Part III Flashcards
What is an entry mode?
An arrangement for the entry of a company’s products and services into a new foreign market
What are the 3 main types of entry mode?
- export
- intermediate
- hierarchical
What are the 3 different rules for selecting an entry mode?
- Naive rule
- Pragmatic rule
- Strategy rule
What is the naive rule?
the decision-maker uses the same entry strategy for all countries, it ignores markets’ heterogeneity
What is the pragmatic rule?
decision-maker uses a workable entry mode for each foreign market. Start with a low-risk entry mode. Not all potential alternatives are investigated
What is the strategy rule?
all alternative entry modes are systematically compared and evaluated before any choice is made
How do products move to another country using the export mode?
HQ (production company) > agent/importer/distributor > retail chain > End customer
How do products move to another country using the intermediate mode?
HQ (production company A) + HQ (production company B) > Joint venture (new firm C) > Retail chain > End customer
How do products move to another country using the hierarchical mode?
HQ Production company > Foreign sales subsidiary > Retail chain > End customer
What are transaction costs?
The ‘friction’ between buyer and seller that is explained by opportunistic behavior
What is opportunistic behavior?
Self-interest with guile, misleading, distortion, disguise, and confusion
What is transaction cost analysis?
this concludes that if the ‘friction’ between buyer and seller is higher than through an internal hierarchical system the firm should internalize
What are externalizing leads to transaction costs? (4)
- search costs
- contracting costs
- monitoring costs
- enforcement costs
What is externalization?
doing business through an external partner (importer, agent, distributor)
What is internalization?
integration of an external partner into one’s own organization
What are elements that may result in conflicts and opportunistic actions? (5)
- Stock size of the intermediary
- Extent of technical and commercial service to be carried out by the export intermediary
- Division of marketing costs between producer and the export intermediary
- Fixing prices
- Fixing of commissions to agents
What is opportunistic behavior from the export intermediary? (2)
- Exaggerating advertising and consumer service costs
* Manipulate information on market size and competitor prices to obtain lower ex-works prices from the product
What is opportunistic behavior from the producer?
- Threatening to use different intermediaries or change entry mode
- Tap the export intermediary for the market knowledge and customer contracts in order to internalize (do it themselves)
What 4 factors influence the entry mode?
- Internal factors
- External factors
- Desired mode factors
- transaction-specific factors
What are internal factors that influence the entry mode? (3)
- Firm size
- International Experience
- Product/service
What are external factors that influence the entry mode? (6)
- Sociocultural distance between home country and host country
- Country risk / demand uncertainty
- Market size and growth
- Direct and indirect trade barriers
- Intensity of competition
- Small number of relevant export intermediaries available
How is ‘size’ an internal factor that influences the entry mode?
Size is an indicator of the firm’s resources availability. Increasing resources = increased international involvement.
How is ‘international experience’ an internal factor that influences the entry mode?
International experience reduces the costs and uncertainty of serving a market.
It increases the probability of firms committing resources to foreign markets.
How is the ‘product/service’ an internal factor that influences the entry mode?
Products with high value/ weight ratio are typically used for direct exporting.
Soft services/products are more likely to choose a hierarchical entry mode than hard services
How is the ‘sociocultural distance between the home country and host country’ an external factor that influences the entry mode?
The greater the sociocultural difference between the countries –> firms will favor entry modes that involve relatively low resource commitments and high flexibility
How is the ‘country risk/demand uncertainty’ an external factor that influences the entry mode?
Firm risks inventory, receivables, exchange rate risk, political risk. When there is a high country risk the firm will favor more flexible entry modes that have low resource commitments
How are the ‘market size and growth’ an external factor that influences the entry mode?
A large country will have a higher growth rate and management will be more likely to commit more resources and consider a wholly-owned sales subsidiary
How are the ‘direct and indirect trade barriers’ external factors that influence the entry mode?
Tariffs or quotas on the import of foreign goods and components favor the establishment of local production or assembly operations
How is ‘the intensity of competition’ an external factor that influences the entry mode?
The greater the intensity of competition in host market, the more the firm will favor entry modes that involve low resource commitments
How is the ‘small number of relevant intermediaries available’ an external factor that influences the entry mode?
when there is a small number bargaining firms will favor use of hierarchical modes in order to reduce the scope for opportunistic behavior
What are the desired mode characteristics that influence the entry mode? (3)
- Risk-averse
- Control
- Flexibility
How is ‘risk-averse’ a desired mode characteristic that influences the entry mode?
Decision-makers that are risk-averse prefer export modes or intermediate modes because these typically entail low levels of financial and management commitment
How is ‘control’ a desired mode characteristic that influences the entry mode?
when there is a low level of control there will be minimal resource commitment
How is ‘flexibility’ a desired mode characteristic that influences the entry mode?
hierarchical modes are the least flexible and often need for a large investment of equity
What is the transaction-specific factor that influences the entry mode?
Tacit nature of know-how
What does tacit mean?
understood or implied without being stated
What are the 3 major export channels?
- Indirect export
- Direct export
- Cooperative export
What is indirect export?
Manufacturing firm does not take direct care of exporting but another domestic company performs these activities without the firm’s involvement in foreign sales
What is direct export?
The producing firm takes care of exporting activities and is in direct contact with the first intermediary in the foreign market, firm’s involvement in foreign sales to distributors
What is cooperative export?
Involves collaborative agreements with other firms concerning the performance of exporting functions
What does partner mindshare mean?
the level of mindshare that the manufacturer’s product occupies in the mind of the export partner
What are the 3 drivers of mindshare?
- commitment and trust
- collaboration
- mutuality of interest and common purpose
What are the 5 main entry modes for indirect exporting?
- export buying agent
- Broker
- Export management company
- Trading company
- Piggyback
What is an export buying agent?
a representative of foreign buyers who is located in the exporter’s home country. The agent offers services to foreign buyers such as identifying potential sellers and negotiating prices
What is the function of a broker?
to bring a buyer and seller together. The broker is a specialist in performing the contractual function and does not handle the products themselves
What is an export management company/export house?
Are specialist companies set up to act as the ‘export department’ for a range of non-competing companies
What are the advantages of an export management company? (3)
- Export management companies can spread the selling and administration costs over more products and companies.
- They deal with the necessary documentation and their knowledge of foreign markets is useful
- Allow companies to gain wider exposure of their products in foreign markets
What are the disadvantages of an export management company? (4)
- Selection of markets may be made on the basis of what is best for the EMC rather than for the company
- When paid in commission EMCs might focus on short term sales
- EMCs may be tempted to carry too many product ranges
- EMCs may carry competitive products
What is the role of a trading company?
to find a buyer quickly for products taken in exchange
What areas do trading companies play a role in? (8)
- Shipping
- Warehousing
- Finance
- Planning
- Resource development
- Insurance
- Consulting
- Real estate