entry Strategy (20 marks): (u also needs to write the market plan for North Korea) What entry mode(s) will you use to enter that country (for example - direct exporting, licensing, strategic alliance, establishing a subsidiary)? Justify your entry strategy explaining why the one you have chosen is better than the rest. Please take note that you may have a combination of entry strategies depending on the situation. Your chosen entry strategy must be linked to your marketing objectives discussed in Section 6. 8. Executive Summary: a. Overview of the report. b. Key findings from your analysis of the two countries: opportunities, threats, nature of the market, etc. c. A summary of your major recommendations and key outcomes: recommended country to enter among the two, marketing objectives, and entry strategy with brief justification based on the findings.                                                                                                                                                        

Sample Solution