Egypt exports of soaps, lubricants, and waxes, to Kenya was US$22.63 Million during 2019, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Egypt exports of soaps witnessed a steady decline since 2017, and there is lots of potential demand in many other african nations for Egyptians soap. Last March 2020 the Ministry of Industry and Trade decided to exclude soap bars, shampoo, and tissue paper in the form of jumbo rolls "production requirements" from Resolution 187 of 2020 to stop the export of masks and protective supplies. Minister of Trade and Industry Nevein Gamea issued two decisions to stop exporting all of the surgical masks ("face masks") and the requirements to prevent infection and alcohol of all kinds and derivatives, for a period of 3 months starting from the date of publishing the decisions in the Egyptian Gazette. H.E. Mrs. Gamea said that these two decisions aim to provide the needs of the Egyptian citizen with these products, especially in light of the precautionary measures that the Egyptian government implements to protect citizens from any possible repercussions of the spread of the Corona virus. This will reflect on the domistic market and the motivation for egyptian soap producer leading the Egyptian market, which is dominated by MNC's like P&G and others. Domestic competition and the African appetite for value for many soap products from Egypt represents a double impact motivation for many Egyptian producers to seek international opportunities. Once a market leader handmade Nabulsi Shaheen olive oil soap factory in Alazhar area, Cairo. In the first half of the 20th century, Nabulsi Shaheen was the most famous and popular soap in Egypt. There were several popular brands of the Olive oil soap, originally made in Palestine. The most famous brand was Nabulsi Shahin. Originally named Nabusli Shaheen in the 1920s, the famous Nabulsi soap used to have a different name before the July 1952 revelotion. Its name had been Nabulsi Farouk from 1930s to 1950s. Named after King Farouk of Egypt due to his popularity at first in the country but it was changed after the 1952 revolution. Made from pure olive oil Nabulsi Shaheen is 100% natural green soap color made of olive oil and this means that it contains no any other type of oils, also it contains glycerol. When applied it produces a noticeble dense foam compared to ordinary soap like the ones produced by multinational corporations (MNC's) yet also very creamy and cleans skin well but gently without causing any damage and add glycerin soap increases the property wet to the skin. Nabulsi Shahin is used for hair care as a substitue for shampoo and balsam togther due to the righ natural olive oil content in addition to the softening glycerin. Lately the company have been suing e-trade platforms like amzon, jumia, alibaba, and souq.com to faciliatet there exports and is priced as a premium natural beauty product. Online reviewes and limited supply is playing a big role in creating the required brand image positioning this product as a premium quality yet afforduble all-in-one personal care solution for every houshold.

Questions:

1. In light of the above mentioned in the case, please explain the international marketing strategic level of involvement, in its expansion and their market entry strategy, and provide your own critique for this strategy in the African markets.

2. In regard to the approach used by Nabulsi Shahin, market entry to the African market, please comment on their strategy in reference to international trade agreements that may benefit the company in the specified market.

Appendix:

How to Deal with a Case A case study analysis requires you to investigate a business problem, examine the alternative solutions, and propose the most effective solution or extract a key learning, using the supporting evidence presented in the case. Before you begin writing, follow these guidelines to help you prepare and understand the case better: Read the case well and take notes, or highlights to relevant facts and try to underline key issues Define the central issues in the case (Problem Statement) You may refer here to the respective question it may be of help Often it makes sense to Organize the problem statement in a hierarchical way: Identify the single most Over-Riding Issues Then spot any additional sub-issues, subsidiary to the main over-riding one When dealing with them deal with the most important first Identify Possible Root-Causes for the information provided You need to figure out and define the Firm's strategic goals and objectives Now you may be able to identify key external & internal constraints Try to list all Possible Relevant Alternatives that apply within the constraints Select the Best relevant alternative and state why it is the Best Sketch an implementation plan (Action Steps) for this Best Alternative Once you have drafted all necessary information, and requirements a structured report of your analysis should include the following general sections, but these may differ depending on your assignment directions or your specific case study: Case Debriefing: Set the scene: background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues. Demonstrate that you have researched the problems in the case study. Evaluate these pieces by discussing what is working and what is not working. State why these parts of the case study are or are not working well. Problem Statement: Outline the various pieces of the case study that you are focusing on. Identify Alternatives: Provide specific and realistic solution(s) or changes needed. Explain why this solution was chosen. Support this solution with solid evidence, such as: Key concepts from course (text readings, discussions, lectures) or even outside research Recommend Best Alternative and Justify your recommendation Implementation Recommended Alternative - (How to do it?) Determine and discuss specific strategies for accomplishing the proposed solution. Recommend action steps needed to assure and consider key issues for implementation. What should be done and who should do it?