Reference no: EM133199075 , Length: 2 pages.

Assignment: International Marketing

The purpose of this research is to get each student familiar with some of the important and necessary information that is necessary when planning or doing business overseas. Reliable information (often the information is not reliable) is necessary to make good decisions. A lot is available free online if one knows where to look. After completing this assignment, each student will have learnt where to look for information relating to international business that is available free and to arrange this information in a meaningful way to make good decisions.

Question I

For Mexico, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, India, China, France, Ireland, and Japan provide the score and within parentheses rank for the following indicators. Ranking is your ranking when comparing the ten countries. For some countries for some indicators the score and/or the ranking may not be available. If so leave them blank. Provide this information on a one page table (printing landscape and increasing margins will help):

• Economic Variables

1. GDP growth as a percentage
2. Population total (in millions)
3. Population density
4. GDP per capita PPP

• Political & Legal Variables

1. Country Risk Rating (use any one index from several that is available)
2. Status Index (Political & Economic Transformation)

• Cultural Variables

1. Corruption Perception Score & Index
2. Hofstede's (i) Power Distance & (ii) Individualism (or group orientation)

• Doing Business Variables

1. DHL Global connectedness index (score & ranking)
2. Global competitiveness index (score & ranking)
3. International Logistics performance index. (score & ranking)
4. Manufacturing value added (% of GDP)
5. Adult literacy rate (population 15+ years, both sexes)

State briefly in your own words what each of these bullet indicators measure. Simply CUTTING AND PASTING the definitions from the website will get you zero points. Your explanation should be thorough.

Question II

For this question use the latest data that is available. There will be a lag of several years.

1. What is the rank of the State of Arkansas in terms of exports compared to other states? Do we have a trade surplus or a trade deficit?
2. How many jobs in the state of Arkansas are supported by exports?
3. List the top 10 export and important countries for the state of Arkansas.
4. List the top 10 goods that are exported from the state of Arkansas.

Question III

Evaluate the "World Bank Doing Business Indicators" for the two countries Mexico and Vietnam.

1. Starting a business
2. Dealing with construction permits
3. Getting electricity
4. Registering property
5. Trading across borders
6. Enforcing contracts
7. Resolving solvency

• Rank each country based on each of the above indicator.

• For the indicators (i) starting a business, (ii) dealing with construction permits, (iii) getting electricity, (iv) registering property, (v) enforcing contracts, & (vi) resolving solvency please provide the number of procedures involved, time in days, and cost for the two countries. As a benchmark, compare all rankings (the number of procedures involved, time in days, and cost) with OECD countries.

• For trading across borders, provide for the two countries in your list: (i) time to export in days (including both border compliance and document compliance), and (ii) cost to export (including both border compliance and document compliance). As a benchmark, compared the rankings of the two countries with other OECD countries.

• Also compare the two countries in terms of country risk rating using Country Risk - A.M. Best.

• In your opinion is OECD the best benchmark that can be used in this instance? Please justify your answer.

Question IV

Based on your findings in above questions I, II, & III out of the two countries, which country would you recommend starting a business in if you want to invest in a plant that manufactures consumer goods such as shampoo and soap in that country? Please briefly provide support for your answer as well.