Project: You are the global marketing manager at US Ski Pole Company, a small family
business located in Cheboygan, Michigan. U.S. Ski Pole Company is more than just a ski pole
company, they are a team of passionate people who loves to see others succeed and make the
most of life. The team consists of Carbon Fiber experts who sponsor athletes and athletic teams
and promote local ski shops to potentially boost U.S. economic job growth within the winter
sports industry. USPC also helps promote and encourage health and fitness and invites families
and friends to join the sport and become skiers which helps to increase sport size and strength as
a competitive nation.
USPC has an advanced, and patented, carbon fiber construction method, equipment, and process
resulting in unique ski poles. They have seven different patents related to the construction
process.
Although their core products are ski equipment, the owner is looking to expand into the golfing
industry internationally and this where you come in. The general manager would like you to
explore the potential of exporting carbon fiber golf shafts to Canada, and specifically Quebec.
At the moment, you have no direct investment in any country outside the USA, although some
exporters might have taken your product abroad, so your products do have some minimal
presence internationally.
This project will be of three parts, spread over the entire semester. The first and second parts, the
cultural and economic analyses will be due midway through the semester, while the third part,
the marketing plan, will be due end of the semester. (ALL DUE DATES ARE ON CANVAS)
Cultural Analysis: The data suggested in the cultural analysis includes information that helps the
marketer make market-planning decisions. However, its application extends beyond product and
market analysis to being an important source of information for someone interested in
understanding business customs and other important cultural features of the country. This
cultural analysis is composed of two parts: information on the cultural makeup of the country
and the economic analysis of the country.
The information in this analysis must be more than a collection of facts. In preparing this
material, you should attempt to interpret the meaning of cultural information. With that said,
your country analysis should contain at least one paragraph on each of the following areas:
PART I: Introduction to the Culture of the Country (Worth 30 points)
I. Include short profiles of the company, the product to be exported and the country with
which you wish to trade.
II. Brief discussion of the country’s relevant history
III. Geographical setting
a) location
b) climate
c) topography
IV. Social institutions
a) Family
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i) The nuclear family
ii) The extended family
iii) Dynamics of the family
(1) Parental roles
(2) Marriage and courtship
b) Education
i) The role of education in society
(1) Primary education (quality, levels of development, etc)
(2) Secondary education (quality, levels of development, etc.)
(3) Higher education (quality, levels of development, etc.)
ii) Literacy rates
c) Political System
i) Political structure
ii) Political Parties
iii) Stability of government
iv) Special taxes
v) Role of local government
d) Legal System
i) Organization of the judiciary system
ii) Code, common, socialist, or Islamic-law country?
iii) Participation in patents, trademarks and other conventions
e) Organizations
i) Group behavior
ii) Social classes
iii) Clubs, other organizations
iv) Race, ethnicity and subcultures
f) Business customs and practices
V. Religion and aesthetics
a) Religion and other belief systems
i) Orthodox doctrines and structures
ii) Relationship with the people
iii) Which religions are prominent?
iv) Membership of each religion
v) Any powerful or influential cults?
b) Aesthetics
i) Visual arts (fine arts, plastics, graphics, public arts, colors etc.)
ii) Music
iii) Drama, ballet, and other performing arts
iv) Folklore and relevant symbols
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VI. Living conditions
a) Diet and nutrition
i) Meat and vegetable consumption rates
ii) Typical meals
iii) Malnutrition rates
iv) Foods available
b) Housing
i) Types of housing available
ii) Do most people own or rent?
iii) Do most people live in one-family dwellings or with other families?
c) Clothing
i) National dress
ii) Types of clothing worn at work
d) Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities
i) Types available and in demand
ii) Percentage of income spent on such activities
e) Social security
f) Health Care
VII. Language
a) Official language(s)
b) Spoken versus written language(s)
c) Dialects
VIII. Executive Summary
After completing all of the other sections, prepare a two-page (maximum length) summary of the
major points and place it at the front of the report. The purpose of an executive summary is to
give the reader a brief glance at the critical points of your report. Those aspects of the culture a
reader should know to do business in the country but would not be expected to know or would
find different based on his or her home country should be included in this summary.
IX. Sources of information
X. Appendixes
PART II: The Economic Analysis of the Country (Worth 30 Points)
The reader may find the data collected for the economics analysis guideline are more
straightforward than for the cultural analysis guideline. There are two broad categories of
information in this guideline: general economic data that serve as a basis for an evaluation of the
economic soundness of a country and information on channels of distribution and media
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availability. As mentioned earlier, the guideline focuses only on broad categories of data and
must be adapted to the particular company and its product needs. With that said, write at least
one (1) paragraph for each of these sections.
Guideline
I. Introduction
II. Population
a) Total
i) Growth rates
ii) Number of live births
iii) Birth rates
b) Distribution of population
i) Age
ii) Sex
iii) Geographic areas (urban suburban, and rural density and concentration)
iv) Migration rates and patterns
v) Ethnic groups
III. Economic statistics and activity
c) Gross national product (GNP or GDP)
1. Total
2. Rate of growth (Real GNP or GDP)
a. Personal income per capita
b. Average family income
d) Distribution of wealth
i) Income classes
ii) Proportion of the population in each class
iii) Is the distribution distorted?
e) Minerals and resources
f) Surface transportation
i) Mode
ii) Availability
iii) Usage rates
iv) Ports.
g) Communication systems
i) Types
ii) Availability
iii) Usage rates
h) Working conditions
i) Employer-Employee relations
ii) Employee participation
iii) Salaries and benefits
i) Principal industries
i) What proportion of the GNP does each industry contribute?
ii) Ratio of private to publicly owned industries
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j) Foreign Investment
i) Opportunities?
ii) Which industries?
k) International trade statistics
i) Major exports
(1) Dollar value
(2) Trends
ii) Major imports
(1) Dollar value
(2) Trends
iii) Balance-of-payments situation
(1) Surplus or deficit?
(2) Recent trends
iv) Exchange rates
(1) Single or multiple exchange rates?
(2) Current rate of exchange
(3) Trends
l) Trade restrictions
i) Embargoes
ii) Quotas
iii) Import taxes
iv) Tariffs
v) Licensing
vi) Customs duties
m) Extent of economic activity not included in cash income activities
i) Counter trades
(1) Products generally offered for counter trading
(2) Types of counter trades requested (i.e. barter, counter purchase, etc.)
(3) Foreign aid received
n) Labor force
i) Size
ii) Unemployment rates
o) Inflation rates
IV. Developments in science and technology
a) Current technology available (computers, machinery, tools etc.)
b) Percentage of GNP invested in research and development
c) Technological skills of the labor force and general population
V. Channels of distribution (macro analysis)
This section reports data on all channel middlemen available within the market. Select a specific
channel as part of your distribution strategy for your marketing plan
a) Retailers
i) Number of retailers
ii) Typical size of retail outlets
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iii) Customary markup for various classes of goods
iv) Methods of operation (cash/credit)
v) Scale of operation (large/small)
vi) Role of chain stores, department stores specialty shops
b) Wholesale middlemen
i) number and size
ii) Customary markup for various classes of goods
iii) Method of operation (cash/credit)
c) Import/Export agents
d) Warehousing
e) Penetration of urban and rural markets
VI. Media
This section reports data on all media available within the country or market. Select specific
media as part of the promotional mix and strategy for your marketing plan.
a) Availability of media
b) Costs
i) Television
ii) Radio
iii) Print
iv) Other media (cinema, outdoor etc.)
c) Agency assistance
d) Coverage of various media
e) Percentage of population reached by each of the media
VII. Executive summary
After completing the research for this report, prepare a two-page (maximum) summary of
the major economic points and place it at the front of the report
VIII. Sources of information
IX. Appendixes
The Marketing Plan (Worth 40 points)
Market-oriented firms build strategic market plans around company objectives, markets
and the competitive environment. Planning for marketing can be complicated even for one
country, but when a company is doing business internationally, the problems are multiplied.
Company objectives may vary from market to market and from time to time; the structure of
international markets also changes periodically and from country to country; and the
competitive, governmental, and economic parameters affecting market planning are in a constant
state of flux. These variations require international marketing executives to be especially
flexible and creative in their approach to strategic marketing planning.
PART III: Marketing Plan and Competitive Market Analysis
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Of the guidelines presented, this is the most product or brand specific. Information in the other
guidelines is general in nature, focusing on product categories, whereas data in this guideline are
brand specific and are used to determine competitive market conditions and market potential.
Two different components of the planning process are reflected in this guideline. Information in
Parts I and II, Cultural Analysis and Economic Analysis, serve as the basis for an evaluation of
the product or brand in a specific country market.
Information in this guideline provides an estimate of market potential and an evaluation of the
strengths and weaknesses of competitive marketing efforts. The data generated in this step are
used to determine the extent of adaptation of the company’s marketing mix necessary for
successful market entry and to develop the final step, the action plan.
The detailed information needed to complete this guideline is not necessarily available without
conducting a thorough marketing research investigation. Thus, another purpose of this part of the
country notebook is to identify the correct questions to ask in a formal market study.
Write at least one (1) paragraph on each in each of these areas.
I. Introduction
II. Goals and Objectives
III. Situation Assessment and Analysis
IV. The Market
A. Describe the market(s) in which the product is to be sold
1. Geographical region(s)
2. Forms of transportation and communication available in that (those)
region(s)
3. Consumer buying habits
a. Product-use patterns
b. Product feature preferences
c. Shopping habits
4. Distribution of the product
a. typical retail outlets
b. Product sales by other middlemen
5. Advertising and promotion
a. Advertising media usually used to reach your target market(s)
b. Sales promotions customarily used (sampling, coupons, etc.)
6. Pricing strategy
a. Customary markup
b. Types of discounts available
B. Compare and contrast your product and the competition’s product(s).
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1. Competitor’s product(s)
a. Brand name
b. Features
c. Package
2. Competitor’s prices
3. Competitor’s promotion and advertising methods
4. Competitor’s distribution channels
C. Market size
1. Estimated industry sales for the planning year
2. Estimated sales for your company for the planning Year
D. Government participation in the marketplace
1. Agencies that can help you.
2. Regulations you must follow
V. Marketing Strategy
A. Product Strategy
B. Distribution Strategy
C. Pricing Strategy
D. Promotional Strategy
VI. Executive Summary
VII. Sources of information
VIII. Appendixes
