Constraints and Opportunities of Market Entry Strategies for Multinational Enterprises in Emerging Markets

Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 0,9, University of St Andrews (Management), course: Global Business Strategy, language: English, abstract: During the last few decades, globalization has created an increasingly competitive landscape and with established markets becoming saturated, multinational enterprises (MNEs) have turned towards emerging markets in order to capitalise on new opportunities for economic growth (London and Hart 2004). Especially through the recent global crisis, the key role of developing and emerging countries, as they have sought to sustain global economic growth, has become the focal point of worldwide interest (Rao 2010). According to McKinsey (2010), 'an ongoing shift in global economic activity from developed to developing economies, accompanied by growth in the number of consumers in emerging markets, are the global developments that executives around the world view as the most important for business and the most positive for their own companies profits over the next five years.' The results of recent surveys, such as those by the International Monetary Fund, predict that developing and emerging markets will grow by 6.3% in 2011 In turn this has evoked a significant sense of urgency among several MNE executives (Rao 2010). Furthermore, a survey by McKinsey (2011) found that in the coming decade more then 45% of global GDP growth will be contributed by China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey and Mexico. Likewise, in about 15 years time about 57% of the one billion households with an income > 20.000$ per annum will be in developing countries. As Cavusgil et al (2002, p. 166) pointed out, '...once thought of as backward and low tech, these regions are now rapidly transforming their economies.' By adopting new production techniques and technologies, markets such as China, India and South Korea have become vital places for production. Many companies from traditional developed nations have capitalised on this trend, shifting their production and research and development (R&D) facilities, and strengthening their distribution and service networks in emerging markets. In so doing, foreign market activities have reached a new stage of development: beyond the BRIC-countries second-tier emerging markets are becoming an economic driving force, which means that companies must adapt their product and service strategies in an effort to develop sustainable success by not only reaching premium customers but also 'Micro-Potentials', the huge mass of customers with small budgets (KPMG 2011; Pacek and Thorniley 2007). [...]