Marketing the IBM PCjr in Japan

Foreign markets are increasingly attractive to U.S. corporations due to an increased demand for U.S. goods, a weak U.S. dollar, and virgin territories not yet exposed to U.S. products. Further, almost all the major computer companies find it necessary to have a regional headquarters within Asia for the important Asia-Pacific market. Marketing strategy in foreign markets is similar to that employed in the United States. A successful marketing strategy includes market research of customer preferences, campaign design, and follow-up research and analysis (Shane, 1988, p. 155).

Corporations can assure success in foreign markets by developing products for the global market and marketing them for local markets. Assuring success in global markets involves identifying trends early, helping to develop young local markets, as well as becoming familiar with consumer demographics and buying habits. Other important considerations include overcoming local language barriers, negotiating marketplace barriers, and developing proper business resources and infrastructures. In brief corporations must carefully analyze local markets, paying attention to such demographic factors as loc

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ltered its strategies. IBM, who once barely acknowledged competitors, has abandoned the traditional go-it-alone strategy, has participated in joint ventures, and has begun offering discounts. Furthermore, IBM-Japan is operated by Japanese nationals, with the exception of approximately one percent of employees who are foreign (Dreyfuss, 1988, p. 73). Demand and Saturation The character of business has been irrevocably transformed by the advent of personal computers. At the beginning of the 1980s, almost 700,000 personal computers were in use. At the end of the decade, 50 million personal computers ran thousands of applications and connected numerous networks worldwide (Glitman, 1989, p. 1). The Japanese personal computer market is one-tenth the size of the U.S. market because the majority of large Japanese companies still process most data in a centralized mainframe environment, and because the Japanese computer hardware market is already saturated. Software in demand is developed for that hardware, which is produced primarily by NEC and Fujitsu (Stoll, 1988). To be first into the market is usually a requirement for success in Japan, because the Japanese tend to view the first entry as the original Product (Ohmae, 1987).
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1419
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)