This is a big project, which is divided into three parts. My content is to introduction company StockX to China, so parts 1 and 2 are both analytical China. I've done a bit of the first part, but the repetition rate on turnitin is too high. I hope you can help me correct of part1. Also I didn't write summary yet, please add summary. Please proceed according to the requirements I sent you, thank you.

IB 434: Full Semester Research Assignment and Activity

This is a full semester cultural, marketing and business plan project designed for individuals to complete their International Business Capstone Course (IB434).  Students should choose a country and a product / service from a real company that is not currently found in the targeted country and devise a cultural analysis and marketing/business plan for the chosen country. 

For example, students can choose to market an automobile from the United States into a foreign country or can choose to market an automobile into the United States that is not currently available here. 

Each student should make contact with the chosen company within the first two weeks of the course (or earlier) to 1) let them know that their company has been selected and that it will be the focus of the student’s project, 2) to request any support that may be available during the project, and 3) to request specific names from the company that would be willing to receive the completed project and make comments for the overall benefit of the student.

Given the above, students should give much thought to the company/industry and country for this project.  You should choose a company that you could see yourself working for in the future or at least plan on applying for a position upon graduation.

Cultural Analysis: The data suggested in the cultural analysis includes information that helps the marketer make market-planning decisions.  However, its application extends beyond product and market analysis to being an important source of information for someone interested in understanding business customs and other important cultural features of the country.  This cultural analysis is composed of two parts: information on the cultural makeup of the country and the economic analysis of the country.

The information in this analysis must be more than a collection of facts.  In preparing this material, you should attempt to interpret the meaning of cultural information.  With that said, your country analysis should contain at least one paragraph on each of the following areas:

PART I: Introduction to the Culture of the Country

I.         Include short profiles of the company, the product to be exported and the country with which you wish to trade.

II.        Brief discussion of the country’s relevant history

III.      Geographical setting 

a)      location          

b)      climate

c)      topography

IV.      Social institutions

a)      Family

i)        The nuclear family

ii)      The extended family

iii)    Dynamics of the family

(1)   Parental roles

(2)   Marriage and courtship

b)      Education

i)        The role of education in society

(1)   Primary education (quality, levels of development, etc)

(2)   Secondary education (quality, levels of development, etc.)

(3)   Higher education (quality, levels of development, etc.)

ii)      Literacy rates

c)      Political System

i)        Political structure

ii)      Political Parties

iii)    Stability of government

iv)    Special taxes

v)      Role of local government

d)     Legal System

i)        Organization of the judiciary system

ii)      Code, common, socialist, or Islamic-law country?

iii)    Participation in patents, trademarks and other conventions

e)      Organizations

i)        Group behavior

ii)      Social classes

iii)    Clubs, other organizations

iv)    Race, ethnicity and subcultures

f)       Business customs and practices

 V.       Religion and aesthetics

a)      Religion and other belief systems

i)        Orthodox doctrines and structures

ii)      Relationship with the people

iii)    Which religions are prominent?

iv)    Membership of each religion

v)      Any powerful or influential cults?

b)      Aesthetics

i)        Visual arts (fine arts, plastics, graphics, public arts, colors etc.)

ii)      Music

iii)    Drama, ballet, and other performing arts

iv)    Folklore and relevant symbols

VI.      Living conditions

a)      Diet and nutrition

i)        Meat and vegetable consumption rates

ii)      Typical meals

iii)    Malnutrition rates

iv)    Foods available

b)      Housing

i)        Types of housing available

ii)      Do most people own or rent?

iii)    Do most people live in one-family dwellings or with other families?

c)      Clothing

i)        National dress

ii)      Types of clothing worn at work

d)     Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities

i)        Types available and in demand

ii)      Percentage of income spent on such activities

e)      Social security

f)       Health Care

VII.     Language

a)      Official language(s)

b)      Spoken versus written language(s)

c)      Dialects

VIII.   Executive Summary

After completing all of the other sections, prepare a two-page (maximum length) summary of the major points and place it at the front of the report. The purpose of an executive summary is to give the reader a brief glance at the critical points of your report. Those aspects of the culture a   reader should know to do business in the country but would not be expected to know or would find different based on his or her home country should be included in this summary.

IX.      Sources of information

X.        Appendixes 

PART II: The Economic Analysis of the Country

You may find the data collected for the economics analysis guideline are more straightforward than for the cultural analysis guideline. There are two broad categories of information in this guideline: general economic data that serve as a basis for an evaluation of the economic soundness of a country and information on channels of distribution and media availability.  As mentioned earlier, the guideline focuses only on broad categories of data and must be adapted to the particular company and its product needs. With that said, write at least one (1) paragraph for each of these sections. 

Guideline

  I.       Introduction

 II.       Population

a)      Total

i)        Growth rates

ii)      Number of live births

iii)    Birth rates

b)      Distribution of population

i)        Age

ii)      Sex

iii)    Geographic areas (urban suburban, and rural density and concentration)

iv)    Migration rates and patterns

v)      Ethnic groups

III.      Economic statistics and activity

c)      Gross national product (GNP or GDP)        

1. Total


2. Rate of growth (Real GNP or GDP)
   
   
   1. Personal income per capita
   
   
   2. Average family income
   
   

d)     Distribution of wealth

i)        Income classes

ii)      Proportion of the population in each class

iii)    Is the distribution distorted?

e)      Minerals and resources

f)       Surface transportation

i)        Mode  

ii)      Availability 

iii)    Usage rates 

iv)    Ports.

g)      Communication systems

i)        Types

ii)      Availability

iii)    Usage rates

h)      Working conditions

i)        Employer-Employee relations

ii)      Employee participation

iii)    Salaries and benefits

i)        Principal industries

i)        What proportion of the GNP does each industry contribute?

ii)      Ratio of private to publicly owned industries

j)        Foreign Investment

i)        Opportunities?          

ii)      Which industries?

k)      International trade statistics

i)        Major exports

(1)   Dollar value

(2)   Trends

ii)      Major imports

(1)   Dollar value

(2)   Trends

iii)    Balance-of-payments situation

(1)   Surplus or deficit?

(2)   Recent trends

iv)    Exchange rates

(1)   Single or multiple exchange rates?

(2)   Current rate of exchange

(3)   Trends

l)        Trade restrictions

i)        Embargoes

ii)      Quotas

iii)    Import taxes

iv)    Tariffs

v)      Licensing

vi)    Customs duties

m)    Extent of economic activity not included in cash income activities

i)        Counter trades

(1)   Products generally offered for counter trading

(2)   Types of counter trades requested (i.e. barter, counter purchase, etc.)

(3)   Foreign aid received

n)      Labor force

i)        Size

ii)      Unemployment rates

• o)      Inflation rates

IV.      Developments in science and technology

a)      Current technology available (computers, machinery, tools etc.)                                         

b)      Percentage of GNP invested in research and development

c)      Technological skills of the labor force and general population

V.        Channels of distribution (macro analysis)

This section reports data on all channel middlemen available within the market.  Select a specific channel as part of your distribution strategy for your marketing plan

a)      Retailers

i)        Number of retailers

ii)      Typical size of retail outlets

iii)    Customary markup for various classes of goods

iv)    Methods of operation (cash/credit)       

v)      Scale of operation (large/small)

vi)    Role of chain stores, department stores specialty shops

b)      Wholesale middlemen

i)        number and size

ii)      Customary markup for various classes of goods

iii)    Method of operation (cash/credit)

c)      Import/Export agents

d)     Warehousing

e)      Penetration of urban and rural markets

VI.      Media

This section reports data on all media available within the country or market.  Select specific media as part of the promotional mix and strategy for your marketing plan.

a)      Availability of media

b)      Costs

i)        Television

ii)      Radio       

iii)    Print

iv)    Other media (cinema, outdoor etc.)

c)      Agency assistance

d)     Coverage of various media

e)      Percentage of population reached by each of the media

VII.     Executive summary   

After completing the research for this report, prepare a two-page (maximum) summary of                    the major economic points and place it at the front of the report

VIII.   Sources of information

IX.      Appendixes

PART III: Company/Product fit or opportunity

Now that the majority of work is complete, the capstone project will be concluded with the student showing his/her ability to connect the product offering with the previous analysis to show that there is a market fit.  This can take the form of a product extension that can be made available in a new market or a newly created product offering that the company should consider.

1. Situation and Competitive Analysis

1. Product Key Success Factors

THE MARKETING PLAN – Your Final EXAM

Market-oriented firms build strategic market plans around company objectives, markets and the competitive environment.  Planning for marketing can be complicated even for one country, but when a company is doing business internationally, the problems are multiplied.  Company objectives may vary from market to market and from time to time; the structure of international markets also changes periodically and from country to country; and the competitive, governmental, and economic parameters affecting market planning are in a constant state of flux.  These variations require international marketing executives to be specially flexible and creative in their approach to strategic marketing planning.

PART III: Market Audit and Competitive Market Analysis

“MORE TO COME”