Global Interconnectedness

This competency assessment (CA) assesses your level of performance on the specific Outcome(s) that are the focus of this module. The CA requires you to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding, and proficiency of the Outcome(s). Be sure to use the other activities in this module prior to attempting the CA. You may attempt the CA multiple times within the term. However, the CA must be completed successfully by the end of the term to earn credit. Refer to your Syllabus for additional information regarding the number of attempts permitted.
Examine global interconnectedness as it applies to marketing.
Organizations interested in pursuing global markets must consider the external environment. Many of the same environmental forces that relate to domestic markets also apply to global markets (Lamb et al., 2021). You will look at the global marketplace in which, thanks to the Internet, even small companies can participate. The external marketing environment is full of opportunities and threats that can have a profound effect on the success or failure of a company, a brand, or a product in the global marketplace.
In this assessment, you will practice scanning the global marketing environment (i.e., environmental analysis) for opportunities or threats to expansion in a country of your choice outside the U.S. for Persimmon Bakery as the owner.
Scenario: You are the owner of Persimmon Bakery, which is currently located in the city closest to where you live. You specialize in breads and sweets from many different countries and now have operations in eight regions of the U.S. You realize the market has become saturated in the U.S. At a recent international trade show, you were surprised at how many requests you received to license or franchise your concept in other countries.
Your task is the following:
Based on the scenario, identify another country outside the United States to research and determine the feasibility of entering this foreign market for Persimmon Bakery as the owner by addressing the checklist items in a minimum 10-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation with audio and audio notes.
Checklist:
Step 1: Cultural Factors
•    Identify several cultural factors in the country you are pursuing that may affect market expansion of the bakery, such as: behavior patterns, the concept of time, lifestyle, etc. You can use Commisceo™ Global Consultants’ website to research country cultural factors.
•    Considering these cultural factors, do you see them as possible opportunities or threats to entering this market? Please explain your response.
Step 2: Demographic Factors
•    Identify at least four (4) demographic factors in the country you are pursuing, such as education, the size, growth, density, and age of the population, etc. Use the U.S. Census International database as a source of reference for the demographic information. It allows you to look up data by country and years.
•    Explain why these demographic factors are opportunities or threats to entering this market.
Step 3: Economic Factors
Access The World Factbook from the CIA and select the country of choice in the upper right hand corner search box.
•    Identify these three economic factors in the country you are pursuing: GDP per capita (see the “Learn”: reading resources area), GDP growth rate, and the unemployment rate in your chosen country.
•    Explain why these economic factors are opportunities or threats to entering this market based on the country you chose.
Use bulleted points to make your main points (3–4 bullets per slide) and then explain those bulleted points in the notes section directly under the slide. Adding the audio necessitates having either a built-in microphone in your computer or a headset with microphone to record the audio portion. Access instructions for adding audio to your presentation.
Step 4: Political/Legal Forces
-Go to the World Bank Group’s “Doing Business” website and note the “Ease of Doing Business” ranking
-Then go the World Economic Forum’s website for “country and regional trends from the NRI”.
Provide the four rankings for your chosen country.
•    Explain whether these political/legal considerations represent opportunities or threats to entering this market. Why?
Step 5: Technological Forces
•    Explain how your country’s networked readiness ranking will present an opportunity or a threat to the success of Persimmon Bakery in the country that you chose. Why?
Step 6: Geographical Factors
•    Using the CIA World Factbook source, explain whether geographical factors are possible opportunities or threats to entering this market, considering distribution of your product. Please explain your response.
Step 7: Summary
•    Based on your analysis, explain whether you would pursue expansion into your selected country for Persimmon Bakery abroad. Why, or why not?
•    Describe the advantages and disadvantages of one (1) of the following means of expansion for the bakery regardless of your decision to expand into the country market or not: exporting, licensing, franchising, or joint venture (see the Learning Activity).
•    Use bulleted points to make your main points (3–4 bullets per slide) and then explain those bulleted points in the notes section directly under the slide. Provide a minimum of 10 PowerPoint slides with audio and audio notes and an additional title and references slide. Your PowerPoint should be original and submitted to the Dropbox.

References
Commisceo Global Consultancy (2017). Country guides. https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides
Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., & McDaniel, C. (2021). MKTG13: Principles of marketing. Cengage.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. (2018). The world factbook. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
U.S. Department of Commerce (2018). International programs. U.S. Bureau of the Census. https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/idb/#/table?YR_ANIM=2021&menu=countryViz&COUNTRY_YEAR=2021&dashPages=DASH
World Economic Forum. (2021). The global information technology report 2016. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-information-technology-report-2016

•    Your assessment response should be the required number of pages as specified, in a Microsoft Word document, with an additional title page and reference page using current APA format.
•    Respond to all of the checklist items in a thorough and highly organized, logical, and focused manner using Standard English and demonstrate exceptional content, organization, style, and grammar, and mechanics.
•    Your Assessment response should comply with all instructions provided.
•    Your paper should provide a clearly established and sustained viewpoint and purpose.
•    Your writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.
•    Be sure to cite both in-text and reference list citations where appropriate and reference all sources using proper current APA citation style.