Reference no: EM133484762
Problem
Apple Computer entered the Japanese market before IBM, but it failed to take advantage of its head start. Apple tried to sell its U.S. models in Japan without modifying them. No efforts were made to even translate the user's manual into Japanese. Only after IBM entered the market using a customized approach did Apple realize its mistakes. Now that the company has translated its manual and has made some other changes, it is doing much better.
Procter & Gamble encountered problems with the Japanese diaper market. After years of research, the company uncovered the problem: Japanese parents change diapers far more frequently than Americans but do not usually have the storage space of U.S. homes. Thus, larger boxes of disposable diapers posed a storage problem for the average Japanese family. Once Procter & Gamble began producing thinner diapers sold in a smaller box, the popularity of the new diapers, "Ultra" Pampers, spread like a baby's rash and now it is the leading brand in Japan.
Provide the favorite blunder in international business in the format:
Question I) What did the company do?
Question II) Why did it fail?
Question III) How did the company learn from mistake and subsequently adapted its product offering to improve sale?
Question IV) How did the company make its adaptation while also reducing cost (thus to make profit)? (Choose the case that happened in South Korea)