Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Export market selection'

Exporting is a critically important strategy for firms to grow, yet research in this area has tended to ignore how firms can leverage resource-based capabilities to improve export performance. Building on the resource-based view and institutional theory, the authors develop a novel perspective to explain how a firm can improve export performance by aligning its export channel with its level of market orientation capabilities, contingent on the institutional distance between home and export markets. Using a unique database of Chinese exporters, the authors find that exporters with strong market orientation capabilities prefer hierarchical export channels, while those with weak market orientation capabilities prefer hybrid channels. The analysis also indicates that the institutional distance between China and the export market moderates this relation. Moreover, the authors find that aligning export channel choice with firm-level market orientation capabilities and institutional distance yields better export performance. (authors' abstract)

The object of this research was to develop an international market screening methodology which selects highly attractive markets, allowing for the ranges in diversity amongst organisations, countries and products. Conventional business thought is that, every two to five years, dynamic organisations which conduct business internationally should decide which additional foreign market or markets to next enter. If they are internationally inexperienced, this will be their first market; if they are experienced, it might be, say, their 100th market. How should each organisation select their next international market? One previous attempt has been made to quantitatively test which decision variables, and what weights, should be used when choosing between the 230 countries of the world. The literature indicate that a well-informed selection decision could consider over 150 variables that measure aspects of each foreign market's economic, political, legal, cultural, technical and physical environments. Additionally, attributes of the organisation have not been considered when selecting the most attractive short-list of markets. The findings presented in the dissertation are that 30 criteria accounted for 95 per cent of variance at cross-classification rates of 95 per cent. The weights of each variable, and the markets selected statistically as being the most attractive, were found to vary with the capabilities, goals and values of the organisation. This frequently means that different countries will be best for different organisations selling the same product. A

As part of the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA), the South African government is focusing on improving the country's export performance (Department of Trade and Industry, 2006a). One of the objectives of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is to increase the level of South African exports through the development and implementation of strategies for targeted markets. The DTI commissioned a study to scientifically identify priority products and markets in order to justify its export promotion activities and to ensure that government resources are effectively allocated. Tills led to the development of the Decision Support Model (DSM) by Viviers and Pearson (2007) as an instrument to identify realistic export opportunities for South Africa. The Viviers and Pearson (2007) study adapted and refined the methodology of Cuyvers et al. (1995) to the South African circumstances and used a sequential filtering process to identify realistic product/market export combinations for South Africa. The outcome of the DSM for South Africa was 9690 SITC product/market opportunities in seventy-four countries, clustered in twelve geographic regions. One of these regions was the Middle East. The DTI indicated the need for a study on South Africa's export opportunities to the Middle East as a result of their prioritisation of regions for export promotion. This need is therefore the rationale of this study. The research objectives were to analyse the identified Middle East countries and determine the product with the most realistic export opportunities to two of the Middle East countries and lastly, to develop a market profile to assist the DTI in promoting the exports of this product to these countries. In this study, several methods of product and market selection were investigated in order to determine the most suitable method to identify the product/market opportunities from the DSM to the Middle East. The product selection method selected involved a three-phase filtering process to determine the product with the highest export potential to the Middle East. The analysis was based on a cluster-selection process. It was determined that fruit juice was the product with the highest export potential to the region. The market selection process used a composite market potential index to determine which country in the Middle East had the highest potential for exports of fruit juice from South Africa. The two countries in the Middle East with the highest potential to import fruit juice from South Africa were Oman and Qatar. A market profile for the export of fruit juice to Oman and Qatar was developed. The market profile provided an economic overview of the two markets, analysed the market potential of fruit juice and provided technical information regarding the requirements for the export of fruit juice by South Africa to Oman and Qatar. The results of this study firstly indicate to the DTI and exporters that South Africa should export fruit juice to Oman and Qatar and secondly presents a market profile with detailed information of the process to follow in exporting fruit juice to these countries.
Thesis (M.Com. (International Commerce))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African exports increased substantially during recent years and were assisted by the depreciation of the Rand. During this time exports to the European Union and the United States blossomed, but proportionally exports to the growing region of South East Asia still remained at a low level. The major global players consider the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an important trading partner in global trade, but the South African market share is minimal in the ASEAN market. The question that now has to be answered is: do opportunities exist for South African exporters in ASEAN or is it due to a lack of opportunities that exports are at the current level? In investigating the opportunities for South African exporters in ASEAN, it is important to know what approach should be followed to select an attractive country for a product or a product group. Therefore this study is aimed at proving an insight into the concept of international market selection and to highlight the approaches in international market selection that could benefit South African exporters. This study also investigates the influence of ASEAN as a regional organisation in global trade and its relationship with South Africa. An overview is given of the regionalism trend and the major regional organisations important in this regard. The political approaches that ASEAN's major trading partners followed to enhance trade are also investigated in order to re-evaluate the South Africa's current relationship with ASEAN. In order to enhance trade, the advantages ASEAN has to offer are also highlighted. Based on previous research literature on international market selection and against the background of the regionalism trend in global trade, a new international market selection model will be developed in this study for South African and international use. This will provide SA exporters with a systematic approach that will enable them to select the most attractive countries for their products or product groups in the global arena. In order to understand the practical application of the model, South Africa as the exporting country and ASEAN as the importing region will be used as a case study. The model will identify the most attractive countries for each of South Africa's product groups according to the 96 chapters of the Harmonised Commodity Description System (HS) linked to product groups and industries based on actual trade data. Based on South Africa's competitive export advantage in the 96 chapters of the HS linked to product groups and industries, opportunities will be identified in the most attractive countries in ASEAN selected by the international market selection model.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoere het aansienlik gestyg die afgelope paar jaar en was veral bygestaan deur die depresiasie van die Rand. Gedurende hierdie tydperk het uitvoere na die Europese Unie en die Verenigde State van Amerika die hoogty gevier, maar proporsioneel het uitvoere na die groeiende streek van Suidoos-Asië nog steeds op 'n lae vlak gebly. Die vernaamste globale spelers beskou die Assosiasie van Suidoos-Asiese Nasies (ASEAN) as 'n belangrike handelsvennoot in globale handel, maar Suid-Afrika se markaandeel in die ASEAN mark is minimaal. Die vraag wat nou beantwoord moet word is as volg: Bestaan daar geleenthede vir Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerders in ASEAN of is dit as gevolg van 'n tekort aan geleenthede dat uitvoere huidiglik op hierdie vlak is? In die ondersoek na geleenthede vir Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerders in ASEAN, is dit belangrik om te weet watter benadering gevolg moet word om die mees aantreklike land te selekteer vir 'n produk of produkgroep. Daarom is die studie daarop gerig om insigte te verskaf oor die konsep van internasionale markseleksie en om die benaderings uit te lig in internasionale markseleksie wat Suid-Afikaanse uitvoerders kan bevoordeel. Die studie ondersoek ook die invloed van ASEAN as 'n regionale organisasie in globale handel en hul verhouding met Suid-Afrika. 'n Oorsig word gegee oor die regionale tendens in internasionale handel en die vernaamste regionale organisasies wat belangrik is in hierdie verband. Die politieke benaderings van ASEAN se vernaamste handelsvennote om hul handel te bevorder word ook ondersoek om Suid-Afrika se huidige verhouding met ASEAN te herevauleer. Om handel te bevorder word die voordele wat ASEAN kan bied ook uitgelig. 'n Nuwe internasionale markseleksie model word ontwikkel in hierdie studie vir Suid- Afrikaanse en internasional verbruik teen die agtergrond van regionalisme en wat gebaseer is op vorige navorsings literatuur oor internasionale markseleksie. Dit sal Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerders 'n sistematiese benadering verskaf wat hulle in staat sal stel om die mees aantreklike lande vir hulle produkte en produkgroepe globaal te selekteer. Om die praktiese toepassing van die model te verstaan, sal Suid-Afrika as die uitvoerland en ASEAN as die invoerstreek gebruik word as 'n gevallestudie. Die model sal die mees aantreklike lande identifiseer vir elk van Suid-Afrika se produkgroepe volgens die 96 Hoofstukke van die "Harmonised Commodity Description System" (HS) wat verbind kan word met produkgroepe gebaseer op bestaande handelsdata. Geleenthede in die mees aantreklike lande in ASEAN wat deur die internationale markseleksie model selekteer is, word identifiseer gebaseer op SUid-Afrika se kompeterende uitvoervoordeel in die 96 Hoofstukke van die HS wat verbind kan word aan produkgroepe.

This thesis identifies realistic export opportunities for South African products in the rest of the world and specifically in the rest of the African continent. The method chosen to achieve this goal is the Decision Support Model (DSM) developed by Cuyvers et al (1995) and Cuyvers (1997) that was specifically designed to assist export promotion institutions in planning and assessing their export promotion activities. This model is positioned into the international market selection literature and four main refinements to the DSM methodology are introduced to address the limitations of the model and to make it more applicable for the South African international trade conditions. The refined model is then applied to identify product–country combinations with the largest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the world and in the rest of the African continent specifically. The refinements to the DSM filtering process introduced in this study contribute to the effective use and application of the DSM results by South African exporters and more focused export promotion activities by South African export promotion organisations. The four refinements include (i) running the DSM on a HS 6–digit level, (ii) introducing a method to calculate the potential export value of each identified export opportunity in order to prioritise between the product–country combinations identified as realistic export opportunities, (iii) taking the production capacity of South Africa into consideration in order to identify export opportunities that can be pursued immediately due to the country's existing revealed comparative advantage in the production and exportation of these products and (iv) developing a market accessibility index per product–country combination from a South African point of view on a HS 6–digit level in order to make filter 3.2 (barriers to trade) of the DSM applicable for South African conditions. The results of the application of the refined DSM to identify export opportunities for South Africa in the rest of the world include the top 50 worldwide export opportunities. There are 17 countries in which the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations identified as export opportunities for South Africa are located. These include the United States, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Brazil. Mineral products (coal, copper and aviation spirit); transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks); stone/glass (diamonds, platinum and rhodium) and metals (aluminium, iron/steel structures, nickel) are the product classifications within the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations that hold the largest worldwide export potential for South Africa. In terms of the product–country combinations with the highest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the African continent, there are 18 countries in which the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in the rest of the African continent are located. These include Nigeria, Namibia, Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Senegal, Mozambique, Algeria, Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire. The products with the highest potential export values in the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in Africa include mineral products (aviation spirit, iron ore, sulphur and coal) and transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks weighing less than 5 tons).
Thesis (Ph.D. (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

En la presente tesis se analiza el comportamiento exportador de la empresa española y de la industria exportadora catalana en particular, acotando el amplio espectro del análisis de la internacionalización de las organizaciones y focalizando nuestro estudio en un ámbito específico que nos ha permitido profundizar en el mismo. De esta forma, en primer lugar se determinan los factores y el proceso que, según la literatura existente y tras un análisis del comercio internacional de Cataluña, influyen en las empresas en la selección de mercados exteriores, como decisión de vital importancia en su internacionalización. Y, en segundo lugar, sobre la base de un marco teórico y de la revisión de trabajos empíricos, se realiza un análisis de la muestra de la ESEE correspondiente a las industrias catalanas exportadoras, con el fin de identificar las características específicas de la empresa y los factores del marketing y del mercado que se asocian a una mayor diversificación geográfica de las ventas exteriores, para concluir con el estudio de su influencia sobre el éxito exportador.
En aquesta tesi s’analitza el comportament exportador de l’empresa espanyola i de la indústria exportadora catalana en particular, acotant l’ampli espectre de l’anàlisi de la internacionalització de les organitzacions i focalitzant el nostre estudi en un àmbit específic que ens ha permès aprofundir-hi. D’aquesta manera, en primer lloc es determinen els factors i el procés que, segons la literatura existent i després d’una anàlisi del comerç internacional de Catalunya, influeixen en les empreses en la selecció de mercats exteriors, com a decisió de vital importància en la seva internacionalització. I, en segon lloc, sobre la base d’un marc teòric i de la revisió de treballs empírics, es realitza una anàlisi de la mostra de l’ESEE corresponent a les indústries catalanes exportadores, amb la finalitat d’identificar les característiques específiques de l’empresa i els factors del màrqueting i del mercat que s’associen a una major diversificació geogràfica de les vendes exteriors, per concloure amb l’estudi de la seva influència sobre l’èxit exportador.
This thesis analyses the exporting behaviour of Spanish companies and the Catalan export industry in particular, limiting the vast analysis spectrum of the internationalisation of organizations and focusing our study in a particular area that has allowed us to delve deeper into it. Thus, we first determine the factors and process that, according to existing literature and after an analysis of international trade in Catalonia, influence enterprises in the international market selection, as a vital decision in its internationalisation. And, secondly, on the basis of a theoretical context and the review of empirical works, we carry out an analysis of the sample of the ESEE corresponding to Catalan export industries, in order to identify the specific characteristics of the company and the marketing and market factors which are associated with a greater international diversification, concluding with a study of their influence on export success.

Target selection models play an important role in business practice. They are the data-mining methods that enable firms to conduct market segmentation. Marketers apply them to customer databases to identify the profiles of consumers who are most interested in a particular offer or marketing proposition. However, both the marketing and data-mining literature indicate that there is inadequate research that compares target selection models in order to help practitioners understand how to apply them. With respect to this, the focus of this study is to provide guidance on the implementation of a collection of target selection models and to assess their comparative performance with regard to their practical usefulness. This study assesses the relative performance of the methods cluster analysis alongside multiple dicsriminant analysis (MDA), Chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID) and expert systems in predicting the weekly expenditure of grocery products of 9,854 consumers in the UK and develops a new approach based on fuzzy expert systems. The comparison of these methods is conducted by using three criteria (parity test, hit rate and lift charts) and one validation method (M-fold cross-validation). The results suggest that these methods vary in performance across different criteria. Overall, CHAID and fuzzy expert systems outperformed cluster analysis alongside MDA in terms of classification accuracy (parity test and the hit rate), moreover, as far as practical applicability is concerned (lift charts), no clear conclusions could be drawn between CHAID and cluster analysis alongside MDA on which of the two is best, while expert systems performed last. Furthermore, from the findings mentioned and from the empirical application of the methods examined, conclusions are derived on the features of their processes that affect their practical usefulness and on the way they should be implemented.

碩士
清雲科技大學
國際企業管理研究所
99
The economic development in one country is greatly influenced by its stock market, which also correspondingly reflects the progress of its own economy. Therefore, to maintain the efficiency and fairness in the stock market has become one of the government''s main goals. In addition, national savings and enterprise financing are both vastly dependent upon the stock market, which helps the industry to get necessary capital for development, to facilitate economic activities and to activate economic growth. People nowadays are much more involved in stock markets than before; however, everyone has different ideas about how to invest. Some people seek help from the professional securities managers, while some buy stocks according to their own judgment. How do people actually make profits from the stock market? One basic rule would be "Do not put all the eggs in one basket," which is quite clear to all of us. In this technological era, how should we invest wisely? How to decide whether our stocks are promising or not? By examining and analyzing the stock selection strategies of the three well-known experts: Peter Lynch, Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, we can come to some conclusion. In this research, we also compare and observe the average, standard deviation, the beta of CAPM model and Sharp''s index to evaluate investment performance. To measure the value at risk, we make use of the historical simulation, variance - covariance method, and Monte Carlo method. The purpose of this study is to offer investors some advice for future references by compiling the three experts’ stock selection strategies and by verifying the investment performance and the value at risk when their strategies are being applied to Taiwan stock market. According to the value of α of CAMP, the anticipative reward is more than share index when the quantitative value is going up, Warren Buffett''s group is better than the others. As for the result of the value of β, the price fluctuation of Benjamin Graham''s group is better than the others . Besides, Peter Lynch''s group gets the highest average rate of return of 63.95% based on the computation of Sharpe Ratio. Finally, we conduct a research on the maximum amount of loss of the financial assets by 95% confidence level. When pursuing high reward, investors may choose the strategies of Warren Buffett''s group, while conservative investors may opt for strategies of Peter Lynch''s group to make wiser investments.

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Negócios Internacionais
O presente relatório de estágio incide no estudo do processo de internacionalização da Sotegui, uma PME portuguesa, que se dedica à produção de têxteis para o lar, nomeadamente das variáveis endógenas e exógenas inerentes a todo o processo. O estágio curricular foi a base desta investigação e favoreceu a conjugação de conhecimentos adquiridos tanto na vertente teórica do Mestrado em Negócios Internacionais como no contexto empresarial real da empresa. O problema organizacional proposto surgiu do interesse da Sotegui em expandir a sua atividade para novos mercados, tornando-se cada vez menos dependente do mercado nacional. A análise descreve a estratégia utilizada pela empresa e enquadra as suas escolhas na literatura. Atendendo à dimensão da empresa, incide-se especialmente, no contexto das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PME), nomeadamente no setor têxtil. Com base na análise documental e na observação participante, o estudo permitiu analisar criticamente a estratégia seguida e fazer algumas recomendações, incidindo sobre os mercados escolhidos e identificando as suas razões. Com base na análise, recomenda-se à empresa que aposte no reforço da sua expansão para o mercado espanhol, tirando partido dos contactos e do conhecimento deste mercado. O modo de internacionalização neste mercado – a exportação direta – afigura-se como o mais adequado. Em relação à intenção de entrar no mercado japonês, da ponderação dos riscos e oportunidades que envolve, entendeu-se que a Sotegui deveria entrar neste mercado através da exportação indireta. Recomenda-se também uma estratégia de comunicação mais ativa, a qual deve passar essencialmente por um incremento no uso das ferramentas digitais, bem como pela participação em feiras e certames internacionais.
This internship report focuses on the study of the internationalization process of Sotegui, a Portuguese SME, which is dedicated to the production of home textiles, in particular the endogenous and exogenous variables inherent in the whole process. The curricular internship was the basis of this research and favoured the combination of knowledge acquired both in the theoretical aspects of the master’s in international business and in the real business context of the company. Thus, the proposed organizational problem arises from Sotegui's interest in expanding its activity to new markets, becoming less and less dependent on the national market. In this sense, the research addresses the essential themes intrinsic to the internationalization process, such as the motivations for internationalization, the selection of target markets, the modes of entry chosen, the barriers inherent in the internationalization process, and the business strategy to be adopted. Given the size of the company, it is particularly important in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), particularly in the textile sector. Based on the documentary analysis and participant observation, the study allowed us to critically analyse the strategy followed and make some recommendations, focusing on the chosen markets and identifying their reasons. Based on the analysis, it is recommended that the company bet on strengthening its expansion into the Spanish market, taking advantage of contacts and knowledge of this market. The mode of internationalization in market – direct exportation – seems to be the most appropriate. Regarding the intention to enter the Japanese market, considering the risks and opportunities it involves, it was understood that Sotegui should enter this market through indirect export. A more active communication strategy is also recommended, which should essentially involve an increase in the use of digital tools, as well as participation in international fairs and exhibitions.

Heineken to remain competitive and one of the top leaders in the beer industry, needs to have the correct products and in some markets even diversify by entering into adjacent categories. Looking for opportunities that were not part of their core business to remain relevant in the eyes of the consumers. Thus, the importance of having a methodology to be able to find opportunities within beer and adjacent categories. For this reason, the Where to Play framework (WTP) was born. This paper explores how Heineken EE&GDF employees utilize the WTP framework, only Operating Company (OpCo) within Heineken that does not brew beer by themselves and that has a global distribution network. For such, a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted. After analysing nine face-to-face interviews and secondary data, the following themes emerged: guidance in the decision-making process, multi-category vision, opportunities in the market, right to win, and market data collection. The study allows understanding the role of the WTP in this OpCo, main advantages, strengths, limitations, and layers of information missing to achieve its maximum potential. As a result, the WTP framework proves to be very effective in allowing employees to embrace the new multi-category vision of Heineken. It is the main source of guidance for assessing the market, defining category and portfolio plans, and for planning short and long-term strategies. Finally, through this framework, Heineken EE&GDF is building a strong collection of market data. Allowing employees to identify and react faster when opportunities in the market emerge.
Para permanecer competitiva e uma das principais líderes da indústria de cerveja, Heineken precisa ter os produtos corretos e, em alguns mercados, até diversificar, entrando em categorias adjacentes e procurando oportunidades que não faziam parte do seu negócio principal. A fim de permanecer relevante aos olhos dos consumidores. Assim, a importância de se ter uma metodologia para encontrar oportunidades nas cervejas e nas categorias adjacentes. Por esse motivo, a estrutura Where to Play (WTP) nasceu. Este artigo explora como os funcionários da Heineken EE&GDF utilizam a estrutura WTP, apenas a OpCo dentro da própria Heineken que não fabrica cerveja por conta própria e que possui uma rede de distribuição global. Para tanto, foi realizada uma análise temática qualitativa. Após a análise de nove entrevistas presenciais e dados secundários, emergiram os seguintes temas: orientação no processo de tomada de decisão, visão de múltiplas categorias, oportunidades no mercado, direito à vitória e coleta de dados de mercado. O estudo permite entender o papel da WTP neste OpCo, principais vantagens, pontos fortes, limitações e camadas de informações ausentes para atingir seu potencial máximo. Como resultado, a estrutura WTP mostra-se muito eficaz ao permitir que os funcionários adotem a nova visão em várias categorias da Heineken. É a principal fonte de orientação para avaliar o mercado, definir planos de categoria e portfólio e planejar estratégias de curto e longo prazo. Finalmente, por meio dessa estrutura, a Heineken EE & GDF está construindo uma forte coleção de dados de mercado. Permitindo que os funcionários identifiquem e reajam mais rapidamente quando surgirem oportunidades no mercado.

Tsui Chuk Wah.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-70).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
Abstract --- p.iv
Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1
Chapter 2 --- Data --- p.8
Chapter 3 --- Methodology --- p.23
Chapter 4 --- Results --- p.45
Chapter 5 --- Conclusion and Further Development --- p.59
Appendix --- p.63
Reference --- p.69