Assignment: Global Business Term Paper
Overview
Your challenge is to select a publicly traded US consumer product or product line. Then select a country in which your company does not currently operate, and devise a plan to address your area of expertise in ONE of the sections below.
As you embark upon your work, you should keep several things in mind:
Be sure to focus on analysis, and not simply presenting information. A "data dump" without analysis will result in a low grade.
Specifics
1) Each section will contain three parts:
a) Data and information, properly cited from a credible source.
b) Some graphical representation of that information (photos, charts, diagrams, etc).
c) A sound analysis of the data you presented.
2) Use Bar Charts, Line Charts, Pie Charts, and photos where appropriate.
3) Be sure to analyze the data - do NOT just report it! Questions to ask for each item are things like: What is making these numbers move like this? Why was that year different? What is the key difference between this firm and their competitor?
Section I: Financial and Economic Analysis
A) Financial Analysis (2 to 3 pages)
1) Analyze the firm's Income Statement for the most recent 5 years available.
a) How have revenue and net income changed over time?
b) What has caused these changes?
2) Analyze the Balance Sheet for the most recent 5 years available.
a) How have their overall debt and cash holdings been changing over time and why?
3) Provide or calculate their Current Ratio, Debt/Equity Ratio, and Inventory Turnover Ratio for the past 5 years and comment on how these ratios have changed over time. Then compare these ratios with one of their main competitors.
b) How do they compare to this competitor?
B) Economic Analysis (2 to 3 pages)
1) Provide a 5-year history of GDP (Per Capita), Unemployment, Currency Exchange vis-à-vis the US Dollar, and Inflation for that country.
a) How have these numbers been changing over time?
b) What explains these changes?
C) Financial Plan (2 pages)
1) How much will it cost to bring this store or products to the chosen country?
2) How much revenue do you expect to earn in the first year (explain this in detail)?
3) How will you mitigate Foreign Exchange Risk? Be specific
Section II: Industry Analysis
A) US Industry Overview and Competitive Landscape (1 to 2 pages)
1) Describe the industry in which your company operates in the US. If you choose to sell a specific product in the new country, then describe that industry.
a) What is the overall size of your industry in sales?
b) List the major competitors.
c) What is the relative market share of you and you major competitors in the US? (A pie chart will do.)
d) How has each firm's market share been changing over time and why?
B) Target Country Industry Overview and Competitive Landscape (1 to 2 pages)
1) What is the overall size of the industry in sales in that country?
2) List the major competitors.
3) What is the relative market share of you and you major competitors in that country? (A pie chart will do.)
4) What laws, licenses, and other regulatory factors will impact your firm the most in this country? What will you do about this?
C) Competitive Strategy (1 to 2 pages)
1) Using Michael Porter's Diamond, how will your firm compete in this country?
Section III: Consumer Analysis
A) Current Market Analysis
1) Describe your current target market in the US, to include demographic, geographic, and psychographic segmentation variables. This will usually be done for a specific product or product line.
2) What is the size of the target market? In other words, how many people fit into the group you have chosen, and how much in sales does this group generate?
3) What is the reasoning behind why the company chose this segment for this product?
B) Culture (2 to 3 pages)
1) What major cultural factors will affect your company the most in this country? In other words, give examples of the top 3-4 factors that will impact your decisions regarding your target market related to the determinants and expressions of culture
2) (Education, Language, Religions, Social Structure, Class System, Food, Music, Literature, etc.) Be specific.
3) Describe their culture more broadly conceived - general perceptions, common attitudes (if any), generational differences, consumer behavior, and anything else that relates to your brand and its potential in this country.
4) Hofstede's Chart should go here - analyze and discuss the top 2-3 factors.
C) Market Analysis and Target Market (2 to 3 pages)
1) Describe your NEW target market to include demographics, and psychographic, segmentation variables.
2) What is the size of the target market? In other words, how many people fit into the group you have chosen?
3) Develop a consumer profile of your targeted segment examples can be found online or in the Blackboard folder).
4) Explain WHY you chose this segment.
Section IV: Operations Analysis
A) Operations (1 to 2 pages)
1) Focusing specifically on manufacturing and supply chain management, describe your company's current global operations.
2) What is unique or different about your company's operations as compared to its main competitor? Back this up with detailed information and facts about these companies. Specifics would include number and locations of manufacturing (even if they outsource), how they distribute goods, and their locations globally.
3) What makes this company so much better than others, in terms of production?
B) Place - Supply Chain and Location (1 to 2 pages).
1) Select a location for the launch of your product - down to the mall/street/block. Why did you chose this location and how does it fit your overall strategy?
2) How will you firm handle distribution and supply chain management? In other words, how do you plan to get your products from the manufacturing site to the location you have chosen? Be as specific as possible.
3) What will be your firm's initial entry modes? Why did you choose these modes?
Section V: Product and Promotion
A) Marketing Mix: Product and Promotion (3 to 4 pages)
1) Describe the company's current Product mix. Listing the product lines will be sufficient, but provide examples.
2) Describe the company's current Promotional mix. Be sure to be specific - simply listing the different media is not sufficient. You should understand their social media strategy, their main messaging strategy, etc.
B) Product - Local Responsiveness (2 to 3 pages)
1) How will your firm change its products or services to adapt to cultural differences and consumer preferences in your target country? Think about all aspects of the product including instructions, packaging, colors, styles, flavors, options, product lines, menus, etc.
2) Give examples in photographic form, if possible.
C. Promotional Mix (4 to 7 pages)
1) Discuss how you will attract customers using Advertising, PR, Sales, Social Media, Direct Marketing, and/or Sales Promotions. Give specific examples and illustrate with graphics and visuals the messages, media, and other promotional approaches will you use in light of the cultural and other differences you found previously? Spend time on the media and messages very carefully.
2) Provide examples or mock ups of the product, service or physical location.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.