Small Business Dilemma Developing a Multinational Sporting Goods Corporation

In every chapter of this text, some of the key concepts are illustrated with an application to a small sporting goods firm that conducts international business. TheseSmall Business Dilemma features allow students to recognize the challenges and possible decisions that firms (such as this sporting goods firm) may face in a global environment. For this chapter, the focus is on the development of the sporting goods firm that would conduct international business.

Last month, Jim Logan completed his undergraduate degree in finance and decided to pursue his dream of managing his own sporting goods business. Logan had worked in a sporting goods shop while attending college and had noticed that many customers wanted to purchase a low-priced football. However, the sporting goods store where he worked, like many others, sold only top-of-the-line footballs. From his experience, Logan was aware that top-of-the line footballs had a high markup and that a low-cost football could possibly penetrate the U.S. market. He also knew how to produce footballs. His goal was to create a firm that would produce low-priced footballs and sell them on a wholesale basis to various sporting goods stores in the United States. Unfortunately, many sporting goods stores began to sell low-priced footballs just before Logan was about to start his business. The firm that began to produce the low-cost footballs already provided many other products to sporting goods stores in the United States, so it had an established business relationship with them. Logan did not believe that he could compete with this firm in the U.S. market.

Rather than pursue a different business, Logan decided to implement his idea on a global basis. Although football (as it is played in the United States) has not been a traditional sport in foreign countries, it has become more popular in some foreign countries in recent years. Furthermore, the expansion of cable networks in foreign countries would allow for much more exposure to U.S. football games in those countries in the future. To the extent that this would increase the popularity of football (U.S. style) as a leisure activity in the foreign countries, it would result in a demand for footballs in foreign countries.

Logan asked many of his foreign friends from his college days if they recalled seeing footballs sold in their home countries. Most said they rarely noticed footballs being sold in sporting goods stores but that they expected the demand for footballs to increase in their home countries.

Consequently, Logan decided to start a business of producing low-priced footballs and exporting them to sporting goods distributors in foreign countries. Those distributors would then sell the footballs at the retail level. Logan planned to expand his product line over time once he identified other sports products that he might sell to foreign sporting goods stores. He decided to call his business Sports Exports Company. To avoid any rent and labor expenses, Logan planned to produce the footballs in his garage and to perform the work himself. Thus, his main business expenses were the cost of the materials used to produce the footballs and the expenses associated with finding distributors in foreign countries who would attempt to sell the footballs to sporting goods stores.

3. Which theories of international business described in this chapter apply to Blades in the short run? In the long run? 4. What long-range plans other than establishment of a subsidiary in Thailand are an option for Blades and may be more suitable for the company?