Business Commons^™

Introduction To International Business, Rajaram Veliyath

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

An introduction to the global business environment, this course examines the discrete and interactive effects of the geographic, historical, sociocultural, political/legal, economic and technological forces that shape business activities across borders and their consequences.

Enhancing Sales Education By Incorporating An Innovative International Role Play, Diane R. Edmondson, Lucy Matthews, Hannah Makarczyk

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In today’s society, the global marketplace has become more relevant to all businesses to help ensure sustainability (Hummel, 2012). In marketing, students pursuing a career in sales can find significant opportunities; however, there are unique skills needed when selling internationally (Salesforce, 2021). Prior research has highlighted lost revenue due to internationally incompetent employees (Daniel, Xie, & Kedia, 2014). A content analysis of 139 Sales Education Foundation universities was completed to determine the extent to which international sales education is currently being incorporated in sales curriculum. Results indicate that only 6.5% include some international sales element as part of their program. …

From Delhi To Mumbai, Apple Seeks A Bigger Slice Of The Pie, Taylor Greer, Brent Cassidy, Mike Williams, Nick Hill, Chandler Burger, Adam Pedraza, Steven Wehde, Caleb Fortney

Symposium of Student Scholars

From Delhi to Mumbai, Apple Seeks a Bigger Slice of The Pie in India:

An International Marketing Case Study

Mike Williams, Adam Pedraza, Taylor Greer, Brent Cassidy, Nick Hill, Chandler Burger, Steven Wehde, and Caleb Fortney

Abstract

Apple Inc., headquartered in the United States, is the world’s largest technology company with revenues of $265 billion as of 2018 (Johnson, 2012). Apple has been trying to compete in India’s smartphone market, the world’s fastest-growing and second-largest smartphone market globally, accounting for nearly 30 million purchases per quarter (Sheth, 2019). Despite its success in the U.S., Apple has not been able to …

Zara: Facing Fast Fashion Challenges In China. An International Marketing Case Study, Daniela Schaich Graniel, Alexxus Finnell, Caitlin Hopkins, Candace Salters, Elimay Baez, Larissa Hernandez, Madison Mcintyre, Raven Lee

Symposium of Student Scholars

Zara, one of the largest international fashion companies, was founded in Spain in 1974. It has a brand value of $18.4 billion and global revenues of $ 28.22 billion in 2018. Zara entered China in 2006 to compete in its $5.58 billion fast fashion market (Ge, 2018). China is an attractive emerging market with a GDP of $13.6 trillion, growing at 5.9% (World Bank, 2019). Zara’s fast fashion typically appeals to young college students and the middle class with income ranging from $7,250 to $62,500, representing about 39% of the population (Cyrill, 2019). In China, Zara targeted young women entering …

Mobike: Backpedaling Out Of India, Brant Schwendel, Madison Tumey, Madison Godwin, Lauren Lance, Rachel Pastoric, Ashley Reese, Caroline Phillips

Symposium of Student Scholars

In the past few years, the bike-sharing industry has gained traction in large cities and suburban areas all over the world. Mobike, an app-based bike-sharing company founded in China in 2015, introduced a new, efficient and eco-friendly mode of travel for short commutes using smart bikes which are bikes with a motor that help assist the rider’s pedal-power. Bike-sharing has grown into a booming industry due to rapid urbanization, traffic congestion, and pollution problems. Mobike entered India in 2018 but faced many challenges. Since the takeover and expansion of Mobike, Meituan, the holding company, has suffered a loss of 4.6 …

Transfordming China With Electric Vehicles: An International Marketing Case Study, Jasmine Washington, Koran Baraka

Symposium of Student Scholars

TransFORDming China with Electric Vehicles: An International Marketing Case Study

Teyana Pryor, Koran Baraka, Kaleb Bell, Jasmine Washington,

Kyle King, Dylan Newman, and Bryce Lee

Abstract

Ford is a legendary automobile company established in the United States in 1903 by Henry Ford. Ford is a $1.35 million company worldwide with operations in 10 countries but it has experienced an annual drop of roughly eight percent in the last year (Wagner, 2020). Ford entered China’s automobile industry in 2004 when automobile sales totaled 215,60 vehicles (CEIC). In 2001, Due to the high level of pollution in the country and main cities, …

A Journey Of Success: Italy’S Welcoming Of Jeep Into The Fiat Family, Madison Griffin

Symposium of Student Scholars

The following Theory Application Paper examined the unique cultural acquisition of Jeep by the Italian automotive giant Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) Chrysler Automobiles. The CELM cultural analysis model (Gao, 2013) was used to examine the culture, business environment, consumer lifestyle and mentality that allowed an “All-American” vehicle to find a new home in the Italian market. The use of the CELM model gives an in depth look at the culture of Italian business practices and what drives Italian consumers to participate in the market. The ultimate purpose of this research was to acquire the knowledge of successful tactics used …

The I-Mode (Almost) Went Global. A Case Study In Product Export Failure., Paola Rattu

Symposium of Student Scholars

The i-mode, the world’s first commercial web browser technology for mobile phones was launched in Japan in 1999, encountering immediate success and rapidly dominating the Japanese market. Nevertheless, when the technology was launched in the US and in Europe in the early 2000s it was highly unsuccessful. Ultimately, the technology was abandoned outside Japan, and several manufacturers exited the mobile phone industry following their inability to understand foreign customers’ needs and to innovate. This paper reconstructs the history of the i-mode technology and provides a business-oriented analysis of the causes of its debacle.

The Expanded View Of Individualism And Collectivism: One, Two, Or Four Dimensions?, Jennifer L. Priestley, Kamal Fatehi, Gita Taasoobshirazi

Faculty and Research Publications

Recent research to analyze and discuss cultural differences has employed a combination of five major dimensions of individualism–collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, femininity– masculinity (gender role differentiation), and long-term orientation. Among these dimensions, individualism–collectivism has received the most attention. Chronologically, this cultural attribute has been regarded as one, then two, and more recently, four dimensions of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. However, research on this issue has not been conclusive and some have argued against this expansion. The current study attempts to explain and clarify this discussion by using a shortened version of the scale developed by Singelis et …

Teaching An Online Mba Course: “Business In A Global Economy- The Brics Nations”, Hema A. Krishnan, Mee-Shew Cheung

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Factors Influencing Repurchase Intention Towards A Fashion Brand In Thailand, Howard W. Combs

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Review Of Career Education For Women Entrepreneurs In Nigeria, Elizabeth Ojo, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

M-Pesa’S Failure In India: Why Couldn’T Vodafone Replicate Its Kenyan Success? An International Marketing Case Study (Addendum By Former And Current Executives At The Vodafone Group), Jackson Lott, Mona Sinha

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vodafone’s mobile wallet service, M-Pesa, was originally created in 2007 for Kenya and was extremely successful in providing millions with access to mobile-based financial services. Essentially, a mobile wallet service enables payments via digital money in the form of mobile airtime. According to industry estimates, the global mobile money market is expected to reach USD 112.3 billion in 2021, with a compounded annual growth rate of 39.6% since 2016. Vodafone launched M-Pesa in India in 2013, but by mid-2019 it had announced its plans to merge its mobile wallet business with an associate company or a third party. Clearly, Vodafone …

Toto: A Game Of Thrones In The U.S. -- An International Marketing Case Study, Rachael Amatriain, Mona Sinha

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Toto is a 101-year-old, world-renowned Japanese manufacturer of high quality, innovative, state-of-the-art, and luxurious bathroom equipment such as, toilets, bidets, washlets, and ultraviolet sanitation equipment (“Our Founding Spirit,” n.d.). However, Toto has been unable to replicate its global success in the United States (U.S.) for several possible reasons (Roberts, 2017). First, by positioning its brand as an exclusive and luxurious manufacturer of high-end technology at a high price point, Toto only appeals to a limited, top-end, niche market, limiting its widespread adoption (Roberts, 2017). Second, Toto believes in environmental stewardship and makes sustainable products with a green supply chain (“Toto …

How Regional Employment In The U.S. Automobile Industry Influences Consumer Ethnocentrism, William T. Neese, W. Frank Thompson Jr., Stephen C. Garrott

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The past three decades lay witness to major geographical evolution of the automobile industry in the United States. This study analyzes exactly how CETSCALE scores differ among a population that is currently either more or less economically impacted by automobile production and marketing. The analysis presented in this study illustrates a direct correlation between ethnocentric dispositions among consumers and employment opportunities in the automobile sector across U.S. Census Bureau geographical regions and divisions in each region. Comprehensive statistical details are provided that arguably demonstrate a change in what the phrase “Made in America” means, at least where automobile production is …

It Services Offshoring To Africa: Assessing The Attractiveness And Readiness Of Nigeria, Joshua O. Omoju

The African Journal of Information Systems

This paper presents one of the first comprehensive analyses of Nigeria’s future readiness and attractiveness as a potential destination for IT-enabled services offshoring. The paper examines existing literature on IT services offshoring to Africa, and presents results from in-depth evaluation of seven important location selection criteria. The study indicates that while Nigeria appears to be making progress in many areas, the country is neither yet ready nor attractive as an offshoring destination. Nevertheless, the analysis suggests that Nigeria might already be on the path to attaining readiness in the future. However, significant hurdles will need to be surmounted if Nigeria …

Trade Agreements And Economic Growth, Xuepeng Liu

Faculty and Research Publications

This paper studies the growth effects of regional trade agreements (RTAs), taking into account the WTO participation of RTA members. Assuming smaller preference margins of RTAs for WTO members than non-members, I show in a model a stronger growth effect of RTAs for non-WTO members than that for WTO members. Based on a comprehensive set of 270 RTAs and a large panel dataset covering 177 countries over the period of 1960-2007, the regression results show that RTAs promote growth for non-WTO members, while their growth effect is insignificantly different from zero for WTO members. This implies that the complementarity between …

Removing The Undesirables: A Case Study, William K. Foxx, Melissa C. Northam, Corlette S. Burns

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

The lodging industry has been particularly challenged by the bed bug’s resurgence. Bed bugs are primarily associated with places where people sleep and most of these places are properties associated with the lodging industry such as hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts.

In the United States, this industry is massive.

All In Or A` La Carte: Preferences Of Medical Tourists Towards Value Of Co-Creation, Michael Dotson, Jennifer Henson Nevins, Bonnie S. Guy

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

Patients Beyond Borders (2014) defines a medical tourist as anyone who travels across international borders for the purpose of receiving nonemergency medical care. It has been estimated that the market size in USD ranges from 38.5 to 55 billion based upon eleven million cross-border patients worldwide spending an average of 3,500 – to 5,000 USD per visit. Further, Patients Beyond Borders suggests that the top Medical tourism destinations are Costa Rica, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United States.

A Research Note On Street Pricing Requirements In Major U.S. Airport Retail Concessions Requests For Proposals, Blaise Waguespack

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

When reviewing the subject of airport marketing, much of the literature is broken down into issues external or internal to the airport. The external literature tends to divide and differentiate airports on the issues of size (passenger counts) and who is the target of the marketing campaign. Those articles and books that tend to focus on the larger commercial airports (Jarach, 2005; Halpern and Graham, 2013) note the role the airport can play in economic development. Much of the external marketing tasks for the larger commercial airports are aimed at either attracting more airline service to the community or working …

An Exploratory Analysis To Understand Organic Food Market In The United States In Comparison To Europe, Alfiya Ansar, Ismet Anitsal, M. Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

To meet the increasing continuous demand of food, many techniques are used for mass production food but these techniques in turn have diminished the quality of many products. The negative effects associated with such production methods make them controversial in nature and thus requires discussion. One such method is the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), which involves genetically modifying the Deoxyribose Nucleic Acids (DNA) of plants or animals of interest to introduce certain traits such as resistance to pests or diseases. Food allergies are on a rise and researchers estimate that up to 15 million Americans suffer from vast …

National Culture Dimensions And Consumer Digital Piracy: A European Perspective, Irena Vida, Monika Kukar-Kinney, Mateja Kos Kokli, James Reardon

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

Digital piracy as a ubiquitous phenomenon affects a number of stakeholders, such as consumers, enterprises, and governments. Considering its global nature, it has been of particular interest to consumer researchers. Hence, a large body of digital piracy literature sheds light on the demand side and illuminates various predictors of digital piracy behavior (Harris & Daunt, 2011). Despite these efforts, very little attention has been devoted to applying international perspective in investigating digital piracy across different countries (Ki, Chang, & Khang, 2006). This study aims to fill this void by examining the digital piracy behavior in three EU countries. In addition, …

A Measure Of International Managers' Mindset, Kamal Fatehi, Fariborz Ghadar

Faculty and Research Publications

This paper aims to identifying managerial mindset by constructing a cognitive or integrative geocentrim index. Going international is either an extension of successful domestic business operations or a requirement for remaining competitive. It is imperative for firms to be a part of the international market. Therefore, firms should want to know how internationalized are their operations. To gain such knowledge requires measuring the degree of internationalization, which, in turn, is related to “managerial mindset”.

Virtual Study Abroad: A Case Study, John Lipinski

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Over 90 percent of US universities sponsor study abroad programs. Students are encouraged to engage in such programs to enhance their educational experience and increase their global awareness in our interconnected world. However, despite these efforts, students who engage in such programs are a rarity. Only 1% of US students pursue a study abroad experience each academic year. In order to address this and make key aspects of the study abroad experience available to a wider range of students, two professors decided to link their classrooms, separated by 5,102 miles, via teleconference and create a virtual study abroad class.

Keirestsu Centrality - Profits And Profit Stability: A Power Dependence Perspective, Lance Eilot Brouthers, Yan Gao, Stuart Napshin

Faculty and Research Publications

Prior studies compare keiretsu member firm and independent firm performance. Here, we use historical and power dependence perspectives to theorize that the Japanese keiretsu system primarily benefits the most central firms. We test this by examining the performance of two types of keiretsu firms (central firms and other member firms) within two types of keiretsu (horizontal and vertical). We hypothesize and find that: (1) central vertical keiretsu firms are more profitable than central horizontal keiretsu firms; (2) central horizontal keiretsu firms have greater profit stability than central vertical keiretsu firms; (3) central vertical keiretsu firms are more profitable than non-central …

Negotiating Development: Valuation Of A Guesthouse Project In Southern Guinea-Bissau1, Brandon D. Lundy

Faculty and Research Publications

This paper provides a case study illustrating the crossroads between the agendas of international/national economic development with that of the development objectives of local communities. It shows how a community development project connects villagers to the larger world – both practically and imaginatively. This study takes a single case, the process of developing a guesthouse building project among the Nalú of southern Guinea-Bissau, to illustrate how a local attempt to connect to the outside world is intersected by community relations, NGOs, and development discourse. Through a community study using ethnographic methodology including participant observation, interviews, and focus groups, the village …

Culture And Innovation In Peru From A Management Perspective, Gregory J. Scott, Ian Chaston

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Political stability, macro-economic caution, and the aggressive pursuit of free trade have enabled Peru to emerge as one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America. This economic expansion has created heightened interest in the evolution of corporate culture and its influence on firm performance. This paper examines organizational performance in relation to the influence of cultural values on innovation by means of a survey of upper level managers. Analysis of the survey results indicates that there was a positive relation between innovation and power distance and uncertainty. Survey findings show no relationship between innovation and individualism nor innovation and …

Extractive Versus Productive Economy: A Case Study Comparison Of Peru And South Korea, Rubén Berríos

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

There are striking contrasts between a productive and an extractive economy. South Korea and Peru are used as examples. Korea is not a resource-rich country but has developed remarkably fast. Pem, on the other hand, is a resource-rich country but has shown uneven rates of growth and has had a lackluster development performance because it has relied on extractive industries that have brought boom and bust. Korea is a high performing economy that achieved high rates of growth implementing policies that emphasized productivity and promoted industrialization and free trade. Korea's success is explained in terms of its policies promoting the …

Culture Determines Business Models: Analyzing Home Depot's Failure Case In China For International Retailers From A Communication Perspective, May Hongmei Gao

Faculty and Research Publications

This article is a result of a longitudinal case study regarding Home Depot's operation in China. From 2006 to 2011, the author conducted 37 in-depth interviews with Home Depot executives, managers, lawyers, employees, suppliers, and consumers, as well as its Western and Chinese competitors. These interviews generated 500+ pages of transcripts and field notes. Home Depot entered China in 2006 by acquiring 12 stores from a Chinese company, Home Way. However, by September 2012 all Home Depot stores in China had been closed.

This interview-based single-case-study research has these notable contributions. First, this research stresses the importance of host culture …

Intellectual Capital And Firm Performance: An Empirical Study Of Software Firms In West Africa, Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, Youngsun Kwon, Junghoon Moon

The African Journal of Information Systems

This study investigates factors instrumental to the success of software industries of the 3I Nations (India, Ireland and Israel), examines the relationship between its elements, and studies the performance of software firms in West Africa. The study draws on concepts from multiple theoretical perspectives to develop a model for assessing the relationship between intellectual capital of software firms and their performance. The developed model was experimentally validated through a field survey of 83 software companies in West Africa using the Partial Least Square method. The survey results show significant relationship between the elements of intellectual capital and competitive capabilities of …