The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze a tentative international marketing venture, the purpose of which will be to import cocoa beans into the United States from Nigeria. Economic, financial, and legal considerations are involved in this description and analysis; however, the major focus is on marketing considerations.
A total of seven research questions are investigated in this study. These research questions are as follows:
1. What is the status of the market for cocoa beans in the United States size, growth trends, and so forth?
2. What countries are currently the major suppliers of cocoa beans to the United States?
3. Is it probable that Nigeria can compete with the current suppliers of cocoa beans to the American market?
4. What are the legal requirements applicable to the import into the United States of cocoa beans from Nigeria American import restrictions generally, American import res trictions applicable to Nigerian products, tariffs, and so forth?
5. Will the American international balance of trade problem likely affect the venture?
6. What sources of financing are available for the proposed venture government and private, and Nigerian and American?
7. What types of insurance are available for the pro posed venture cargo, credit, and so forth, and from what sources is it available government and private, and Nigerian and American?
The findings of this description and analysis are pre sented in separate discussions related to each of the research questions. The final section of the research summarizes the major findings, draws conclusions, and makes a recommendation with respect to the tentative venture.
THE AMERICAN MARKET FOR COCOA BEANS
The first research question formulated for this project asked the following: What is the status of the market for cocoa beans in the United States size, growth trends, and so forth? In current dollars, the United States i...