...A key to being successful in business internationally is to understand the role of culture in international business. Whatever sector you are operating in, cultural differences will have a direct impact on your profitability. Improving your level of knowledge of international cultural difference in business can aid in building international competencies as well as enabling you to gain a competitive advantage. However, on the one hand where it is important to be aware of cultural differences of different countries, on the other, it is also hard to be aware of every single aspect of each country’s organisational culture. Therefore, you should be aware of the key factors that have a direct impact on business. These are: Communication is the key to success for any business, whether you are operating nationally or internationally, but when operating internationally it becomes even more important due to language barriers. Passport to Trade 2.0 project aims to remove this barrier by providing training materials in the languages of the country you are operating. Being aware of basic customer needs is an important aspect as this will give the advantage of conveying your message. In simple terms, if you are aware of the customer’s cultural background, then you will be able to adopt better and more suitable advertising methods. Body language is another key factor in cultural difference. As different countries have different ways to convey or share their message, for instance in Germany...
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...approximately 3,000 company-operated stores; and 200 franchise stores in 90 countries worldwide. Their brand name targets many end users; this reinforces their strategy to provide multiple brands through multiple channels in different geographies. They emphasize style, superior quality, and good value to consumers worldwide. Gap Inc. operates in a slow growing and highly competitive environment both internationally and domestically. The retail industry through the 90’s was unusual, mature, and fragmented. Companies that have cheap labor costs and low costs create a low barrier of entry in the retail industry. A company like Gap that already has a distribution channel and many retail locations has an advantage in an already saturated market. Correlation between the general slow economy and consumer confidence are directly related. Please see exhibit 1 which reflects a stagnant economy in 1990. Lacking consumer confidence there will be a negative effect on consumer spending on luxury items. With a lag in the domestic market Gap has focused its efforts internationally as a source of revenue. By the end of 1993, the Gap expects to have an approximately 100 stores outside the U.S, primarily in Canada, but with an increasing presence in the U.K. Longer term, there is some possibility of expansion to Europe and Asia. Gap’s acquisition of Piperlime allows it to create an online presence which fosters growth in different sectors and diversifies the different avenues of income...
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...Social Responsibility R&D Research and Development U. S. United States * List of Figures Figure 1 - Internationalization Matrix 12 Figure 2 - Demography China 2025 13 Figure 3 - Urbanization in China Today 14 1 Introduction Founded in 1872 by A. Fukuhara, the traditional Japanese company Shiseido began to successfully produce westernized pharmaceuticals and cosmetics for national high-class consumers in 1878. The founders’ son, S. Fukuhara, studied and gained international experience in the U.S. and France, and thus, induced Shiseido to pursue an international strategy as to grow economically and enhance product recipes by embracing technological change. This strategy change was the initial step towards an internationally successful company which today is worth approximately €7.1 billion (Shiseido Company Limited, 2011a). In order to gain this prosperous status, the company pursued a specific international strategy, which will be elaborated in the first chapter and will be compared to prevailing industry conditions in terms of its adequateness in the third chapter. The second chapter conducts a comparison of Shiseido’s contemporary level of globalization and 30 years ago, while the fourth chapter ultimately analyzes Shiseido’s improvement potential in terms of its company structure and substantial network of international subsidiaries. Case Analysis Shiseido Shiseido’s International Expansion Strategy...
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...Kaplan University Graduate School of Business and Management GB530 Marketing Management: Brand Extension Marketing Plan Brand Extension Marketing Plan A MARKETING PLAN IS THE FOUNDATION FOR ALL MARKETING EFFORTS The new product I plan on implementing is a non-touch toilet flush. The flush will be controlled by the sound of a clap, with a double clap indicating for a full flush, while a single clap would indicate a half flush. It is a simple idea that will be called a simple name “CLAP2FLUSH”. This will be an additional option along with the traditional style of flushing currently in markets with goal of eliminating the traditional style. The intent is to save consumers the amount of water used each time they flush the toilet. A typical household of four uses 260 gallons of water each day. Much of this water is used in the bathroom. Toilets use 40% of the total, showers/baths and faucets use 35%. By contrast, 15% is used in the kitchen, and 10% for washing clothes. If we give people the option of using less water to flush instead of 5 gallon of water every time you touch the flush, I believe this product would be a great product that will generate revenue. The name for the for- Profit Organization will be called MAYAT’D. I will use many of the facts already provided on toilet use and the amount of water used in the household like some of the one’s I just mentioned , along with getting with potential amount of saving consumers can save with the...
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...The first organisation I will be talking about is Apple, and the second being Coca Cola. Marketing means that a business will identify the needs of the consumer and produce products that meet the requirements of them. In order for a business to perform and succeed, it needs to make sure that their customers are at the heart of operations. Should businesses do this, it would mean that they are market-orientated. As well as this, there are other forms of orientation for business. These include; * The production concept * The sales concept When a business uses a marketing concept, and putting customers at the heart of decisions. By doing this, a business operates more efficiently by prioritising investments on product development for the customers. Objectives In order for a business to grow and succeed, it is essential that it has its objectives outlined. The first aim a business will have when it starts out, is to survive. Once this goal has been achieved, it means that they can now focus on growth objectives, which means that they can focus on increasing market share and increasing profits. When businesses set objectives, they follow SMART guidelines. SMART stands for; * Specific – The objective must be clear and concise * Measureable – Objectives must be able to assess properly * Achievable – The objective needs to be reasonable for the business to attain * Realistic – Objectives need to be lifelike in order for it to achieved * Time-related – There...
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...and modification to the existing product which is pen. A normal pen will be transform into a smart pen. This innovation is prior to the demand of consumers based on their needs and wants. Furthermore, the smart pen will be very useful and handy as it is multipurpose. Nowadays, consumers demand for a product which can make their life easier than before. This is where the smart pen comes into action. IonTech smart pen is portable and multipurpose. It could help the consumers to do their job with a click of a pen. Moreover, there are five functions of the smart pen which includes a writing tool, recorder, projector, USB pendrive and laser pointer. It is a 5 in 1 product. IonTech smart pen can ease the work of the consumer especially in business field. It can help them to save time and cost, be more effective and efficient and to achieve their goals. Besides, the smart pen can be use to write and the ink can be refill. It can be use as a recorder to record any important information that the consumer might left out as the brain cannot absorb all the information at once but a recorder can. This can help the consumer to listen back to the audio and interpret the information precisely. Other than that, it could be a projector. In our technology based world, there will be a need for presentation. A projector can be use to help us visualize the idea and it is link to the USB pendrive. This is where any information kept in the USB pendrive can be directly shown using the projector...
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...Azza Al Qubaisi and her ARJMST Brand: Passion for creativity I. Background i. ARJMST ARJMST is a local Emirati jewelry brand which was founded by Azza AlQubaisi who designs and makes the jewelry by herself. It was founded in 2002 in Abu Dhabi city, United Arab Emirates and it is specialized in selling jewelry and designing trophies for all the occasions. Azza’s designs are inspired from UAE’s nature and traditions and transformed into unique jewelry, rosaries and showpieces. All the pieces are used to be sold in a gallery in Wafi City- Dubai but the gallery was closed and replaced by an online store. Beside the online store, ARJMST pieces are also sold in Etihad Airlines and in different exhibitions including the latest international jewelry and watch exhibition 2013 in Abu Dhabi. ii. The Founder Azza AlQubaisi is a young Emirati jewelry designer from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In 1997, Azza started her higher education in London Guildhall University in Arts and later on graduated with a B.A. in Jewelry Design and Allied Crafts in 2002 and held many exhibitions in UAE as well as other cities such as London and Helsinki since then. After graduation, she started her jewelry designing career as the first Emirati jewelry Artist, Corporate Gift and Awards Designer and established her own brand “ARJMST”. She is a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, London since 2002. II. The story “The dessert dunes, the shapes, patterns, texture and color...
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...1. What opportunities in the marketing environment did Gannett seize in launching USA Today? How did the company learn about and respond to these opportunities? Gannett noticed two trends or opportunities in the reading public and took advantage of those trends. The first one is the increasingly short attention span among a generation nurtured on television, the second is the growing hunger for more information. The newspaper’s primary mission was to provide more news to their readers in less time. They targeted the young and well-educated because he noticed that they were busy and care about the news (they targeted nontraditional newspaper readers) unlike their competitors. Typical readers turned out to be professionals, usually managers, about 40 years old, well educated, with an income of about$60,000 a year. USA Today capitalized its market opportunities by listening to their readers. They provided personal level communication, provided news in a clear, upbeat, positive way. They were also the first color newspaper and captured readers using a TV set like distribution box. They were very unique and out of the box. In addition to this, Gannett’s research had shown that readers get most of their information from such snippets and they were also interested in sports, movie reviews, and health information so he didn’t just limit it to traditional news, he added diverse news about several topics like sports. I believe that the company knew about opportunities by closely...
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...transfer,supply chain management,Internet marketing, online transaction processing,electronic data interchange(EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collectionsystems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web for at least one part of the transaction's life cycle, although it may also use other technologies such as e-mail. eCommerce businesses may employ some or all of the following: • Online shopping web sites for retail sales direct to consumers • Providing or participating in online marketplaces, which process third-party business-to-consumer or consumer-to-consumer sales • Business-to-business buying and selling • Gathering and using demographic data through web contacts and social media • Business-to-business electronic data interchange • Marketing to prospective and established customers by e-mail or fax (for example, with newsletters) • Engaging in pretail for launching new products and services In the United States, some electronic commerce activities are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). These activities include the use of commercial e-mails, online advertising and consumer privacy. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 establishes national standards for direct marketing over e-mail. The Federal Trade Commission Act regulates all forms of advertising, including online advertising, and states that advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive.[27] Using its authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair...
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...Should DataClear go global or continue down the path that they have found success on thus far? In my opinion, the best business choice for them is to wait a little longer. The second they received word that a similar company was launching internationally, a panic broke out. In this state of mind, DataClear could make a business choice that may greatly impact their company in a negative way. The firm needs to sit back and work out different strategies that will allow them to go global when the time is right. The company has some time but not a lot; they must focus and work together strategically. Even with VisiDat’s unexpected development and contract with Shell, Data clear may still have the upper hand. DataClear already built a data analysis market in the U.S., one that they still have to themselves. Not only do they control this, but they also have proof of success and overall quality. There is no guarantee that this new competition is actually competition. DataClear has proven throughout their first two years how great their product truly is. The company is looking at a potential 300 percent average growth through 2002. DataClear has an annual $600 million domestic market for its current product and $1.2 billion when you begin to include telecommunications and financial services. When laying everything out on the table, it is clear that going global could make the company millions. This is easy to say, but how they bring it all together could determine if this will...
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...that the customer will stick with the product. Many rivals dedicate a considerable amount of resources for brand building and advertising. 3. The strongest overall competitive position would be TJX, they had the leading off-price retailer of clothing in the United States in 2010. They would be the strongest competitors because they sell their products at 20-60 percent below department store’s prices. The lowest competitor would be AEO, they don’t have as many stores as the other three competitors do. They aren’t bringing in as many customers as GAP is bringing in, so they don’t pose as much as a threat as the others would. 4. Their strategy in 2007 was to improve the appeal of the company’s product lines and expand its business internationally. The strategy that they are using is the best-cost provider strategy, they are using clothes that are trendy, and also can be bought at a low price. Their trying to undercut their competition because they sell their products at a lower price than what their competitors are selling their products. 5. The SWOT analysis would show that their strength is their low prices. Weaknesses is keeping their brand loyalty and keeping up with the latest fashions of what...
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...which are "Sales, rate & quality". HMC rates was so cheap which made the product is undervalued by the customers. In fact, the cheap price of their cars reflect its quality as some customers are needed for expensive cars. Therefore, Hyundai goal in US only to maintain its share not to gain more profits & sales in one had. On the other hand, segmenting low level –moderate level people and focus on cost saving cars rather than high quality oriented cars affected it's brand image & identity. Moreover, Hyundai is caring only to save money by having cheap labor which also affect its quality of working and having lots of workers strikes. In addition, we can't forget that inherited Chairmanships that gave the priority to the family to run the business rather than the qualified professional from management. These family chairmens' never listen to the experts inside organization and never take their advice. As well as they had a problem with working efficiency by having a functional organization which affect its production. As a result, all these reasons leads to bankruptcy, liquidity crisis, bad brand image & market positions. Hyundai has not focused on the competitors production in market and it has no competitiveness advantage over them. They decided to cheap their rates to attract more customers and never thought...
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...Lower Cost Unlike employees, franchisees make an initial payment in return for becoming a part of your business and then they continue to pay you a percentage of their revenue, throughout the duration of their Franchise Agreement. This means that the costs of setting up the franchise, training staff and launching the business are all covered by the franchisee rather than by the parent organisation. Similarly, once the business is up and running, it is the franchisee who will be rewarding you with a monthly income, rather than being paid by you as an employee. For these reasons, the franchise system can provide a very cost-effective route for business development, but only provided that the original business is successful and that the franchisor is willing to invest sufficient time and money into creating an attractive franchise opportunity. Simpler Management Franchisees are themselves responsible for the day-to-day running of their business units and they must do this strictly in accordance with the Franchise Agreement and Operating Manual. As franchisees have invested their own hard-earned money, they do not require the detailed level of management which would be needed for employees. The objectives of the franchisee and of the franchising organisation are, therefore, very closely aligned, with the success of the one depending to a great extent on the success of the other. As a result, the franchise network requires only a simplified and relatively low-cost management...
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...1. Yes, I do believe Walmart is doing enough to become more sustainable. Walmart is one of the most powerful companies internationally. As with all things that come with power, Walmart’s business practices are scrutinized thoroughly. This includes their relationships with suppliers, employees, consumers, and the environment. In recent years, the environment has become such a big issue that Walmart, as well as other companies have had to respond to this growing concern. Part of the reason Walmart has not only stayed around but has continued to grow over the years has been its ability to adapt to change in times. This ability has helped them with their environmental practices. Walmart has attempted to address the concerns of its environmental stakeholders by becoming a “greener” company. Walmart has many goals such as reducing greenhouse gases at stores, clubs, and distribution centers worldwide by 20 percent, designing prototypes to be 25 to 30 percent more efficient and developing and installing innovative energy-efficient technology into stores. Currently Walmart is working on four main green areas: waste improvement and recycling, natural resources, energy, and social/community impact. Walmart’s long-term goals are to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero waste, and carry products that sustain the environment and its resources. 2. Walmart has faced several problems in the past such as the way they treat their employees, their workplace...
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...When Monsanto decided to introduce its genetically modified soybeans to Europe, they were faced with numerous uncontrollable forces in which they had to contend. Monsanto had little opposition to the product in the US. Consumers were indifferent to the technology and for the most part, embraced it. With this success, they assumed that the sentiment would be shared internationally. After all, Monsanto had good intentions. They had aspirations to reduce pesticide use and subside world hunger. Despite these intentions, they failed to realize that foreign environments have differing values and can be difficult to assess especially regarding political, legal and cross-cultural differences. Ultimately the product was not accepted in Europe mostly out of concern for food safety. It is important to analyze and understand the forces they were faced with to have a sense of why Monsanto failed. Monsanto failed in Europe for two main reasons. The first (outside of Monsanto’s control) was the recent outbreak of Mad Cow disease linked to British Beef, yet downplayed by the government. This event just so happened to coincide with the introduction of the genetically modified soybeans. There had been a loss of trust in government and food safety. We can refer to uncertainty avoidance in Hofstede’s four dimensions model to understand this further. Many European countries rank high in uncertainty avoidance and are risk averse. Members of this type of society have high anxiety...
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