Case Study #1: Trade and Technology
Global Business Environment
Case Study #1: Trade and Technology
Background
You have just been hired by Unique Greetings, the largest manufacturer and distributor of customized greeting cards in Ireland. Having just received your FITT Certified International Trade Professional designation, you are thrilled to have landed the position of International Marketing Manager for Unique Greetings. Your dual specialization in international business and information technology make this your dream job and you are grateful for this opportunity to launch Unique Greetings into the world of international business.
The president of the company has tasked you with your first assignment. She explains that the company received a large order last month from a major Australian retail chain that found Unique Greetings via the Internet. The president was amazed that a country as far away as Australia could be a target market and has decided that pursuing international business should be one of the company’s major strategies going forward. Although the international marketing budget is quite limited, the president is convinced that the best strategy is to develop an “E-Business Plan”. She has set 50,000 Euros aside and wants you to use this money to hire a website developer to re-design the company’s website. You have 3 months to make this happen. The president has asked you to come back to her within two weeks with your preliminary recommendations for the company’s “E-Business Plan”.
How exciting! Not only can you use your international trade expertise, you are also an avid user of technology and have developed some of your own websites in the past. You are concerned about the president’s suggestion to use the $50,000 Euros budget to hire a website developer. Many companies make the mistake of allocating too large a portion of the budget to graphics and bells and whistles, whereas you know from experience that high quality content is the priority in establishing a company’s
Case Study #1: Trade and Technology
Background
You have just been hired by Unique Greetings, the largest manufacturer and distributor of customized greeting cards in Ireland. Having just received your FITT Certified International Trade Professional designation, you are thrilled to have landed the position of International Marketing Manager for Unique Greetings. Your dual specialization in international business and information technology make this your dream job and you are grateful for this opportunity to launch Unique Greetings into the world of international business.
The president of the company has tasked you with your first assignment. She explains that the company received a large order last month from a major Australian retail chain that found Unique Greetings via the Internet. The president was amazed that a country as far away as Australia could be a target market and has decided that pursuing international business should be one of the company’s major strategies going forward. Although the international marketing budget is quite limited, the president is convinced that the best strategy is to develop an “E-Business Plan”. She has set 50,000 Euros aside and wants you to use this money to hire a website developer to re-design the company’s website. You have 3 months to make this happen. The president has asked you to come back to her within two weeks with your preliminary recommendations for the company’s “E-Business Plan”.
How exciting! Not only can you use your international trade expertise, you are also an avid user of technology and have developed some of your own websites in the past. You are concerned about the president’s suggestion to use the $50,000 Euros budget to hire a website developer. Many companies make the mistake of allocating too large a portion of the budget to graphics and bells and whistles, whereas you know from experience that high quality content is the priority in establishing a company’s