Export business plan research paper

Running head: EXPORT BUSINESS PLAN 8

Unit 1-7: Research Project

Overview

You will be creating an export business plan. Work must be original to this class, otherwise a grade of zero will be given. If no paper is submitted, a course grade of zero points will be given. Papers that do not contain detailed research will be severely penalized. No Wikipedia references are allowed.

You do not need to submit work in progress. However you are welcome to approach your instructor with questions.

Business Plan Requirements

Business Plan Page recommendations Section header Summary

Part I: Purpose

1

Purpose

Why has the plan been written?

Part II: Table of Contents

1

Table of Contents

Table of contents

Part III: Executive Summary

1

Executive Summary

This is short and concise. It covers the principal points of the report, and is prepared after the plan has been written.

Part IV: Research

≥7 pages

Introduction

Introduction – what product and foreign country did you select and why

Situational Analysis

Describe the product to be exported

Present a brief history of the country as it relates to its origins and trade history

Cultural Overview

The norms, practices, social structure, etc. that may aid (or hinder) the reception of your product

Consumer attitudes toward product

Educational levels; ability to comprehend instructions, ability to use product

Languages; labels, instructions

Political Environment

An overview of the governance structure of the country along with any legal-political forces

Certain required or prohibited features

Label and packing requirements

Export Marketing Plan

Long and short-term goals, characteristics of an ideal target market for your product given the country selected, market screening

Economic Decelopment

How developed the country is, and how this will influence the success of your product

Purchasing power

Wages

Infrastructure

Summary Summary

Part V: References 1 to 2 References References

Note: For further details regarding the components of your Export Business Plan, please see pages 468-469 of your textbook.

Formatting Requirements

Your paper must be in APA format to include:

The use of headings and subheadings

Times New Roman 12-point font

1 inch margins

Paragraphs with a minimum of at least 5 sentences

The first line of each paragraph should be indented 1/2 inch

Anything less than the content length stated above is not sufficient coverage of content and will result in a substantial reduction in grade.

At least one to two reference pages.

References must be no older than 5 years.

Your paper should be well-organized with excellent flow and excellently formatted. Check that your headings and sub-headings are correct.

Spell-check and proofread before submission.

Due Date

Due by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, CT, Unit 7.

Tasks

Select a product of which you will export to a foreign country.

After your product is chosen, decide on a foreign country to which you will export.

Develop an Export Business Plan.

Export Business Plan

International Business Perspectives

Park University

15 July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this export business plan is to assist in the preparation and perception of the specifications to export California Almonds to Jordan. This plan will provide a breakdown of the product being exported and describes the goals for the company. California Almonds already have a strong market across the United States and expanding business further across the globe will be a top priority. This plan will identify any competition for the almond market, the possible customer base in Jordan, and any expected return on future investments. As the top four countries receiving United States almonds in 2017 were Spain, India, China, and Germany, the plan looks to give Jordan more of a presence among almond importers.

Table of Context

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………4

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….4

Situational Analysis……………………………………………………………………………….5

Country History…………………………………………………………………………………...6

Cultural Overview………………………………………………………………………………...7

Political Environment……………………………………………………………………………..8

Export Marketing Plan…………………………………………………………………………….9

Economic Development…………………………………………………………………………...9

Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………10

References………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Executive Summary

For the United States to start exporting almonds to Jordan, they must take advantage of globalization and international trade. Distributing California Almonds to Jordan will deliver more advantages than disadvantages. Whether the product is exported within shells or already removed from the shell, the product can almost sell itself. The target market for California Almonds can range from school children to the King himself, as no educational level will determine how tasty this tree nut is. From a political point of view, Jordan will be on board to continue a strong import and export relationship with the United States. By setting a long term goal to moving almonds up to a top 5 import of Jordan to a short term goal of having samples distributed all across Jordan within the correct scope, this plan will work.

Introduction

The United States, California specifically, is the largest exporter of almonds in the world as they produce and harvest 80 percent of the world’s crop. As California is a top player for the United States among almond exports, “The Golden State” accounts for nearly 90 percent of total production from our nation. As Jordan will be the country in the crosshairs, this country will only benefit exponentially as almonds are gold when it comes to tree nuts. Since Jordan is the 70th largest importer in the world, California Almonds can only help this country become stronger when it comes to importing. Almonds are not what they seem as they are encased in a leathery hull and hard protective shell, to which they are mechanically shaken from a tree during harvest and further sent to be processed and marketed as the ultimate product.

Situational Analysis

An oval shaped tree nut, also known as an almond, do not first appear as they do on the shelves of a supermarket. Generally, the almond will separate from the tree in the hard shell and before distribution, will be removed from the shell. However, when distributed and exported, almonds will be moved in both shelled and unshelled varieties. The popularity of the almond has grown tremendously as you can find them in raw form to consisting of a wasabi, smokehouse, or sugary coating. Incorporating California Almonds within specialty dishes for holidays, as a topping for oatmeal, or as an additive to some homemade ice cream, almonds can be utilized in almond numerous different avenues. Another newer trend is sweeping the world as almond milk is being produced and sold as a dairy-free alternative to those who have a lactose or dairy allergy. Lastly, almond butter is giving peanut butter a run for its money as a healthier alternative to put on bread, fruit, or various other food items.

Country History

The country of Jordan is located in Southwest Asia as it is mostly a rocky desert that borders countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Israel. This historical country keeps tourist flocking in to see sites and attractions like the Dead Sea, Petra, the capital city of Amman, the Jordan River, and many other biblical sites. When it comes to the history of trade with Jordan, the heavy hitters sending imports to the country remain within the same continent of Asia as China attests for 14 percent of imports and Saudi Arabia vouches for 12 percent of imports (Atlas, 2018). As the United States looks to grow its export market with Jordan, our country substantiates for 5.8 percent of all imports. When dissecting the top 10 imports received from the United States, almonds would land at the 8th largest import arriving from our country under the fruits and nuts category (World’s Richest Countries, 2018).

The United States and Jordan landed upon a Free Trade Agreement that was signed on October 24, 2000 and was entered into force a year later in 2001 (USTR, 2017). This agreement later led to the United States and Jordan agreeing to phase tariff reductions to the point of complete elimination of duties on almost all products by 2010 (USTR, 2017). Overall for any free trade agreement with the United States, this was America’s third free trade agreement with any country and more importantly, this was the first free trade agreement with an Arab state. As of 2016, the United States goods and services trade with Jordan totaled an estimated $4.3 billion in 2016 as exports were totaled at $2.2 billion and imports were totaled at $2.1 billion (USTR, 2017). To helping the people of Jordan, according to the Department of Commerce, the United States exports of goods and services to Jordan supported an estimated 11 thousand jobs in 2015 (USTR, 2017).

Cultural Overview

The people of Jordan, or Jordanians, are a welcoming culture full of many different religions and beliefs. This Islamic State full of Jordanians consist of the Muslim religion as 92 percent of the country celebrates this religion but are welcoming to all. Ramadan plays a huge part of this religion and culture as members spend 30 days fasting from sunrise to sunset. This fast consists of not eating, not drinking, not smoking, and not having sex. Jordanians speak the Arabic language but have become accustomed to teaching both Arabic and English languages while in school as relations with the United States are continuously growing.

Consumer attitudes of Jordanians will be welcoming as almonds can provide a great source of protein and become a quick source of food while many are working long hours throughout the day. With Jordan being a NATO country, a strong military presence from the United States, Germany, Belgium, and many other allied countries can also help sales of almonds skyrocket to prepare for missions in the field or during exercises. With the English language being taught throughout schools within Jordan, one may think that English labels are sufficient. However, all labels must either be in Arabic or have a stick-on label in Arabic (Export, 2017). Almonds aren’t just for adults, so it doesn’t matter what educational level any Jordanian has to enjoy this enjoyable treat.

Political Environment

Unlike the United States where we have a President, Jordan has a King take the helm. Also known as the Chief of State, King Abdallah II has been in charge since February 7, 1999 after his father died (CIA, 2018). No matter where you go while traveling Jordan, you will see King Abdallah II’s face plastered on every billboard, building, or street corner as he is the King of his people. The governance structure of Jordan is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. This means that the power of the monarch, which in this case is the King, is restrained by a parliament, by law, or by custom (CIA, 2018).

When it comes to label and packaging requirements, imported products must meet the specified standards. For Jordan, all imported products must comply with labeling and marking requirements issued by the Jordan Standards of Metrology Organization (Export, 2017). Certain features are required among the label as well. The label should contain the name of the product, the manufacturer’s name and address, net weight, fortifying matter, lot number and best before date (Export, 2017). This shows immense respect towards the culture and guidelines within any export sent to Jordan.

Export Marketing Plan

When thinking of an export marketing plan for almonds, first we must think about some short and long term goals. For a reasonable short term goal, I would like to have numerous locations across Jordan hold samples of the product for distribution. This would be a fantastic way to screen the market to see where the almonds are selling and who is wanting almonds. Tourist attractions, bodegas, military installations, and grocery stores will be the main targeted area to get the information we need. As for a long term goal, seeing almonds become a top 5 export to the country of Jordan would be perfect. Currently, the fruits and nuts division is the 8th largest import coming into Jordan, so jumping into the top 5 would be a tremendous long term goal.

Economic Development

When it comes to the country of Jordan, growth is happening each and every year. At this time, the population of Jordan is 9.9 million people with a median age of 22.4. This is a drastic change from almost 10 years ago when the population was 6 million. The basic economy of Jordan is based on a free enterprise. The service sector, consisting of government, tourism, transportation, communication, and financial services contributes the most to the economy, employing 70 percent of the workforce (EveryCulture, 2018). Considering the average monthly salary of Jordanians is only $637 as of 2017, the people of the country can only do so much to put money back into Jordan and this is where tourism becomes lucrative.

Summary

Bringing almonds to Jordan will create jobs, introduce a great source of protein, and boost the economy for the Jordanians. The country of Jordan thrives off of tourists from the Rose City of Petra to the resorts at the Dead Sea to all the baptisms at the Jordan River. Whether anyone would like to munch on almonds plain, spread almond butter on their toast or naan, or put almond milk in their cereal, there are plenty of different ways to consume almonds. King Abdallah II trained and studied in the United States so he should already know the possibilities that California Almonds can bring to his country. Also, with the large military foot print within Jordan, troops from all over the world could use this snack as a future import to Jordan to help boost and develop the economic structure of Jordan.

References

Export Requirements | California Almonds - Your Favorite Easy Snack. (n.d.). Retrieved July 07, 2018, from http://www.almonds.com/processors/international-trade/export- requirements

Jordan. (n.d.). Retrieved July 9, 2018, from https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/jor/

Jordan. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2018, from http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Jordan.html

Jordan Free Trade Agreement | United States Trade Representative. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/jordan-fta

Jordan - Labeling/Marking RequirementsJordan - Labeling. (n.d.). Retrieved July 07, 2018, from https://www.export.gov/article?id=Jordan-Labeling-Marking-Requirements

Jordan Population (LIVE). (n.d.). Retrieved July 07, 2018, from http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/jordan-population/

Kingdom's average monthly salary stands at $637 - report. (2017, April 06). Retrieved July 08, 2018, from http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/kingdom’s-average-monthly-salary- stands-637-—-report

The World Factbook: JORDAN. (2018, July 10). Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/jo.html

Top Almonds Exporters by Country. (2018, June 30). Retrieved July 08, 2018, from http://www.worldstopexports.com/top-almonds-exporters-by-country/