1. Welcome
1.1 For Sunfoods
1.2 For the Academic Reader
2. The Abstract
3. Thesis Introduction
3.1. The Aim
3.2. Research Background
3.3. The Research Topics
3.4. The Targeted Audience
3.5. Disposition
4. Research Method
4.1. The Constructive Research Method
4.2. The Research Process
4.3. Information Gathering p.1
4.4. Export Guide and Questionnaire Construction
4.5. Analysis Method, Conclusions and Thesis Presentation
4.6. The Broad Scope of the Thesis
5. The Export Guide
5.1. Export Guide Presentation
5.2. Export Readiness
5.3. Trade Condition
5.4. Foreign Market Analysis
6. Questionnaire
6.1. Questionnaire Presentation
6.2. Export Readiness
6.3. Trade Condition
6.4. Foreign Market Analysis
7. Research Results
7.1. Export Readiness
7.2. Trade Condition
7.3. Foreign Market Analysis
8. Discussion
8.1. Export Readiness
8.2. Trade Condition
8.3. Foreign Market Analysis
9. Conclusions
9.1. Export Readiness
9.2. Trade Condition
9.3. Foreign Market Analysis
9.4. The Next Step
10. Supplements
10.1. Site Map
10.2. Glossary
10.3. The Complete Interview
10.4. Acknowledgements
10.5. Sources
4.5 Analysis Method, Conclusions and Thesis Presentation
4.5.1 Analysis Method and Conclusions
In the fifth step of the research process the Export Guide is implemented and tested. In other words, information about Sunfoods, Japan and Sweden is compared and analyzed with the Export Guide as a research frame. Information about Sunfoods, that was collected through the interview, is analyzed in order to build a picture of Sunfoods� export readiness. The trade conditions between Japan and Sweden and the Swedish market conditions are analyzed with the aim of evaluating the outer conditions of the trade venture. The combined analysis of the three main research areas of the thesis gives a picture of the export venture as a whole and eventually conclusions, based on the analysis, are drawn.
4.5.2 Thesis Presentation
The Thesis is presented on the Internet in the form of a web site. One perceived disadvantage with this is that it may be considered relatively time consuming to build a web page. Further, it is possible that some readers are unused to academic papers presented in the web format and that they may question why not the traditional paper format is used. However, it is possible the claim that the advantages with the web format outweigh the disadvantages. One perceived advantage is the fact that it is possible for the researcher to be situated in Japan but receive continuous support and feedback from a tutor at the home university in Uppsala, Sweden. A further advantage may be that the management at Sunfoods can access the paper easily and that other researchers that may find the thesis of interest also can access it from anywhere in the world. Moreover, the web format presents an opportunity to make an interactive academic paper. If the reader have questions regarding the text it is easy to send an e-mail to the researcher and if the reader whish to verify the sources or visit the home page of Sunfoods, this can easily be achieved through the links in the thesis. What is more, the reader who whish to read a paper version of the thesis can always print a copy.
4.6. The Broad Scope of the Thesis
4.6.1 The Broad Scope of the Thesis
The thesis is concerned with international marketing from an initial stage. In other words, it is assumed that no previous research concerning the studied export venture has taken place hitherto. One purpose of this initial research is to detect possible obstructions to the export venture and to identify factors concerning the project, which might need to be studied in greater depth. This in turn is meant to give the company in question an outline of the basic conditions concerning the export proposition. To accomplish this, three areas, the company (i), the trade condition between the home country and the host country (ii), and the foreign market (iii) are screened. This means that the paper covers a large spectrum and it gives the thesis a relatively broad scope.
4.6.2 Rationale Behind the Broad Scope
The major rationale behind the choice of a broad research approach is the thesis international nature. International marketing can be considered to need a broader scope in order not to overlook the additional research factors which for the domestic marketer may be known since earlier: 'A basic difference between domestic and international market research is the broader scope needed for foreign research'(Cateora&Ghauri 2000, 146) For instance import and export regulations, unknown cultural factors and political stability may fall outside the factors typically studied by the domestic marketer. However, these factors may be considered essential to take into account for the international marketer. To focus the research sufficiently and to have a satisfactorily broad scope, in order not to neglect relevant data, are two opposing factors in market research.(Cateora & Ghauri 2000, 147-148) This is also a concern for this essay which is characterized by its broad scope. The main disadvantage with a broad scope can be said to be that it incorporates less research focus. Naturally one perceived option could be to narrow down the research areas and focus on for example only the import rules and regulations that apply to the host country. However, considering the fact that no previous research concerning the studied export venture has taken place and that a large number of factors need to be taken into account in international market research, it may be difficult to determine where to focus the research. In other words, it may not be obvious where the research should be focused in order to receive relevant information when the studied area is broad and no previous research concerning the studied case has been conducted. Moreover, many of the success factors that need to be taken into account can be claimed to be interrelated and thereby influenced by each other. It may thereby be difficult to study these areas in isolation and this further calls for a broad research approach. For instance, whether a company has sufficient economical resources to conduct export may depend on the host market's characteristics. A company with very limited economical resources may be more vulnerable to risk and therefore not ready to export to a country deemed to have high political risk. To be able to judge whether the company has sufficient economical resources to carry out the planned export venture, information about for instance the political situation in the host country may thus be necessary. Further, to judge whether the political situation in the host country is sufficiently stable, information regarding the company�s risk tolerance and its economic situation may be required. The results of the research concerning one area may thereby be dependent on the results of the research concerning other success factors. In this way it is possible that focused research that considers only one isolated area does not say much to the company about the possible success of the entire export venture. A further possible advantage with broad research is that it may bring up and highlight areas and factors that need to be studied in greater depth. The broad initial scanning can thereby be seen as groundwork for more focused research in the future.
