Presented here is Carbondale Consulting Crew’s analysis of opening a new market for Arlington Plating Company’s service in the country of Japan. Included in the analysis is a very concise marketing plan, which will assist Arlington Plating Company in making the decision of whether or not they should proceed. In this marketing plan, many factors that could affect the company’s success are reviewed; such as the legal environment of Japan, the cultural and political environment, as well as the economic environment.
Along with those factors is the competitive environment. We not only looked at the general competitive environment of other chroming services, but specific competition as well. In general terms, we concluded that Arlington Plating Company’s toughest competition would most likely be Japan’s quickly developing country. The continuous updating of the company’s plating technology will potentially be exhausting and a difficult hurdle to overcome. When speaking in specifics, there are a few other plating and chroming companies that will be competing in unison with our service.
Furthermore, Carbondale Consulting Crew went very in-depth when carefully choosing a target market. With Japan being one of the top leaders in car and motorcycle manufacturing, it was decided it would be tactful to target the three leading car manufacturers, as well as the three leading motorcycle manufacturers: Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki.
Other things to consider were strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and Weaknesses included would be
APC’s unique technique and sustainable competitive advantages such as patents (strength) and unawareness of doing business internationally (weakness). Opportunities and threats include the fact that Japan is one of the top vehicle manufacturers in the world (opportunity), and competition (threat). It was decided by the Carbondale Consulting Crew that Arlington Plating Company’s mode of entry would be licensing, due to the fact that contractual agreements are normally the most successful modes for business-to-business industries. Projected profits were hypothesized as well in our analysis. Finally, a plan for promotion, product, price, and physical distribution was implemented.
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Proposal
3. Country Analysis
3.1 Political Environment
3.2 Legal Environment
3.3 Economy Environment
3.4 General Competitive Environment
3.4.1 Japan’s Developing Technology-Innovation
3.4.2 Environmental Protection Equipments
3.4.3 Other plating companies
3.5 Cultural Environment
4. Target Market
5. SWOT Analysis
5.1 Strengths:
5.2 Weaknesses:
5.3 Opportunities:
5.4 Threats:
6. Marketing Mix
6.1 Product
6.1.1Branding:
6.1.2 Innovativeness
6.1.3 Adaptations Required
6.2 Price
6.3 Promotion
6.4 Distribution
7. Marketing Plan
7.1 Situation Analysis:
7.2 Objectives and Goals:
7.3 Strategy and Tactics:
7.4 Select the mode of entry
7.5 Implementing the Strategy within the Marketing Mix
7.6 Measurement of results
Objectives and Core Topics
This final report evaluates the potential expansion of the Arlington Plating Company into the Japanese market by analyzing the political, legal, and cultural landscape while providing a tailored marketing strategy to secure a competitive foothold.
- Strategic market entry via licensing models.
- Analysis of competitive landscape including major Japanese plating firms.
- Integration of automotive and motorcycle manufacturing sectors.
- Adaptation of branding and business rituals for Japanese collectivist culture.
- Logistical planning for international distribution and service standards.
Excerpt from the Book
3.5 Cultural Environment
While entering a new market with services there are several challenges in gaining awareness. The first challenge is to understand how to achieve approval in the new market as the service already has in its originating country. Our service of chroming high-end parts in the automotive industry attracts the eyes of the people as shiny chrome grills and gleaming rims pass them by while in transportation. This sleek unique look of bold shiny chromed parts on motorcycles and cars that creates awe in America is what our service aims to do in the country of Japan. Japan being very enthusiastic about their cars appearance as Americans tend to be, the people of Japan should accept our high-end chroming service. Already doing work with Toyota our services have already started to be acknowledged by the Japanese automotive culture. Despite Japan and America sharing popular interest in the automotive industry, they have differences in their thought process while conducting business or creating relationships.
Arlington Plating Company plans to showcase their service from the parts they have chromed on car and bikes. Our services in the automotive culture of Japan will primarily be on motorcycles and car parts. This industry being highly utilized already, competition will be the hardest break into the industry. Having rare services such as magnesium plating will help beat out competitors. In America when people hear those Harley Davidson bikes zoom through, their left with a shiny image of the chromes pipes that speed away. This image that remains in the citizens minds of America, are the same thoughts our service plans to engage in the minds of the Japanese, while seeing Yamaha motorcycle parts.
Summary of Chapters
Executive Summary: Provides an overview of the strategic analysis for entering the Japanese market, identifying key target manufacturers and the chosen entry mode of licensing.
Proposal: Introduces Arlington Plating Company, its expertise in plating services, and the rationale behind choosing Japan as the primary international expansion target.
Country Analysis: Examines Japan's political stability, legal structure, economic environment, and competitive dynamics, highlighting challenges like cultural differences and existing market players.
Target Market: Identifies Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Yamaha, and Suzuki as key target accounts based on their revenue and industry prominence in Japan.
SWOT Analysis: Outlines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats inherent in the expansion, such as patented technology versus the lack of international business experience.
Marketing Mix: Details the product offerings, pricing strategy, promotional efforts via trade shows, and distribution plans to ensure quality service delivery.
Marketing Plan: Integrates the findings into a coherent plan, establishing objectives using the SMART-principle and outlining entry modes and performance metrics.
Keywords
Arlington Plating Company, Japan, International Marketing, Automotive Industry, Licensing, Chrome Plating, Business Strategy, Competitive Environment, SWOT Analysis, Market Entry, Cultural Nuances, Manufacturing, Export, Quality Management, Logistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this report?
The report provides a comprehensive analysis and marketing plan for Arlington Plating Company to expand its specialized metal plating services into the Japanese automotive and motorcycle sectors.
What are the central themes of the document?
The document covers market analysis (political, legal, cultural), competitive benchmarking, target market identification, and the development of a marketing mix strategy.
What is the core objective of the proposed expansion?
The primary objective is to successfully enter the Japanese market, leveraging unique patented plating techniques to capture market share within the first two years.
Which business methodology is applied to the strategy?
The authors employ SWOT analysis for the internal and external audit and the SMART-principle to define and measure the expansion goals.
What does the main section of the document cover?
The main sections delve into the practicalities of international trade, including legal compliance, logistical shipping arrangements, and cultural adaptation strategies for business meetings.
Which keywords summarize the content?
Key terms include Arlington Plating Company, International Marketing, Licensing, Automotive Industry, and Competitive Environment.
Why did the group choose licensing as the entry mode?
Licensing was selected to mitigate high initial capital investment, protect patents, and overcome potential resistance to foreign ownership by aligning with established local entities.
How does the company plan to address cultural differences in Japan?
The report emphasizes hiring local personnel, respecting business rituals like business card exchanges and gift-giving, and maintaining patience during long-term relationship building.
How is the competitive environment described?
The Japanese plating industry is characterized by established players like Kiyokawa, but the report notes a lack of a single dominant market leader, creating an opportunity for a specialized firm.
- Quote paper
- Patrick Niedenführ (Author), 2012, International Marketing. Theory of capturing Japans market, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/268577
