Essential-Beauty had little reason to become involved in the global arena. But after acquiring Wellman Enterprises, whose largest division engages in a licensing agreement with a German firm to produce women's hosiery, managers at Essential-Beauty wondered whether a company-wide global focus would be more profitable after all. Managers at Essential-Beauty studied Wellman's licensing agreement in great detail. Even after seeing the benefits Wellman achieved with the licensing agreement, managers decided that Essential-Beauty would target the French market merely via exporting. With the assistance of a domestic export department, Essential-Beauty beauty products entered France. For six months, sales were mediocre. But after that, sales suffered. Opinions varied among numerous managers as to the cause of the failure. "Who knows the local market better than people who live there?" was a comment heard throughout Essential-Beauty. "Maybe we needed an alliance with a French firm, or a licensing agreement, before racing to get there." What did Essential-Beauty hope to gain by entering the French market