Marketing, operations, and human resource management are core areas of business. An international setting provides unique challenges in each of these areas.
Research the topic using your textbook, Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet. Respond to the following:
Consider a foreign company marketing its products in the United States, such as the Mexican company Cerveceria Modelo that markets Corona beer in the USA. Analyze the complexities of one of the following:
Developing product strategies (including cultural differences)
Assessing the promotional strategies
Developing distribution methods
Assessing pricing strategies
Next, consider operational issues in the U.S. market and analyze the complexities of one of these following issues:
Production strategies
Accessing physical resources and managing inventory
Maintaining quality
Financing the operations
From the perspective of a small company venturing into international operations for the first time, discuss what you feel are the three most difficult issues that must be overcome in recruiting, selecting, and training workers. Explain how each difficulty might be overcome.
STUDENT RESPONSE:
The Maruchan Company is the Japanese company which makes the popular ramen noodle line of quick and easy soup packets.
It is a subsidiary now of Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. which is headquartered in Japan. Some of the most popular products are their Ramen Noodle Soup, Taste of Asia, Yakisoba, and Instant Lunch. The company began in Japan in 1953 and branched out from fish storage into the ramen noodle business in 1961. In 1977, Toyo Suisan entered into the U.S. market and began manufacturing its ramen noodles in Irvin, CA (Maruchan, 2018).
Maruchan now uses extensive internet marketing with Trinet internet solutions, Inc. in order to promote their product. This is conducted through six different social media platforms (Trinetsolutions, 2018).
Before the global use of the internet, the company was able to reach international advertisement by being an official sponsor at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (Maruchan.co.jp, 2018). In order to maximize Maruchan's impact on the U.S. market, the company adopted a multinational strategy.
This strategy allows companies to easily monitor local markets where their subsidiaries are based and react quickly and effectively to their preferences (Wild, 2016). The company is constantly evolving its products quality through their R&D facilities in response to next-generation needs and wants (Maruchan.co.jp, 2018).
For a small company who is just beginning its reach into international opportunities, it could face many difficulties in human resource management (HRM). As defined in our text, HRM is the "process of staffing a company and ensuring that employees are as productive as possible" (Wild, 2016, p. 388).
Difficulties in recruiting could derive from offering low wages to candidates who are fielding multiple offers. This could be overcome by the company offering competitive wages, benefits, and providing a safe and enjoyable work environment.
One of the difficulties in selecting the right person for the job could stem from having a large pool of qualified personnel. This could be settled by an in-depth interview process and conducting skills testing. A third difficulty that a company could face is training of its employees once they have been hired.
This could be due to language, cultural, or educational gaps. Employers could overcome this by providing on-the-job training or perhaps implementing a training school where new employees attend until they are certified to work in the specific positions where they are to be placed.