Chapter 12

Global Market
Opportunity Assessment

International Business
Strategy, Management & the New Realities

by
Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 1
 Global Market Opportunity

A favorable combination of circumstances, locations,

or timing that offer prospects for exporting, investing,
sourcing, or partnering in foreign markets.
Opportunities include:
▪ marketing products and services;
▪ establishing factories or other production facilities
to make offerings more competently or cost-
effectively;
▪ procuring raw materials or components, services
of lower cost or superior quality;
▪ Entering into collaborative arrangements with
foreign partners.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 2
 The Six Tasks of GMOA

1. Conduct an internal assessment of readiness to initiate

international business activity.
2. Assess suitability of products and services for foreign
markets.
3. Systematically identify the best markets to target with
the chosen product(s) or service(s).
4. Estimate industry market potential, or the “market
demand”, for the product(s) or service(s) in the
selected target markets.
5. Screen and select qualified business partners, such as
distributors or suppliers.
6. Estimate company sales potential for each target
market.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 3
 Task 1. Organizational Readiness

Objective: To provide an objective assessment of

the company’s preparedness to engage in
international business activity.
Outcomes: A list of firm strengths and
weaknesses, regarding international business,
and recommendations for resolving deficiencies
that hinder achieving company goals.
Criteria: Relevant financial and tangible
resources; relevant skills and competencies;
senior management commitment and motivation

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 5

 Issues to be Resolved in
Organizational Readiness Analysis
• What does the firm hope to gain from
international business? E.g., increasing sales
or profits, challenging competitors in their home
markets, pursuing a global strategy, etc.
• Is international business expansion consistent
with other company goals, now or in the future?
• What demands will internationalization place on
company resources, such as management,
personnel, finance, production and marketing
capacity? How will such demands be met?

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 6

 Task 2. Product Suitability

Objective: To conduct a systematic assessment of the suitability

of the firm's products and services for international customers;
To evaluate the degree of the fit between the product or
service and customer needs.
Outcomes: Determination of factors that may hinder product or
service market potential in each target market; Identification of
needs for the adaptations that may be required to initial and
ongoing market entry.
Criteria: Assess the firm’s products and services with regard to:
▪ foreign customer characteristics and requirements
▪ government regulations
▪ expectations of channel intermediaries
▪ characteristics of competitors’ offerings
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 7
 Product Suitability

• Sell well in the domestic market. E.g., Microsoft

Xbox, Iphone
• Cater to universal needs. E.g., cancer drug,
energy efficient refridgerator
• Address a need not well served in particular
foreign markets. E.g., mutual fund, home
mortgage
• Address a new or emergent need abroad. E.g.,
major earthquake creates urgent need for portable
housing; AIDS in Africa creates need for drugs
and medical supplies.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 8
 Task 3. Country Screening

Objective: To reduce the number of countries that

warrant in-depth investigation as potential target
markets to a manageable few.
Outcomes: Identification of 5 or 6 of the highest
potential country markets.
Criteria: Market size and growth rate; market intensity
(that is, buying power of the residents in terms of
income level); consumption capacity (that is, size
and growth rate of the country’s middle class);
country’s receptivity to imports; infrastructure
appropriate for doing business; economic freedom;
political risk.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 9
 Specific Considerations

• Cultural Similarity with Target Market may

Matter. Some firms target countries that are
“psychically” similar in terms of language and
culture.
• Nature of Information Sought varies with
product/industry. E.g., for farming equipment,
consider countries with much agricultural land
and farmers with higher incomes.
• Targeting a Region may Make Sense. E.g.,
European Union, Latin America
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 10
 Criteria Relevant to
Country Screening for FDI

• Long-term growth prospects

• Cost of doing business. Potential attractiveness of the
country based on the cost and availability of commercial
infrastructure, tax rates and wages, access to high-level
skills and capital markets
• Country risk. Regulatory, financial, political, and cultural
barriers and the legal environment for intellectual-
property protection
• Competitive environment. Intensity of competition from
local and foreign firms
• Government incentives. Availability of tax holidays,
subsidized training costs, grants, or low-interest loans.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 12
 A.T. Kearney’s Offshore Location
Attractiveness Index
• Assists managers understand and compare the factors that
make countries attractive as potential locations for offshoring
of service activities such as IT, business processes and call
centers. Evaluates countries on 39 criteria categorized into
three dimensions:
• Financial structure accounts for cost of labor, infrastructure
costs (for electricity and telecom systems), and tax and
regulatory costs.
• People skills and availability accounts for supplier’s
experience and skills, labor force availability, education and
linguistic proficiency, and employee attrition rates.
• Business environment assesses economic and political
aspects of the country, commercial infrastructure, cultural
adaptability, and security of intellectual property.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 14
 Task 4. Industry Market Potential Analysis

Objective: To estimate the size of relevant industry

sales within each target country; To investigate and
evaluate any potential barriers to market entry.
Outcomes: 3 to 5- year forecasts of industry sales for
each target market. Delineation of market entry
barriers in industry
Criteria: Market size, growth rate, and trends in the
industry; degree of competitive intensity; tariff and
non-tariff trade barriers; standards and regulations;
availability and sophistication of local distribution;
unique customer requirements and preferences;
industry-specific market potential indicators.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 16

 Industry Market Potential

• Estimate of the likely sales that can be expected

for all firms in a particular industry during a
specific time period.
• Industry Market Potential is different from
company sales potential, which refers to the
share of industry sales the firm itself expects
during a specific period.
• Most companies forecast sales at least three
years into the future, of both industry market
potential and company sales potential.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 17

 Indicators of Industry Market Potential

• Market size, growth rate, and trends in the

specific industry
• Tariff and non-tariff trade barriers to enter the
market
• Standards and regulations that affect the
industry
• Availability and sophistication of local distribution
• Unique customer requirements and preferences
• Industry-specific market potential indicators

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 18

 Examples of Industry-Specific Indicators

• Cameras: Examine climate-related factors such

as the average number of sunny days in a
typical year.

• Laboratory equipment: Examine government

expenditures on health care.

• Cooling equipment: Examine the number of

institutional buyers, such as restaurants and
hotels.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 19

 Practical Methods for Estimating Industry
Market Potential
• Simple Trend Analysis. Aggregate production for the industry as a
whole, adding imports from abroad and deducting exports.
• Monitoring Key Industry-Specific Indicators. Caterpillar, examines
announced construction projects, building permits, growth rate of
households, and infrastructure development.
• Monitoring Key Competitors. If Caterpillar is considering Chile as a
potential market, it investigates the current involvement in Chile of its
number-one competitor, the Japanese firm Komatsu.
• Following Key Customers. Automotive suppliers can anticipate where
their services will be needed next by monitoring the international
expansion of their customers such as Honda or Mercedes Benz.
• Tapping into Supplier Networks. Firms can gain valuable leads from
current suppliers by inquiring with them about competitor activities.
• Attending International Trade Fairs. Industry trade fairs and
exhibitions are excellent venues for obtaining valuable market
information.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 20
 National Trade Data Bank

• Best Market Reports identify the top 10 country

markets for specific industry sectors.
• Country Commercial Guides analyze economic
and commercial environments of countries.
• Industry Sector Analysis reports analyze market
potential for sectors such as telecommunications.
• International Market Insight reports cover
country and product-specific topics, with various
ideas for approaching markets of interest.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 21

 Task 5. Foreign Partner Selection

Objectives: To decide on the type of foreign business

partner; clarify ideal partner qualifications; and plan
mode of entry.
Outcomes: Determination of most suitable types of
foreign business partners. List of attributes desired
of foreign business partners. Determination of value-
adding activities foreign business partner contribute.
Criteria: Manufacturing and marketing expertise in the
industry; commitment to the international venture;
access to distribution channels in the market;
financial strength; quality of staff; technical
expertise; infrastructure & facilities.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 22
 Types of Foreign Business Partners

• Exporters tend to collaborate with foreign market

intermediaries, such as distributors and agents.
• Licensing partners are independent businesses that apply
intellectual property to produce products in their own
country.
• Franchising partners are franchisees –independent
businesses abroad that acquires rights and skills from the
focal firm to conduct local operations
• International collaborative venture, include joint venture
and strategic alliance partners.
• Others: global sourcing, contract manufacturing, and
basic suppliers.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 23

 Ideal Qualifications of Foreign Distributors

• Financially sound and resourceful

• Competent management
• Qualified technical and sales staff
• Willing and able to invest to grow the business
• Strong industry knowledge
• Access to distribution channels and end-users
• Known in the marketplace and well-connected
with local government
• Committed and loyal

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 24

 Task 6. Estimate Company Sales Potential

Objective: To estimate the most likely share of

industry sales the company can achieve, over a
period of time, for each target market.
Outcomes: 3 to 5-year forecast of company sales
in each target market. Understanding of factors
that will influence company sales potential.
Criteria: Capabilities of partners; access to
distribution; competitive intensity; pricing and
financing; market penetration timetable of the
firm; risk tolerance of senior managers.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 25

 Company Sales Potential

• Company sales potential is an estimate of

the share of annual industry sales that the
firm expects to generate in a particular target
market during a given time period.
• Requires obtaining highly refined information
from the market.
• Researcher must project the firm’s revenues
and expenses for 3-5 years into the future;
very challenging.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 26

Factors That Determine Company Sales Potential

• Partner capabilities. The competencies and resources of

foreign partners determine how quickly the firm can enter
and generate sales in the target market.
• Access to distribution channels. The ability to establish
and make best use of channel intermediaries and
distribution infrastructure in the target market.
• Intensity of the competitive environment. Local or third-
country competitors are likely to intensify their own
marketing efforts when confronted by new entrants.
• Pricing and financing of sales. The degree to which
pricing and financing are attractive to both customers
and channel members is critical to initial penetration.
• Human and financial resources. Such resources are a
major factor in determining the proficiency and speed
with which success can be achieved.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 27
Factors Determining Company Sales Potential (cont.)

• Market penetration timetable. Gradual entry gives the

firm time to develop and leverage appropriate resources
and strategies, but may cede some advantages to
competitors in getting established in the market. Rapid
entry may allow the firm to surpass competitors and
obtain first-mover advantages, but it can tax the firm’s
resources and capabilities.
• Risk tolerance of senior managers. Management’s
tolerance for risk in the market.
• Special links, contacts, capabilities of the firm. The focal
firm’s network in the market – its existing relationships
with customers, channel members, and suppliers.
• Reputation. The firm can succeed faster in the market if
target customers are already familiar with its brand name
and reputation.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 28

 Practical Approaches to
Estimating Company Sales Potential

• Survey of end-users and intermediaries. The firm can

survey a sample of customers and distributors to identify a
potential market.
• Trade audits. Managers visit retail outlets and question
channel members to assess relative price levels of
competitors’ offerings and perceptions of competitor
strength. The trade audit can indicate opportunities for new
modes of distribution, identify types of alternative outlets,
and provide insights into relative competitive strength.
• Competitor assessment. The firm may benchmark itself
against principal competitor(s) in the market and estimate
the level of sales it can potentially attract away from them.
What rival firms will have to be outperformed? Even in
those countries dominated by large firms research may
reveal market segments that are underserved or ignored
altogether.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 30

 Practical Approaches to
Estimating Company Sales Potential (cont.)

• Obtaining estimates from local partners.

Collaborators such as distributors, franchisees,
or licensees already experienced in the market
are often best positioned to develop estimates of
market share and sales potential.
• Limited marketing efforts to “test the waters.”
Some companies may choose to engage in a
limited entry in the foreign market – a sort of ‘test
market’ – as a way of gauging long-term sales
potential or gaining a better understanding of the
market. From these early results, it is possible
to forecast longer-term sales.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 31

 The Method of Analogy

• When using the analogy method, the researcher draws

on known statistics from one country to gain insights into
the same phenomenon for a similar country.
• If the researcher knows the total consumption of citrus
drinks in India then -- assuming that citrus drink
consumption patterns do not vary much in the
neighboring Pakistan – a rough estimate of Pakistan’s
consumption can be made, making an adjustment, of
course, for the difference in population.
• If the marketer of antibiotics knows from experience that
X number of bottles of antibiotics are sold in a country
with a Y number of physicians per thousand people, then
it can be assumed that the same ratio (of bottles per
1,000 physicians) will apply in a ‘similar’ country.

International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities 32