10.5 Individual assignment 10.5.1 Description individual assignment Write an essay in which you discuss the issues below. The essay should count up to 8 pages of text (i.e., excl graphs, tables and references). Lettertype: Times roman 12. Line distance 1. Please make sure you provide appropriate (APA style) references to literature that you use. Gulf Cables and Electrical Industries Co. K.S.C was established in 1975 with objective of meeting growing local and export markets requirements. The company owns two factories: one located in Kuwait the other in Jordan. Their vision is to be the leader of Gulf and Middle East region in manufacturing and supplying Cables and Conductors. You can find information on the companys products at: https://www.gulfcable.com/ProductIntroduction?intr=80 At this moment the company primarily exports to local Arab markets. Assume that the company would have a desire to expand business into the European Union. On the company website, take a look at all products or zoom in to a few of them. 1. Profile the company with specific reference to why you believe they are geared to exploit foreign markets (in general, ., not just related to the EU market) (innovative product, know-how, capacity levels, raw material supply, labor costs etc). 2. Comment on the competitive (comparative) advantage you believe the product would enjoy in international markets. Does this correspond with the advantage in the domestic market? Is the advantage sustainable over time? 3. External Environment: Analyse the external environment the focal firm may face in the country to be entered, as well as any factors pertaining to the home country of the firm with impact on market entry. . analyse the sources of competition both domestically and globally. Who are they? What are their strengths and weaknesses relative to the targeted market(s)? 4. Market Attractiveness Analysis I: Determine the attractiveness of the market in terms of the following facets: 1. market size and growth, 2. cultural dimensions (. related to consumer behaviour as well as the negotiation process (customs, norms, beliefs, language, religion, etc)), 3. legal dimensions influencing contracts and intellectual property rights, and 4. ethical issues. 5. Market Attractiveness Analysis II: Determine the attractiveness of the market in terms of real or perceived trade barriers (tariff and non-tariff). Countering such barriers need to be addressed. 6. Market Entry Strategy: What is the best way for the firm to enter that new market? Describe entry mode, how to organize for it (including extent of localization vs standardization) and provide rationale for each of the strategic recommendations based on examples from literature/articles 7. Recommendations: What are your recommendations to the firm for further international expansion in the short and the medium term? This could mean staying in the country and expanding, or seeking new international markets. Explain your answer drawing conclusions from your above analysis. Instructions Do not simply answer the questions like you would do in an exam. Write a paper with a story line instead in which the questions above are discussed (not necessarily in the same order as listed above). Please be aware of the fact that papers are screened for plagiarism. Under no circumstance you are permitted to copy & paste (you are also NOT allowed to quote)! You are expected to use your course text as well as do some research and use peer-reviewed papers. Avoid Google as much as you can: points will be deducted for the use of websites like Wikipedia, Investopedia, Tutor2u, etc.. is in any case preferable to its popular brother but your free Infocenter subscription to EBSCOs 5000 full-text journals is very useful and youd be well advised use it. Use the template for a paper that is posted on Moodle in the assignment section. You will also find a copy of the rubric that will be used to grade your paper. Grading criteria Very poor: No profile is discussed. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to discuss the company’s ability to exploit foreign markets. Satisfactory: The participant provides a reasonable discussion of the company’s ability to exploit foreign markets with reasonable/partially flawed arguments. Good: The participant provides a good discussion of the company profile that is reasonably well-argued and reasonably well-documented. Outstanding: The participant provides an excellent discussion of the company profile that is well-argued and well-documented. Criterion 2 (DD2): Competitive advantage: The participant discusses the the competitive (comparative) advantage of the product in international markets. (10%) Very poor: The participant does not discuss the competitive or comparative advantage of the product in international markets. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to discuss the product’s competitive/comparative advantage. Satisfactory: The participant provides a reasonable discussion of the products competitive/comparative advantage with some flawed/incorrect arguments. Good: The participant provides and good discussion of the product’s competitive/comparative advantage that is reasonably well-argued and reasonably well-documented. Outstanding: The participant provides and excellent discussion of the product’s competitive/comparative advantage that is well-argued and well-documented based on the course literature. Criterion 3 (DD2): External Environment: The participant analyses the external environment the focal firm may face in the country to be entered. (10%) Very poor: The participant makes no attempt at all to analyse the external environment. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to discuss the external environment. Satisfactory: Reasonable analysis of the external environment of the focal firm is given but with partly flawed/incorrect arguments. Good: The participant provides an good analysis of the external environment that is reasonably well-agued and reasonably well-documented. Outstanding: The participant provides an excellent analysis of the external environment that is well-agued and well-documented based on the course literature. Criterion 4 (DD2): Market attractiveness I: The participant determines the market attractiveness in the following facets: 1. market size and growth (5%) Very poor: No assessment of market attractiveness in terms of market size and growth is given at all. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to assess the market in terms of size and growth. Satisfactory: Reasonable assessment of market attractiveness in terms of size and growth is provided, but with deficiencies in the argumentation though. Good: Good assessment of market attractiveness in terms of size and growth is provided with arguments and documentation. Outstanding: Excellent assessment of market attractiveness in terms of size and growth is provided, well-argued and well-documented. Criterion 5 (DD2): Market attractiveness I: The participant determines the market attractiveness in the following facets: 2. cultural dimensions (. related to consumer behavior as well as the negotiation process (customs, norms, beliefs, language, religion, etc)). (5%) Very poor: No assessment of market attractiveness in terms of cultural dimensions is given at all. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to assess the market in cultural dimensions. Satisfactory: Reasonable assessment of market attractiveness in terms of cultural dimensions is provided, but with deficiencies in the argumentation though. Good: Good assessment of market attractiveness in terms of cultural dimensions is provided, with good arguments. Outstanding: Excellent assessment of market attractiveness in terms of cultural dimensions is provided, well-argued and well-documented with literature. Criterion 6 (DD2): Market attractiveness I: The participant determines the market attractiveness in the following facets: 3. legal dimensions influencing contracts and intellectual property rights. (5%) Very poor: No assessment of market attractiveness in terms of legal dimension is given at all. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to assess the market in terms of legal dimensions. Satisfactory: Reasonable assessment of market attractiveness in terms of legal dimensions is provided, but with deficiencies in the argumentation though. Good: Good assessment of market attractiveness in terms of legal dimensions is provided, with good arguments. Outstanding: Excellent assessment of market attractiveness in terms of legal dimensions is provided, well-argued and well-documented with literature. Criterion 7 (DD2) :Market attractiveness I: The participant determines the market attractiveness in the following facets: 4. ethical issues. (5%) Very poor: No assessment of market attractiveness in terms of ethical issues is given at all. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient, irrelevant arguments used to assess the market in terms of ethical issues. Satisfactory: Reasonable assessment of market attractiveness in terms of ethical issues is provided, but with deficiencies in the argumentation though. Good: Good assessment of market attractiveness in terms of ethical issues is provided, with good arguments. Outstanding: Excellent assessment of market attractiveness in terms of ethical issues is provided, well-argued and well-documented with literature. Criterion 8 (DD3): Market attractiveness II: the participants discusses the market attractiveness in terms of real or perceived trade barriers and proposes solutions to overcome these barriers. (10%) Very poor: Participant does not discuss the the market attractiveness at all and does not identify any real or perceived trade barriers. Unsatisfactory: Participant identifies some trade barriers that are in addition irrelevant in the context of the market that is to be entered and proposes ineffective, half-hearted or ill-motivated solutions. Satisfactory: Participant gives a reasonable but incomplete account of trade barriers and only partial or half-way solutions to overcome them. Good: Participant gives a good overview of trade barriers and proposes reasonable solutions to overcome them. Outstanding: Participant gives and excellent, well- argued overview of trade barriers and proposes well-motivated, excellent solutions to overcome them that are grounded in the course literature. Criterion 9 (DD3): The participant proposes an adequate market entry strategy. (10%) Very poor: The participant does not propose a market entry strategy at all. Unsatisfactory: The participant proposes a market entry strategy that is not motivated. Satisfactory: The participant proposes a market entry strategy that is reasonably well motivated. Good: The participant proposes a market entry strategy that is well motivated. Outstanding: The participant proposes an original market entry strategy that is very well motivated and excellently grounded in the course literature. Criterion 10 (DD3): The participant proposes recommendations for for further international expansion in the short and the medium term. (10%) Very poor: Paper does not recommend appropriate actions and does not motivate them. Unsatisfactory: Paper makes some recommendations but these are not based on the preceding analysis. Satisfactory: Paper discusses some recommendations but these inconsistently motivated (based on the preceding analysis). Good: Paper discusses policy recommendations and motivates them reasonably well. Outstanding: Paper discusses excellent recommendations and motivates them in a very good manner, based on the preceding analysis and literature. Criterion 11 (DD4): Does the participant meet the requirements of format and writing style? (5%) Very poor: Poor use of English, many mistakes; does not comply with basic format requirements. Unsatisfactory: Insufficient use of English; does barely comply with basic format requirements. Satisfactory: English is acceptable; format requirements more or less met. Good: English is clear, well written in an academic style; format requirements met.
