首都瓷器公司主要生產瓷器和陶器，公司在一個著名的地方——英國特倫特河畔斯托克地區生產。然而，高質量的瓷器和陶器在英國的需求逐漸下降。隨著英國市場的消失，發生了一系列關于國際貿易和商業的潛在機會的討論。這樣的討論目前已經達到了一個階段，為了發展國際業務，需要制定各種形式的戰略和計劃。此商業報告的目的是制定國際營銷的發展計劃和首都瓷器公司的發展戰略。
 

任務1
 

你會建議采取什么樣的市場研究，使首都瓷器公司能夠洞察歐洲國家的國際市場潛力，并在非歐洲國家中選擇四個企業產品？你會如何建議首都瓷器公司搜集這方面的研究？你認為什么研究儀器能為他們提供他們所需要的幫助，幫他們做出正確的國際業務決策？他們嘗試著把市場調查定義為解決困惑的方式。
 

盡管“市場研究”這個詞現在主要用作替代詞“市場營銷研究”上，它們所涉及的活動范圍還是存在明顯差異的。市場研究的職責范圍更為廣泛，而市場營銷研究就僅限于了解某一特定產品的市場信息。
 

The Capital China Company was formed from several china and pottery producing companies in a famous area, the Stoke-on-Trent region of England. However, the demand for high quality china and pottery in UK has fallen.With the demise of the UK market, discussion has been taking place regarding the potential opportunities for international trade and business. The discussions have now reached a stage where some form of a strategy and plan needs to be formulated to develop international business.The purpose of this business report is to formulate the development of the international marketing plan and strategy for the Capital China Company.
 

任務1———Task 1

What market research would you advice is undertaken to enable The Capital China Company to gain an insight into the international market potential of ONE European country of your choice, and ONE non-European country for the four businesses products? How would you advice The Capital China Company to collect this research? What‘s research instrument’s do you think would offer them the collection of the data they require to help them make the correct international business decisions? There have been several attempts to define market research taking into account the confusion that has been caused by the term ‘marketing research’.
 

Although the term ‘market research’ is now largely used as an alternative word for ‘marketing research’, there is a distinct difference between the scopes of the activities they covered. The responsibilities of market research extend widely, whereas marketing research is limited to finding out information about the market for a particular product (Chasmal, 1997).
 

Market research can therefore be defined as the systematic design, collection, analysis and reporting of data and findings relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company (Kotler & Keller, 2006), or simply a matter of finding out as much as you can about the target market and what drives them to buy.
 

According to Wikipedia, market research is often divided into two sets of categorical pairs, either by target market:Consumer market research and Business-to-Business (B2B) market research Or, alternatively, by methodological approach: Qualitative market research, and Quantitative market research.I would advise The Capital China Company to undertake the quantitative market research in order to gain an insight into the international market potential since this method of market research deals with the application of quantitative research techniques to the field of marketing.
 

研究工具———Research Instruments
 

A research instrument is what you use to collect the information in a field study or observation. It helps you keep track of what you observe and how to report it. It must be both valid and precise .
 

I would therefore advice The Capital China Company to collect this research by using structured questionnaires and structured interviews. According to the NCC Lecture Slides, these techniques apply the type of a research instrument called the closed-end questioning.
 

This research instrument is favorable for The Capital China Company because it specifies all the possible answers and provides answers that are easier to interpret and tabulate. By doing so, this research technique measures how many people think a certain way as opossed to open-end questioning research technique found in Qualitativemarket research (Kotler & Keller, 2006).
 

任務2———Task 2
 

How might you evaluate and consider the right countries to enter for the four businesses that operate under the Capital China Company? Which market entry methods are available to The Capital China Company? Recommend and justify which particular market entry methods you believe would be most suitable?

A market entry strategy can be defined as the planned method of delivering goods or services to a target market and distributing them there. When importing or exporting services, it refers to establishing and managing contracts in a foreign country.The market entry methods that are available to The Capital China Company include joint venturing, licensing and exporting which involves direct and indirect exporting.

 

合資企業———Joint Ventures
 

Joint ventures involve collaborating with a same-nationality firm that is already in the target market, or with a foreign firm in its own country (Blythe, 2005). Generally, joint venturing involves Business activities undertaken by two or more firms acting in partnership. In our case, The Capital China Company should find another company in foreign market to do business with.This type of agreement gives the international firm better control over operations and also access to local market knowledge. The international firm has access to the network of relationships of the franchisee and is less exposed to the risk expropriation thanks to the partnership with the local firm.

 

This type of agreement is very popular in international management. Its popularity pauses from the fact that it permits the evasion of control problems of the other types of foreign market entry strategies. In addition, the presence of the local firm facilitates the integration of the international firm in a foreign environment.
 

間接出口———Indirect Export
 

This is the market-entry strategy that offers the lowest level of risk and involves least market control where by products are carried abroad by others. The firm is not engaging in international marketing and no special activity is carried on within the firm; the sale is handled like domestic sales.
 

According to Terpstra & Sarathy in their book International Marketing (2001), there are several different methods of indirect exporting:
 

• The simplest method is to deal with foreign sales through the domestic sales organisation. For example, if a firm receives an unsolicited order from a customer in Spain and responds to the request on a one-off basis, it is engaging in casual exporting. Alternatively, a foreign buyer may approach to the firm. Products are sold in the domestic market but used or resold abroad. This type of arrangement may arise if a foreign department store has a buying office in the firm’s home country. If the exporting firm does not follow up the contact with a sustained marketing effort, it is unlikely to gain future sales.
 

• A second form of indirect exporting is the use of international trading companies with local offices all over the world. The size and market coverage of these trading companies make them attractive distributors, especially with their credit reliability and their information network. The trading companies of European origin are important mainly in trade with former European colonies, mostly Africa and Southeast Asia.
 

• A third form of indirect exporting is the export management company located in the same country as the producing firm and which plays the role of an export department. That is the firm has the performance of an export department without establishing one in the firm. The economic advantage arises because the export company performs the export function for several firms at the same time. The producer can establish closer relationships and gains instant foreign market contacts and knowledge. The firm is freed the burden of developing in-house expertise in exporting. The method of payment is the commission and the costs are variable.
 

Indirect export can open up new markets without requiring special expertise or investment. Although, by this method both the international know-how and the sales achieved by these indirect approaches are generally limited
 

直接出口———Direct Export
 

Direct export can be defined as a sale by an exporter directly to a buyer in a foreign country.The Capital China Company can also use the direct export method to enter into international business although this approach to export requires more corporate resources and also entails greater risks.The risks with the Capital China Company and the level of resources required is minimum because the all four of the businesses forming the Capital China Company have already engaged with and delivered export orders both to European countries and to a number of the Gulf States.

According to Terpstra & Sarathy in their book International Marketing (2001), in order to implement a direct exporting strategy, the firm must have representation in the foreign markets. This can be achieved in a number of ways:
 

• Sending international sales representatives into the foreign market to establish contacts and to directly negotiate sales contracts.

• Selecting local representatives or agents to prospect the market, to contact potential customers and to negotiate on behalf of the exporting firm.

• Using independent local distributors who will buy the products to resell them in the local market (with or without exclusivity).

• Creating a fully owned commercial subsidiary to have a greater control over foreign operations. (In most cases, the commercial subsidiary will be a joint venture created with a local firm to gain access to local relationships.)
 

Again this is not necessary since the Capital China Company has already established a connection with the outside world.
 

執照———License
 

Another way The Capital China Company can enter a foreign market is to license a local company to use one or several components of its business concept.The advantage of licensing for The Capital China Company (licensor) is that it can enter a new market at little risk. For the licensee the advantage is that it can gain production expertise or a well-known product or brand name. But licensing also has its disadvantages in that some control is lost, and that a potential competitor may have appeared when the license terminates (Kotler & Keller, 2006)

 

The Capital China Company can license through management contracts, contract manufacturing and franchising. In a management contract, The Capital China Company can charge a fee to manage a foreign business. In contract manufacturing, The Capital China Company can hire local manufacturers to produce a product in a foreign market. In franchising, The Capital China Company will have to offer the complete brand concept and operating system to the franchisee.
 

The market entry that would be most suitable for The Capital China Company is exporting which involves direct and indirect exporting methods because indirect exporting offers the lowest level of risk and the least market control, in which products are carried abroad by others.#p#分頁標題#e#
 

Also in direct exporting, although the firm becomes directly involved in marketing its products in foreign markets, this won’t be a problem for The Capital China Company since it had already established the connection with foreign markets.
#p#

任務3———Task 3
 

A member of the board of directors has commented to you about a need to adapt or standardize but, was unsure what this meant or how this might affect the business in going international. Offer a full explanation in our report of the positives and negatives of standardization and adaptation, as far as you believe The Capital China Company’s businesses and products are concerned.
 

On deciding on the global marketing program to undertake when going international, a firm has to consider two programs; whether to standardize its marketing mix for all of its market targets or to adapt it and make it different for each market target.
 

標準化的營銷組合———Standardized Marketing Mix
 

Standardized marketing mix can thus be defined as a strategy employed by a company in attempting to use one marketing mix to sell its products world-wide. This approach minimizes cost but may result in a smaller market than would be possible with a unique marketing program for each country.
 

標準化的營銷組合策略的好處———Benefits of Standardized Marketing Mix Strategy
 

The main benefits of a standardized marketing strategy are consistency throughout the world and cost savings. Increased globalization of world businesses contributes to more similarities among international marketplaces. This has led some companies to realize the benefits of providing a consistent, and uniform product and marketing system around the world. Because these organizations are producing same products and reusing established marketing and distribution systems, they also get economies of scales benefits in production and buying.The Capital China Company can benefit from this strategy by being consistent throughout the world and it can save cost too by relying on the similarities of the marketing strategies and reusing of its already established distribution systems to the European countries and to a number of the Gulf States.

 

標準化的營銷組合策略的弱點———Weakness of Standardized Marketing Mix Strategy
 

A common disadvantage of a standardized marketing strategy comes from its goal of offering uniformity. Selling the same products with the same message globally means little to no differentiation for local markets and their unique needs. Ideally, a standardized approach is based on research that unique needs are not relevant.The Capital China Company might have to consider unique needs of its target market instead of offering uniform message globally.#p#分頁標題#e#
 

適應市場營銷組合———Adapted Marketing Mix
 

On the other hand, adapted marketing mix is an international marketing strategy for adjusting the marketing mix elements to each international target market, bearing more costs but hoping for a larger market share and return (Armstrong & Kotler, 2008). Here the marketers because of widely varying cultural backgrounds, needs and wants, spending power and product preferences adapt their product, prices, channels and promotion strategies to fit consumers’ requirements in each country.
 

適應市場營銷組合策略的好處———Benefits of Adapted Marketing Mix Strategy
 

The Capital China Company can benefit from adopting the adapted marketing mix strategy since it will have to face the compaction from local competitors alone. Also by adapting its marketing mix, The Capital China Company will have the ability to serve its different markets well according to their choices and thus satisfying its customers since customer needs are heterogeneous.
 

適應市場營銷組合策略的的弱點———Weaknesses of Adapted Marketing Mix Strategy
 

By choosing to adopt the adapted marketing mix strategy, The Capital China Company can face several disadvantages including the cost of using different marketing communication tools for different target markets.
 

任務4———Task 4
 

What advice would you offer the board of directors in terms of developing an Integrated Marketing Communication plan and strategy to address the company’s products in both the European and wider global market-places? Identify the difficulties that you believe would need to be considered in developing such a plan and strategy.Integrated Marketing Communications Integrated Marketing Communications is the coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, avenues, and sources within a company into a seamless program that maximizes the impact on consumers and other end users at a minimal cost (Wikipedia).The essence of the integrated marketing communications lies on its ability to link together all forms of communications and messages allowing them to work together in synchronization rather than in separation, given that they all speak consistently with one expression all the time.Generally, the integrated marketing communication will improve The Capital China Company’s ability to reach the right consumer, at the right place and at the right time with the right message.

The forms of communications that are integrated together include advertising, public relations/publicity, personal selling, direct marketing, packaging, merchandising, corporate identity, sales promotion and exhibitions.
 

The Capital China Company should use as many of these marketing communication tools as possible in order to assure that all its contacts received by a customer or prospect for its product are relevant to that customer and consistent over time.
 

預算沖突———Budget Conflict
 

The difficulties that The Capital China Company might face include the conflicts that may arise on the budget of integrating the marketing communications of all four companies that together form The Capital China Company.
 

通信沖突———Communication Conflict
 

Also, there may be conflicts in terms of how to structure the particular communication messages to cover the four products manufactured by The Capital China Company.
 

組織結構———Structure of Organizations
 

The Capital China Company has subdivided their tasks into subunits (departments) in order to cope with the level of operations. The structure of The Capital China Company may make it difficult to coordinate and manage disparate areas as one entity.
 

思維模式———Mind Set
 

The mindset built up over many years of practice has made The Capital China Company to overlook the need for and benefits of integration. Thus, The Capital China Company might face the difficult because of the fear of change and loss of control. Therefore the history, tradition and experience of The Capital China Company can be the limiting factors.