International Marketing Plan for Monmouth Coffee House Essay

International Marketing Plan for Monmouth Coffee House - Essay Example Monmouth will open its first coffee house in Colombo, which is the capital city of Sri Lanka. This investment decision was made after considering the geographic, legal, political, economic, natural and cultural aspects as well as the competitiveness of the potential market. Formally known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka is located south of India, on an Island in the Indian Ocean. The Countries economic backbone is agriculture, but industry and services sectors also play a big role in the economy. Colombo, the city that has been selected as the starting point for Monmouth’s business, is largely a commercial capital, where several foreign based organizations have operations. The country’s scenic beaches, historical sites, and tropical climate are quite popular with tourists. The booming tourism industry has prompted the development of infrastructure, and this invariably provides a good business opportunity for a small organization such as Monm outh. Sri Lanka’s resources include gemstones, limestone, mica, graphite, quartz, slate and industrial clays. The country is also a key producer of extracted minerals and cash crops that include tobacco, tea, rubber, and coconut. Coffee is also available in the country, but the supply is quite low (Reddy 2003). Hence it is important for Monmouth to consider the issue of finding a reliable local or foreign supplier in its logistics planning. The city of Colombo is relatively easy to reach and navigate through due to its efficient transportation network. Most residents of Colombo and Sri Lanka as a whole rely on radio as the main tool of mass communication. Television is also used by a large percentage of the country’s population. There are also three daily newspapers published in Sri Lanka (Cummings 2007). Hence, Monmouth will use the three media tools used in the country for advertising purposes. Culture Culture is one of the most important factors to consider when ven turing into a new market. Individual cultures are constantly being shaped by different variables such as values, attitudes, religion, manners and attitudes, aesthetics, norms and customs, social institutions, technology and education. Official records indicate that there are roughly 20 million Sri Lankans who mainly come from the Tamil and Sinhalese ethnic groups. Both Sinhala and Tamil are used as the national and official languages of Sri Lanka. English is spoken mainly in urban areas including Colombo, as the second language. The city has a population of about 2 million people. Many of these people are