Sections 1-5 of your Portfolio Project were completed in Module 2’s Portfolio Milestone 1. This is the second part of the marketing plan Portfolio Project that will be submitted in Module 7. Here you will complete the strategic analysis of the country and product combination you selected in week one. You will explore the external and internal environment where the organization would operate and determine the option entry mode into this market. Part two of your plan should include all of the following areas:

6. Local and Global Competitors

Identify existing local companies that you will be competing against
How are they positioned?
Identify if other global companies are present in this market
How are they positioned?
Do you feel that you need to adapt your positioning to this market in order to compete directly against them?
7. Situation Analysis

Now that you have acquainted yourself with the international market you considering expanding to, it is time to conduct an environmental analysis of your brand relative to this market.

PEST Analysis (External Environment)
This is one of the most commonly used models for assessing the highly dynamic external business environment. The goal is to look at the most important aspects of each of the following areas in the international market being considered. Provide an analysis for at least 3 items for each of the following areas:

(P) Political factors:

the government’s role in the economy
Explain how tax policy, labor legislation, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability can affect your foreign expansion plans.
Tax policy
Labor legislation
Environmental law
Trade restrictions
Tariffs
Political Stability
(E) Economic factors:

Economic growth expectations
Exchange rates
Inflation
Central Bank interest rates.
(S) Social factors:

Health awareness
Population growth rate
Age distribution
Career perspectives
Value put on safety.
(T) Technological factors:

Automation
Technology incentives
Internet usage and availability
Cell phone market penetration
Any other technological elements that might affect your entry into this country.

Analyze at least 3 factors for each component of the PEST Analysis.

SWOT Analysis (Internal Environment)
The focus of your analysis here is the organization within the international market context. You need to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to business potential operations in the selected country. Bear in mind that a SWOT analysis assumes that strengths and weaknesses are part of the internal organizational environment, while opportunities and threats are more commonly found outside.  You need to identify factors for each of the following areas and present them in a matrix format (four-quadrant table): :

(S) Strengths

(W) Weaknesses

(O) Opportunities

(T) Threats

List 3 items under each quadrant of the SWOT Analysis.

8. Global Market Entry Options/Evaluation

The decision on a foreign market entry strategy is one of the most important for a company since it affects its performance and determines its capability to work, to a greater or lesser extent, with global supply chains. Provide a brief description of each global market entry option available to the organization (refer to page 361 of your textbook). Then select the one you consider to be the best option for the market you chose.

Your paper should be at least 3-4 pages in length and conform to APA guidelines in the CSU Global Writing Center. (Links to an external site.) Include at least 3 scholarly or industry-specific references in addition to the course textbook. The CSU Global Library (Links to an external site.) is a good place to find these references.