Global Marketing Plan, Part 1: The Environmental Analysis

Choose a mentor company; build a five-factor global environmental analysis; select

COMPANION TO THE WEEK 2 COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE AND THE DISCUSSION FORUM GUIDES | PREPARED

As A Self-Contained Writing Resource

The Week 2 written assignment, “Global Marketing Plan Part 1,” is the course’s first graded paper and is anchored to Weekly Learning Outcomes 1 and 2. It asks you to do two things under two boldface headings: build an environmental analysis of a chosen “mentor company” in the global arena, and then formulate a general strategy for that company in a single country located in Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa. It is worth 7 points, is due on Day 7 (Monday) by 11:59 p.m., and is submitted through Waypoint. This guide takes the assignment apart directive by directive, decodes the grading rubric so you can see where the 7 points actually sit, lays out a research plan built on the resources the assignment itself links, and ends with a working outline and a model thesis. It is a companion to the Week 2 Comprehensive Study Guide: that guide teaches the Chapter 4–6 concepts; this one converts them into the paper. The Prompt, Restated Read the assignment’s instructions as a checklist. In the paper you must:

• Identify a mentor company from the list given in the Week 2 faculty video. It may not be McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Starbucks, or Pepsi.
• Heading 1 — Environmental Analysis. Construct an environmental analysis of the company in the global arena across five factors: economic; trade; social and cultural; sustainability; and political, legal, and regulatory.
• Heading 2 — General Strategy. Identify a country in Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa for the company to expand into; state whether the company has already expanded there; examine its global marketing strategy in that area; formulate your own recommended successful strategy; explain your rationale for selecting the country; and explain how seven criteria — demographic, economic, trade, social, cultural, legal, and political — were incorporated into that rationale.

The paper must run 4–5 double-spaced pages (excluding the title and references pages), follow APA Style, open with an introduction that ends in a clear thesis, close with a conclusion, use academic voice, and cite at least two scholarly or credible sources in addition to the textbook.

The single most important fact about this assignment is stated by Program Chair Bill Davis in the Week 2 video: this is Part 1 of a two-part project. The mentor company you choose now, and the environmental analysis and country strategy you build around it, carry forward into the Week 6 Global Marketing Plan Part 2 — the course’s summative paper. The video’s words are worth taking literally: the assignment is “scaffolded to benefit you and your final summative assignment.” Two consequences follow. First, choose a company and a country you can live with for the rest of the term — ones with deep, accessible public information, because you will be researching them repeatedly. A company that looks impressive but is hard to source becomes a debt you repay every week. Second, the work you do well now is reusable: a thorough environmental analysis written in Week 2 becomes raw material in Week 6, while a thin one has to be rebuilt later under more time pressure. Treat the 4–5 pages you write here as the foundation pour for a building you will spend the rest of the course constructing.

The Week 2 video names the companies you may choose. The permitted list is: Budweiser, FedEx, Samsung, H&M, American Express, Taco Bell, Uber, Zappos, TOMS, Airbnb, Target, Amazon, KIA, and PayPal. You may propose a company not on the list, but only with your instructor’s prior approval — secure that approval before doing any work. The company may not be McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Starbucks, or Pepsi. The choices are not equal. The assignment requires you to analyze the company across five global factors and then build a credible expansion story into Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa. A firm with a genuine multinational footprint and abundant public information makes every later step easier; a domestically concentrated firm forces you to manufacture an expansion narrative with little to cite. The table below sorts the fourteen for this assignment.

Workable Airbnb, Real international presence and good stories on particular factors (TOMS on Budweiser, sustainability; Budweiser on regulation), but thinner or more uneven data in Taco Bell, some regions.

which makes the regional-expansion half of the paper hard to ground in paper evidence. Pick the company you can actually source on, not the one that sounds impressive. Before committing, run one search (see Section 9): if the UAGC Library returns a recent MarketLine or comparable company report, the company is well-documented and safe to choose.

one to get wrong.

Heading 2 requires you to pick one of three regions — Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa — and then a specific country within it. The assignment treats two situations as equally valid, and you must state which one applies: either the company has not yet entered the country and you are recommending the expansion, or it has already entered and you are analyzing the strategy it used. Read the prompt carefully here: it explicitly asks you to “identify whether your company has already expanded into the country you selected.” A paper that never answers that question loses points it did not need to lose. Choose the country the way you chose the company — for researchability. The assignment links a Country Profiles tip sheet precisely because the UAGC Library carries in-depth country profiles (Business Insights / Gale; Mergent Market Atlas; Dun & Bradstreet country risk reports). Pick a country those databases cover well: a major economy in the region with a documented record of foreign-firm activity gives you demographic, economic, trade, legal, and political data you can cite. Examples of well-documented choices include Brazil or Mexico in Latin America, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, and South Africa, Nigeria, or Egypt in Africa — but the right country is the one that fits your company’s strategy and that you can support with sources.

criteria, not the novelty of the choice.

The paper has exactly two content headings, and they ask for two different things. Heading 1 (Environmental Analysis) looks at the company across the whole world — its global situation on five factors. Heading 2 (General Strategy) narrows to one country and uses seven criteria to justify a strategy there. Students routinely blur the two; keeping them distinct is itself worth points, because the rubric scores them separately. The two lists of factors are deliberately not identical, and the differences are easy to miss. Heading 1 uses five factors; Heading 2 uses seven criteria. Heading 2 adds a demographic criterion, splits “social and cultural” into separate social and cultural criteria, and drops sustainability. Read the table below twice — mismatching the two lists is a small error that a careful grader will see.

Trade Economic Social and cultural Trade Sustainability  (not carried into Heading 2) Social factors  (split from “social and cultural”) Political, legal, and regulatory Cultural factors  (split from “social and cultural”) Legal factors Political factors The practical instruction: under Heading 1, write five factors; under Heading 2, address all seven criteria by name. Do not let one list quietly substitute for the other.

Heading 1 asks for an environmental analysis of the company “in the global arena” — the company worldwide, not yet in one country. Treat each of the five factors as a real paragraph of analysis, not a definition. The test for every factor is the same: name the condition, tie it to a course concept, and say what it means for the company’s marketing. Each factor below lists what to cover and which chapter anchors it. Economic The global economic conditions the company operates within: the economic systems and income levels of its major markets, stages of market development, exchange-rate and purchasing-power exposure, and the balance-of-payments environment. Anchored in Chapter 2 (the global economic environment). Ask: where does the company earn, and how exposed is it to currency and income shifts? Trade The trade architecture the company depends on: World Trade Organization rules, regional blocs and preferential agreements, tariffs, and supply-chain exposure. Anchored in Chapter 3 (the global trade environment). Ask: which trade agreements and frictions shape where the company can profitably operate? Social and Cultural The cultural environment of the company’s markets: the expressions of culture (religion, aesthetics, dietary preferences, language), and the analytical frameworks — highand low-context cultures, Hofstede’s dimensions, the self-reference criterion. Anchored in Chapter 4. Ask: where must the company adapt to culture, and where can it standardize? Sustainability Sustainability in the broad sense the textbook uses: the environmental footprint of the company’s operations, its stakeholder and labor practices, and the durability of its value-creation model under future regulatory and ethical conditions. Anchored in Chapter 1’s treatment of sustainability and Chapter 5’s regulatory material. Ask: can this company keep winning when held to global standards? Political, Legal, and Regulatory The governmental environment: political risk and sovereignty, the legal-system families (common law, civil law, Islamic law), intellectual-property and antitrust exposure, and the regulatory bodies that touch the marketing mix. Anchored in Chapter 5. Ask: what political and legal forces could open or close markets for this company?

factors without apology — the analysis, not the chapter number, is what is graded. The rubric scores this entire heading as one criterion worth 1.50 points, and the word it uses for top marks is thoroughly. A “thorough” analysis treats all five factors; a “proficient” one is missing minor details; a “basic” one is missing relevant ones. Cover all five, and give each one real substance.

Heading 2 is the heaviest part of the paper — the rubric scores it across two criteria worth 3.00 points combined, twice the weight of Heading 1. It also contains the most moving parts. The prompt asks for more than the rubric’s two criterion titles state, so work from the prompt: a complete Heading 2 performs six moves.

• Identify the country. Name the specific country and the region (Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa).
• State whether the company has already expanded there. Answer this directly — the prompt asks for it explicitly.
• Examine the company’s global marketing strategy in that area. If the company already operates there, describe the strategy it actually uses; if not, describe the global strategy it would carry in.
• Formulate your own recommended successful strategy. State a clear strategy — and name it in course terms (see the callout below).
• Explain your rationale for selecting that country.
• Explain how the seven criteria were incorporated — demographic, economic, trade, social, cultural, legal, political — into that rationale. Address all seven by name. N AME YOUR STRATEGY IN COURSE TERMS “Formulate your own successful strategy” does not mean “say the company should do well.” Name a strategy using the course vocabulary: a position on the standardization–adaptation continuum (environmental sensitivity, Chapter 4); a glocalization approach; a cell of the Ansoff product/market expansion framework (market development, product development, and so on); or a Perlmutter posture (ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric, geocentric). A

named strategy tied to evidence is what separates a Distinguished rationale from an underdeveloped one. The rubric’s fourth criterion is exact about the rationale: top marks go to a paper that “comprehensively explains the rationale … fully considering the seven criteria and how the criteria were incorporated.” It is not enough to list the seven criteria; you must show each one doing work in your reasoning — the demographics that make the market attractive, the legal factor that shapes entry, the cultural factor that requires adaptation. Treat the seven as seven short, evidenced subarguments.

The Waypoint rubric divides 7 points across nine criteria. Knowing the split tells you where to spend effort. The four content criteria are worth 5.25 points; the five communication and criticalthinking criteria are worth 1.75. Heading 2 alone (the two country criteria) carries 3.00 — the largest share.

Constructs an environmental analysis regarding the five topics Heading 1 1.50 Identifies a country in one of the three regions / whether already Heading 2 1.50 expanded Explains the rationale considering the seven criteria and how they Heading 2 1.50 were incorporated Written Communication: control of syntax and mechanics Whole paper 0.50 Written Communication: APA formatting Whole paper 0.25 Written Communication: page requirement Length 0.25 Written Communication: resource requirement Sources 0.25 Critical Thinking: evidence Whole paper 0.50 Two observations. First, weight your effort toward Heading 2: it is worth twice Heading 1. Second, the 1.75 points in mechanics, APA, page length, sources, and evidence are the easiest in the assignment — they reward following instructions, not insight. Losing any of them is an unforced error. The page-length and resource criteria are pass/fail in spirit: hit 4–5 pages and cite at least two qualifying sources, and they are yours.

This is a research paper; the assignment links two UAGC Library tip sheets because the library is where the evidence lives. You need at least two scholarly or credible sources beyond the textbook, and the rubric’s evidence criterion rewards sources that actually support analysis. For the Company — the Company Research Tip Sheet Use Library OneSearch’s Advanced Search: enter the company name in the first box and a keyword such as marketing strategy, competition, financial performance, or organizational structure in the second. The strongest single source is a MarketLine report — an in-depth company profile with key facts, history, products, top competitors, and a SWOT analysis; search the company name plus the word marketline. Business Insights: Global (Gale) and Mergent Market Atlas hold further company and industry data. For the Country — the Country Profiles Tip Sheet Country profiles supply the economic, demographic, geographic, cultural, and governmental data Heading 2 needs. Business Insights (Gale) carries country/territory profiles; Mergent Market Atlas carries Dun & Bradstreet country risk reports that assess political, economic, and commercial risk — directly useful for the legal and political criteria. What Counts as a Credible Source The assignment’s source table distinguishes three types. Scholarly sources are written by academics for other experts and report original research — peer-reviewed journal articles and university-press books. Peer-reviewed means the work passed review by experts in the field. Credible is the broadest tier: trustworthy, verifiable sources including reputable newspapers, trade publications, government sites, and established organizations. At least two qualifying sources beyond the textbook are required; your instructor has the final say on whether a given source qualifies, so when in doubt, ask.

Four of the nine rubric criteria reward nothing but compliance. Run this checklist before submitting.

• Length. 4–5 double-spaced pages, not counting the title and references pages.
• Title page. A separate APA title page, in title case: the paper’s title in bold, then a blank line, then your name, the institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus), the course name and number, the instructor’s name, and the due date.
• Headings. The two boldface headings — Environmental Analysis and General Strategy — as APA headings in the body.
• Introduction and thesis. An introduction paragraph that ends with a clear thesis statement indicating the purpose of the paper.
• Conclusion. A conclusion paragraph that synthesizes — no new information.
• Academic voice. Third person; no contractions; no colloquialisms; measured, evidence-based claims.
• Sources. At least two scholarly or credible sources in addition to the course text.
• APA citations. In-text citations for everything drawn from a source, and a separate, properly formatted references page.
• Submission. Submit through Waypoint using the Assignment Submission button.

The Thesis — What the Assignment Wants The assignment asks the introduction to end with “a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.” For an analytical paper like this one, that is a purpose-style thesis: a sentence that states what the paper does. The UAGC Writing Center’s own guidance is that such a statement names the topic, what is examined, and the direction of the paper. A model appears in Section 12.

The outline below distributes the paper so that both headings are fully developed and the page requirement is met without padding. Pages are approximate and exclude the title and references pages.

~½ page Introduce the company and the task; end with the thesis/ Introduction purpose statement. ~1½–2 pages The five factors — economic, trade, social and cultural, Environmental Analysis sustainability, political/legal/regulatory — each a real paragraph. ~2–2½ pages Country and region; whether already expanded; current General Strategy strategy; your recommended strategy; rationale across the seven criteria. ~⅓ page Synthesize the analysis and the recommendation; no new Conclusion information. 1 page Textbook plus at least two scholarly/credible sources, APA; References separate, not counted. The proportion matters: Heading 2 should be the longest section because it carries the most rubric points. If the paper is running short, the fix is almost always more depth in the seven-criteria rationale — not more words in the introduction.

Below is a model thesis statement and a skeleton of the paper, with a model opening sentence for each part. This is scaffolding, not a paper to submit — the bracketed cues are yours to fill, and the analysis and sources must be your own. Use it to see how the pieces connect. Model Thesis Statement (last sentence of the introduction) “The purpose of this paper is to construct an environmental analysis of [Company] in the global arena and to recommend a marketing strategy for the company’s expansion into [Country] in [Region], examining the demographic, economic, trade, social, cultural, legal, and political factors that should shape that strategy.” Environmental Analysis [boldface APA heading] Economic — “[Company] operates within a global economic environment defined by…”  ·  Trade — “The company’s trade exposure is shaped by…”  ·   Social and cultural — “Across its markets, [Company] faces cultural conditions that…”  ·  Sustainability — “The durability of the company’s model depends on…”  ·  Political, legal, and regulatory — “Politically and legally, the company is exposed to…” General Strategy [boldface APA heading] “This analysis recommends [Country] in [Region] for [Company]. The company [has / has not] already expanded there. Its current global marketing strategy in the area is… The recommended strategy is [named strategy — e.g., a glocalization approach / market development in the Ansoff framework], because… This rationale incorporates the seven criteria as follows: demographically…; economically…; in trade terms…; socially…; culturally…; legally…; and politically….” Conclusion “[Company]’s global environment and the conditions in [Country] together indicate that… — a synthesis of the analysis, with no new evidence introduced.” Replace every bracketed cue with your own researched content, name and cite your sources, and write in your own voice. The skeleton shows structure only; the substance — and the grade — comes from your analysis.

• An excluded or thin company. McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Starbucks, and Pepsi are barred; a U.S.-only firm makes the expansion half nearly impossible to evidence.
• Five factors as a list, not analysis. Naming a factor is not analyzing it. Each factor needs a condition, a concept, and a consequence.
• Country content creeping into Heading 1. Heading 1 is the company globally; the country belongs in Heading 2. Keep the lenses separate.
• Skipping “whether already expanded.” The prompt asks for it directly; answer it in one clear sentence.
• Addressing only some of the seven criteria. Heading 2 must name and use all seven — demographic, economic, trade, social, cultural, legal, political.
• A vague strategy. “The company should grow” is not a strategy. Name it in course terms and tie it to evidence.
• No thesis, or the wrong headings. End the introduction with a clear thesis; use the exact boldface headings.
• Citation drift. “Research shows” with no source. APA in-text citation, or it did not happen.
• Missing the cheap points. Page length, two sources, APA formatting, and clean mechanics are 1.75 points that reward only compliance — do not give them away.

Day 7 (Monday) by 11:59 p.m. Submitted through Waypoint. Due 4–5 double-spaced pages excluding title and references pages; APA; title page; Length & format introduction with thesis; conclusion; academic voice. From the video list: Budweiser, FedEx, Samsung, H&M, American Express, Taco Mentor company Bell, Uber, Zappos, TOMS, Airbnb, Target, Amazon, KIA, PayPal. Not McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Starbucks, or Pepsi. Other companies need prior instructor approval. Economic; trade; social and cultural; sustainability; political, legal, and Heading 1 — factors regulatory. Demographic; economic; trade; social; cultural; legal; political — for one country Heading 2 — criteria in Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa. At least two scholarly or credible sources beyond the textbook; UAGC Library Sources OneSearch, MarketLine reports, Business Insights (Gale), Mergent Market Atlas. Content 5.25 (company 0.75 + Heading 1 1.50 + Heading 2 3.00); communication Points split and evidence 1.75. Global marketing plan; global marketing strategy; environmental analysis; Competencies international market development; global development; strategic decisionmaking. Companion to the BUS 622 Week 2 Comprehensive Study Guide and the Discussion Forum guides. Prepared as a selfcontained writing resource for the Week 2 written assignment. Verify all dates, the mentor-company list, and rubric details against Canvas and Waypoint before submission.