Emerging Market Entry Matrix: Brazil, Poland, South Africa
This paper evaluates three emerging markets — Brazil, Poland, and South Africa — as potential expansion destinations for International Phone Inc. (IPI), a U.S.-based smartphone and mobile device manufacturer. Using a five-factor matrix that scores each country across economic conditions, political environment, ethical systems, social responsibility indicators, and cultural dimensions, the paper assigns numeric ratings on a one-to-five scale. Brazil earns the highest composite score of 20, followed by Poland and South Africa at 19 each. The analysis concludes that Brazil represents the most logical and strategically sound choice for IPI's first international manufacturing expansion, with Poland and South Africa identified as viable contingency options.
- Introduction to International Phone Inc.: Company background and strategic expansion goals
- Countries Under Consideration: Justification for selecting Brazil, Poland, South Africa
- Matrix Evaluation Criteria: Explanation of five scoring dimensions used
- Emerging Market Scoring Matrix: Numeric scores for each country across criteria
- Matrix Results and Interpretation: Analysis of each country's composite score
- Conclusion and Recommendation: Brazil recommended; contingency markets noted
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses a structured quantitative matrix to compare countries systematically, giving the analysis a clear, repeatable framework that is easy to follow and evaluate.
- It briefly defines each evaluation criterion before presenting scores, which helps the reader understand the rationale behind the ratings rather than simply accepting numbers at face value.
- The recommendation is grounded in the matrix results and supported by cited sources, lending credibility to what could otherwise be a purely subjective judgment.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates the use of a weighted scoring matrix as an analytical decision-making tool in international business strategy. Rather than relying solely on qualitative description, the author converts multidimensional country assessments into comparable numeric scores, then synthesizes those scores into a prioritized recommendation — a technique common in market entry analysis and strategic management courses.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a company profile of International Phone Inc., then justifies the selection of Brazil, Poland, and South Africa as candidate markets. It explains the five evaluation criteria, presents the scoring matrix, and interprets each country's performance. The final section delivers a clear recommendation (Brazil) while acknowledging Poland and South Africa as contingency options. The bibliography lists three sources in an approximate APA format.
Introduction to International Phone Inc.
The multinational corporation International Phone Inc. (IPI) has shifted its overall business strategy toward investing in emerging markets. The purpose of this report is to provide background on International Phone Inc. by creating a matrix to evaluate three emerging market countries that may suit the organization's overall business mission. This report first describes the type of business International Phone Inc. conducts, including the products and services it provides. It then presents a matrix comparing three emerging market countries across the following elements: economics, political environment, ethical systems, social responsibility indicators, and cultural dimensions. A numeric value between one and five is assigned to quantify and qualify how these three countries compare against one another. The results are then interpreted and a recommendation is made regarding which emerging market the company should consider entering.
International Phone Inc. is a cellular phone, smartphone, and handheld mobile device manufacturer that has achieved recent success in the telecommunications industry. The company sells its own phones to different telecommunications outlets, which then rebrand the devices to their own specifications. There are currently five manufacturing sites within the United States owned and operated by IPI, and leadership is looking to expand into international territory. International Phone Inc. employs over 5,000 personnel, conducted approximately $250 million in total sales over the past year, and is a minority-owned business. The company's corporate motto reflects a commitment to gaining competitive advantage regardless of the circumstances. Social responsibility and other non-economic principles are important to IPI; however, leadership also understands that the competitive arena demands that all possible opportunities be exploited.
Countries Under Consideration
The three countries selected for investigation as potential expansion locations are Brazil, Poland, and South Africa. While China and India are obvious choices for emerging markets, Palepu (2010) suggested that these markets may be saturated and that the greatest opportunities lie in countries that are a few years behind China and India in their development trajectory.
Matrix Evaluation Criteria
It is important to understand each element of the matrix before examining the numeric values assigned to each country. The economic system is evaluated for self-evident reasons. The political environment is assessed in order to understand the traditions and cultures within each country and how these might factor into gaining a competitive advantage. Ethical systems are also evaluated, as they demonstrate to the world what the company stands for and how it will conduct itself when expanding into a new country. Social responsibility indicators inform decisions about worker compensation and treatment within each host nation. Cultural dimensions encompass historical and religious connotations tied to each country's heritage.
Emerging Market Scoring Matrix
The table below presents scores for each country across the five evaluation dimensions, on a scale of one (lowest) to five (highest), along with each country's total composite score.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Overall, International Phone Incorporated should manufacture its phones within Brazil and take advantage of the newly emerging market that has developed there. IPI's manufacturing processes would align well with all aspects of the country. Brazil's size — neither too small nor too large — provides a productive middle ground that offers the strongest competitive advantage. Poland and South Africa remain acceptable alternatives should unforeseen circumstances arise during expansion into Brazil. What is most important is seizing the opportunity presented by the global market and recognizing that emerging markets are now truly international and not confined to a single large nation (Shriber, 2011).
References
Mozee, C. (2008). Move over China; Brazil is largest emerging market. MarketWatch, 27 Feb. 2008.
Palepu, K. (2010). How companies in emerging markets break out. Harvard Business Review, June 2010.
Shriber, T. (2011). 5 emerging markets are beating inflation. Street Authority, 15 Aug. 2011.
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