Assignment International Market Selection for Tingz

Assess, analyse and conceptually apply the process and practice of market-entry planning and selection. Background and Scenario for the Assignment The assignment is based on the company Peppersmith – and their brand of ‘dentist approved,’ sugar-free sweets for children, containing ‘xylitol’, called Tingz. It is really important that you understand the company and the nature of the product, so to find out more about Peppersmith and Tingz, you should first: a) Read the article on Blackboard from The Daily Telegraph (Ransome 2015). This has been posted in the Coursework Two folder b) Have a look at the websites [login to view URL] to find out more about the company and xylitol (but remember we are focusing on Tingz and not gum or mints). According to [login to view URL] the company already has or plans international representation in the following countries: Holland, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Latvia. For the purposes of this assignment, the following assumptions have been made: • There has been no negative press on xylitol as a sugar substitute • Dan and Mike have been ‘re-active’ in their approach to developing international business – prospective distributors approached Peppersmith – rather than Dan and Mike actively investigating the opportunity. • They now want to rank and prioritise these countries, with a view to conducting a carefully controlled test market for Tingz (NOT Peppersmith’s other products; chewing gum and mints). • At this early stage of the company’s international development, the focus is on identifying a ‘manageable’ opportunity for that test market, rather than a ‘large scale’ opportunity. They wish to avoid high risks which might jeopardise the success and financial security of the existing business. In the longer term, they aim to use the experiences of that test market, to support development of a business plan for European expansion, which they will pitch to potential investors. In the role of lead consultant to Peppersmith you have been asked to complete the tasks below (see The Assignment Task) In doing so you will need to draw on wider research into the potential market, its potential competitors and customers. Use of Passport and other sources will be imperative. This wider research will be needed to underpin – and justify your answers. Guidance on using Passport will be provided in classes and the folder called Accessing Electronic Databases/Journal Articles will also be important.