個案總覽

Marks and Spencer (M&S) had first ventured into international markets 70 years ago. By 2012, M&S had 337 stores in 41 countries. Although M&S saw itself as a U.K. retailer that exported its products, the company had been attempting to reduce its dependency on the U.K. economic cycle. Its goal was to increase international sales from £800 million to £1.0 billion by 2013/14. By 2020, M&S wanted to be an international, multi-channel retailer. <br><br>When the company entered the Chinese market in 2008, it faced many difficulties. It had failed to conduct proper market research to understand the Chinese consumer, which had led to many issues. The company had neglected to address the cultural gaps between the United Kingdom and China. It had also taken an approach of standardizing its products, instead of adapting products to the new market. Students must consider the marketing mix policies of product, price, placement and promotion to recommend changes to M&S’s entry into China.

Marks and Spencer (M&S) had first ventured into international markets 70 years ago. By 2012, M&S had 337 stores in 41 countries. Although M&S saw itself as a U.K. retailer that exported its products, the company had been attempting to reduce its dependency on the U.K. economic cycle. Its goal was to increase international sales from £800 million to £1.0 billion by 2013/14. By 2020, M&S wanted to be an international, multi-channel retailer. When the company entered the Chinese market in 2008, it faced many difficulties. It had failed to conduct proper market research to understand the Chinese consumer, which had led to many issues. The company had neglected to address the cultural gaps between the United Kingdom and China. It had also taken an approach of standardizing its products, instead of adapting products to the new market. Students must consider the marketing mix policies of product, price, placement and promotion to recommend changes to M&S's entry into China.

Presentation for product 8B12A036.

he case considers the necessity for rebranding the city of Orlando, Florida, which has a brand known worldwide as a destination only for tourism and sunshine. However, the Greater Orlando Area not only houses many other promising industries including technology, defence and simulation but also has a diverse community and a trade scene with vast potential. Yet, why has Orlando not been recognized as a great place to conduct business? Why is its reputation tied only to tourism? How can the city be marketed as a vibrant business destination in addition to a tourist destination? Many variables affect the brand and, therefore, perception of the city. What can be done to make Orlando more attractive and, through this, become a world city?

Companies introducing a brand in China face special naming challenges because of the complexity of Chinese characters and pronunciations. The authors show four different approaches companies can take, favoring sound or meaning similarities, and describe the pros and cons of each.

Founded in Trieste, Italy, Illy marketed a unique blend of coffee drinks in over 140 countries and in more than 50,000 of the world’s best restaurants and coffeehouses. The company wanted to expand the reach of its own franchised coffee bar, Espressamente, through international expansion. Potential markets included Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2012, the managing director of Espressamente knew that global expansion meant prioritizing markets, but where did the greatest potential lie? In addition to market selection, mode of entry was vital and included options such as exporting, franchising, and joint ventures. This case provides a practical example of the challenges faced in international business.

The case considers the necessity for rebranding the city of Orlando, Florida, which has a brand known worldwide as a destination only for tourism and sunshine. However, the Greater Orlando Area not only houses many other promising industries including technology, defence and simulation but also has a diverse community and a trade scene with vast potential. Yet, why has Orlando not been recognized as a great place to conduct business? Why is its reputation tied only to tourism? How can the city be marketed as a vibrant business destination in addition to a tourist destination? Many variables affect the brand and, therefore, perception of the city. What can be done to make Orlando more attractive and, through this, become a world city?

Spreadsheet for teaching note 8B11A026.

Oded Carmi was a social entrepreneur striving for a “green Bali.” He started Sari Organik as a model farm intended to grow according to market demands and to benefit the local community while serving as an educational centre for small-scale farmers in the region. Thirteen years later, the idea was not as well embraced as he had hoped. The case discusses some of the challenges the entrepreneur was facing as the founder and owner of Sari Organik farm and the restaurant Warung Bodag Maliah (“overflowing basket”). His main challenge was to replicate and sustain his organic rice-farming model across Bali and eventually other parts of Indonesia. His initial thoughts involved some options: (a) to utilize the established village system and its leadership to re-introduce traditional rice-farming culture in Ubud, Bali, and eventually Indonesia; (b) to introduce a new model such as micro-franchising through which he would recruit a number of local farmers and provide them with the resources to grow rice organically; (c) to go into a joint venture with the few existing organic rice farmers in the region; and (d) to expand his business as a sole proprietor. The case may be a good starting point for a discussion on the impact of modernization on a traditional society and the role of business in society. Carmi, a native of Israel, tried to revive traditional farming techniques that were more sustainable and healthy. He realized he had to come up with a strategy soon.

This case concerns an executive who must estimate the demand for Kodak Express outlets in various developing countries based on socioeconomic and demographic data about the countries. The case requires students to think about how to transform data on a national scale (GDP per capita, population, income distribution) into a form that is meaningful for a managerial decision -- the number of outlets that could be supported by a country's market demographics. In this instance, doing so can be accomplished effectively through modeling on a spreadsheet.<br><br>The purposes of the case are to show the relation between national statistics and company decisions and to give students training in conceptualizing a problem and modeling the analysis on a spreadsheet. The analyst is required to estimate the potential market demand for Kodak Express.

An executive must estimate the demand for Kodak Express outlets in various developing countries based on socioeconomic and demographic data about the countries. The case requires students to think about how to transform data on a national scale (GDP per capita, population, income distribution) into a form that is meaningful for a managerial decision — here, the number of outlets that could be supported by a country’s market demographics. In this instance, doing so can be accomplished effectively through modeling on a spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet for students for product 9B11A026.

Birzeit Pharmaceutical Company (BPC), established in 1974, had successfully completed a number of mergers and had overcome challenges and development phases in order to secure a strong position in its local market, Palestine, as well as introduce a wide range of products in the export market. BPC’s continuous success, despite political instability and continuous restrictions on its growth and expansion, led the company to focus beyond its local presence. Despite the growth of BPC and its financial solidity, it was very similar to other Arab businesses, which were reluctant to invest significantly and take big risks in growing outside their areas. BPC did not wish to risk large amounts of money, and instead chose to expand to new markets or introduce new niche products on a conservative basis. BPC invested in an Algerian packaging company in 2006 and aimed to meet its vision of growth by entering new markets and introducing new products. It wanted the packaging company to later grow to a manufacturing company, and accordingly to an export location. In a business environment that was characterized by quick decisions and high competition, the company needed to make faster decisions, invest more money, and choose a new path to secure its business development and growth. Competition in pharmaceutical manufacturing, especially among generics, was increasing greatly, and the faster BPC moved, the more competitive it would be.

Praxis Language is a small company in China started by three non-Chinese entrepreneurs. Originally focused on teaching Chinese to native English speakers using podcasting and other online tools, Praxis has also developed content to teach English to native Chinese speakers, which the company perceives as a much bigger market. The case describes the challenges facing the co-founder of Praxis as he navigates emerging mobile technology (hardware and software), the complexities of doing business in China, and the consequences of explosive growth.

In 2005, the Qianjiang Group (QJ), a large-scale Chinese state-owned group, acquired the Italian company Benelli to expand its business in Western markets beyond Italy. Benelli's brand advantage was intended to provide the core competency for QJ to compete in the global motorbike markets; in addition, Benelli's capabilities and know-how in motorbike and scooter engineering also helped QJ complete its product portfolio. After a successful start, the many cultural differences related to an Italian business model and a Chinese company became problematic. Problems arose in integrating Chinese and Italian cultures and in coping with a completely different way of doing business, and the company was facing stiff competition from Japanese competitors. Despite excellent press and large industrial investments aimed at gaining efficiency and reducing prices, penetration of Western markets was difficult.

In 2005, the Qianjiang Group (QJ), a large-scale Chinese state-owned group, acquired the Italian company Benelli to expand its business in Western markets beyond Italy. Benelli's brand advantage was intended to provide the core competency for QJ to compete in the global motorbike markets; in addition, Benelli's capabilities and know-how in motorbike and scooter engineering also helped QJ complete its product portfolio. After a successful start, the many cultural differences related to an Italian business model and a Chinese company became problematic. Problems arose in integrating Chinese and Italian cultures and in coping with a completely different way of doing business, and the company was facing stiff competition from Japanese competitors. Despite excellent press and large industrial investments aimed at gaining efficiency and reducing prices, penetration of Western markets was difficult.

In late May 2009, Albert Bohemier, CEO of Survival Systems Limited (SSL), located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, paced the deck of the training pool at Survival Training Simulation Theatre wondering how best to transition the company to new leadership. During the past five years, attempts at succession planning had been unsuccessful. As the leader of the company for over 25 years, Bohemier was ready to retire, but there were many aspects of succession planning to consider. Bohemier's personal criteria for incoming leadership were threefold: it had to be good for SSL's existing clients, a positive move for the company as a whole and good for the current team.

In late May 2009, Albert Bohemier, CEO of Survival Systems Limited (SSL), located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, paced the deck of the training pool at Survival Training Simulation Theatre wondering how best to transition the company to new leadership. During the past five years, attempts at succession planning had been unsuccessful. As the leader of the company for over 25 years, Bohemier was ready to retire, but there were many aspects of succession planning to consider. Bohemier's personal criteria for incoming leadership were threefold: it had to be good for SSL's existing clients, a positive move for the company as a whole and good for the current team.

When a firm chooses to enter or continue business in a foreign market, it becomes exposed to associated political risks which should be assessed and managed. Help is available for becoming aware of the level of macro political risk; that is, the political risk across industries or all businesses in entire countries or geographic regions. Yet, surprisingly little guidance exists by which to identify and assess firm-specific political risks, termed micro political risk. Herein, we offer some new perspectives on the nature of micro political risk within a host country, illustrating how it stems from economic, societal, and governmental forces. We have compiled a number of firm-specific variables which can affect the firm's micro political risk profile, and advance an innovative methodology by which executives can address these variables and develop an assessment of their firm's micro political risk. Examples of micro political risk situations are provided, along with discussion of implementing the proposed methodology.      

Given the importance of global education, colleges and universities are faced with increasing pressure from various stakeholders to internationalize their campus. The dean of the Grant MacEwan School of Business is faced with the task of internationalizing the school. Her job is doubly difficult as the school is implementing a strategic move towards becoming a baccalaureate-granting institution, and upgrading its available international programs. The application of standard business models of SWOT and PEST analysis, examining the multi-dimensionality of internationalization and its application in the non-profit sector, and development of defined benchmarks to evaluate the success of any expansion efforts are all areas that the dean should consider in making her recommendations.