Bringing a New Brand of Chocolate to the Republic of Turkey - Research Paper Example

Bringing a new brand of chocolate to the Republic of Turkey: A study to explore the feasibility of bringing a new chocolate product into that nation Introduction Topic Developing new lines of products for the Republic of Turkey requires courses of action that are relevant to the consumerist habits and behaviors of that country. As well, it is important that the laws be studied and understood so that importing a product will have a smooth transaction in order to maximize profit. In this research study the laws, practices, and marketing approach toward the goal of bringing a new brand of chocolate to the Republic of Turkey will be examined. Objectives The objectives of this study will be to first discover the consumerist habits of the people of Turkey. Once those habits are examined, it will be necessary to research the laws that will pertain to importing a product and getting it into the hands of the consumers. Once the feasibility of bringing a new brand of chocolate into Turkey has been assessed, it will be important to look at the competition, thus allowing for the development of a complete and thorough business plan to be assembled. It is important to understand all of these elements in order to prepare for any and all problems that concern the sales and profit of this type of endeavor. Context and Rationale The study will allow for a thorough examination of the practices of business in Turkey. As well, there will be the opportunity to study the consumerist habits of the people of this nation. Creating a study of the import prospects, consumer habits, and feasibility of creating a new product within Turkey will allow for an understanding of the business world within this nation. Literature Review In researching the relevant data on the production of a new brand of chocolate for sale in the Republic of Turkey, several considerations are needed to be reported. The ethical concerns of the production of the product must be considered. In addition, the general guidelines of importing a food product into the country must be taken into consideration as well as the consuming habits of the region. Ethics of Chocolate Production In current years it has been brought to light that in West Africa where over half of the beans that are sold to make chocolate are exported, child slave labor is utilized on the farms that produce the beans. According to Bales (2007), it is difficult to determine exactly how many farms in West Africa use child slave labor. Some officials suggest that it is as high as 90% of the farms who use this kind of labor and to boycott these farms would mean a serious economic problem for the country (193). Alternative Resources for Cocoa According to Hargroves and Smith (2006), cocoa beans are grown in Santa Domingo and other neighboring South American countries (110). Since cocoa is indigenous to South America, buying cocoa beans strictly from this region of the world might not only help to add increases to the industry, but provide a marketing opportunity for the product. According to Grivetti & Shapiro (2009) the earliest origins of cocoa bean and chocolate usage appears from archeological artifacts found in Mexico and South America (xxvii). This concept has a potential for romanticizing the chocolate while adhering to more ethical standards in creating the product. Importing into Turkey In the process of importing into Turkey, it is good news that the Turkish government is open to promoting business within its country. The Turkish government will convert the money earned into the currency of the seller (Smith and Zheutlin 2009: 84). While the government on the whole is receptive to imports, a rising sense of conservatism within the nation is creating a xenophobia that will impede the sales of products that are imported. A high sense of ’otherness’ where differing cultures and peoples are concerned has emerged and is affecting the overall market (Carkoglu 2008: 47). Importing into Turkey seems to be governmentally encouraged, while a sense of the internal culture may be resistant to the import of products. A more fully developed scenario will need to be given to understand the phenomenon of consumerism in Turkey and the feasibility of importing a new product. Consumerism in Turkey According to Ozyurek (2007), the nation of Turkey has created an atmosphere of consumerism in order to promote economic growth and diminish negative associations with Islamic religious beliefs, but still retain that cultural aspect of their nation (121). According to Ignatow (2007), a course of identity politics emerged in the 1980’s with movements to promote a consumerist society within the nation. This move was intended to diminish the ill effects of certain factions that might provide issue for the nation, while still attempting to preserve the national identity and its sub-cultures (62). While the xenophobia might still be developing, this course of national direction might allow for the promotion of the products within the country. Research Design Research The research for this topic will be done through an examination of both primary and secondary research. Statistical information will be compiled through public and information from the government of Turkey. Information that is relevant to the import of a product and the laws concerning those imports will be gathered and examined. Once the research has been gathered, statistical data will be compiled to reveal the feasibility of bringing a new chocolate brand into the Republic of Turkey. Once that information has been gathered, a better understanding of the potential will have been assessed. A secondary research of the relevant literature will provide an overview of the background of the topic. In looking at the chocolate industry, the consumerist habits in Turkey, and the relevant import laws of the nation, an examination of the way in which the product will perform will be given a new depth and context. Looking at the work of others in relationship to the intended venture will give some predictability to the success of the business. In addition, the relevant information can be assessed for any problems that might occur during the transaction of importing the product. Primary research will be conducted to determine the possible reception of a new chocolate product into the country. A questionnaire will be used to determine the value of chocolate to the Turkish people. As access to the country will be unavailable, the survey will be done through e-mail inquiries and the data collected from the responses. The data will then be examined for its strengths and weaknesses that will be used to determine the consumerist response to the possible introduction of the new product. Once the data is collected, SWOT analysis will be used to create statistical ratios and commonalities that will enhance the decision making process in pursuing this concept. According to Marke, Sloan, and Ryan (2007), SWOT analysis is used as a “universal tool for planning” (43). SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, which allows for an overall understanding of what a company will face during the course of operations. The questionnaire will be translated into the native language. Research Questions 1. What are the consumption habits of people from the Republic of Turkey? 2. What are the general laws and structures of importing a product into Turkey? 3. How important is chocolate to the consumers in Turkey? 4. How do the current issues surrounding the production of chocolate affect the consumer’s relationships to chocolate? 5. What is the feasibility of producing a chocolate product for sales in the Republic of Turkey? Sampling Sampling will be conducted through the collection of e-mail addresses that will be obtained through relevant sources. In conducting this research, the e-mail addresses will come from sources that have citizens of Turkey in their register and who are willing to share those resources. In addition, e-mail addresses will be obtained through a web page designed to attract citizens from Turkey. This web address will be linked from various resources that will allow a link to the address and that have access to the people of Turkey. An ideal sample size of 200 respondents will be expected in order to conduct the research. The questionnaire (see appendices I) will be an easy pop-up from the web page that can be filled in easily and will be sent directly to the researcher’s e-mail. This type of sampling is know as non-probability sampling. According to Trochim (2006), non-probability sampling describes the unlikely event that will occur when a sample is taken when there is not an equal possibility for all who are concerned to be chosen. Because of the limitations of the access to the people of the nation, only those who happen to come across the link or who are access through other means will have an opportunity to respond. Anyone without internet access will have no opportunity to be sampled. Analysis This study will use the empirical research approach. According to Eckerman, “empirical studies model causal relationships between exogenous factors and endogenous parameters in the form of research hypotheses” (100). Using a sampling methodology, data will be compiled in order to create statistical ratios that will help to prove or disprove the null hypotheses. Hypotheses Null Hypothesis: The feasibility of bringing a new brand of chocolate into Turkey through the means of import is high which will allow for good profit and a solid business opportunity. Alternative Hypothesis: The feasibility of bringing a new brand of chocolate into Turkey through the means of import is low, which will not allow for good profit or a solid business opportunity. Project Planning/Timetable The following schedule will be used in order to complete the study. The collection of e- mail inquiries will be done throughout the course of a six weeks. Prior to this collection, a week will be needed in order to design the web page and implement the structures that will be needed in order to create the collection. In order to properly continue the secondary research, the six weeks will be used to collect as much relevant data as is necessary to complete the knowledge of Turkish laws and buying habits. A week will be needed to complete the statistical evaluations and draw conclusions from this knowledge. A final week will be used in order to compile the analysis and write the produced results into a thorough study on the topic. Ethical Issues In order to create an ethically produced study, the sampling will be done through informed consent and maintained in an anonymous atmosphere. To the extent that is possible, the web page will be designed so that no information will be readily available to the researcher or to outside resources who might try to gain access to information that reveals personal identities of the respondents. In addition, the website will feature a disclaimer and consent form that must be digitally agreed to before the survey is completed. Another ethical concern will be to explore the issues that surround the production of chocolate. In recent years it has come to light that child slave labor is used on some farms that produce cocoa beans. In order to run a company that considers the global effects of their product in an ethical manner, the production of the product must be done with the highest standards. Therefore, a research of child slave labor in West Africa, the largest producer of chocolate in the world, must be examined and possibly discarded as a resource. Summary The intent of this research is to determine the feasibility of producing a chocolate product with the intent of selling it in the Republic of Turkey. In order to do this research, it is necessary to do a complete research of the relevant literature. In addition, it is important to do a survey of the relevant issues that pertain directly to the Turkish consumer. Considerations must be made for the ethical nature of the chocolate industry. As well, the potential sales of the product must be examined for profit margin viability. The sale of the product in Turkey must be considered for all the factors that will affect a sound business decision to promote such a possibility. References Bales, K. (2007). Ending slavery: how we free today's slaves. Berkeley, University of California Press. Carkoglu, A. (2008). Turkey in the grip of rising conservatism. [S.l.], Palgrave Macmillan. Eckermann, M. (2006). Venture capitalists' exit strategies under information asymmetry evidence from the US venture capital market. Wiesbaden, Dt. Univ.-Verl. Fuller, M. F. (2004). The encyclopedia of farm animal nutrition. Wallingford [u.a.], CABI Publ. Grivetti, L., & Shapiro, H.-Y. (2009). Chocolate: history, culture, and heritage. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. Hargroves, K., & Smith, M. H. (2006). The natural advantage of nations: business opportunities, innovation and governance in the 21st century. London, Earthscan. Ignatow, G. (2007). Transnational identity politics and the environment. Lanham, Lexington Books. Marke, J. J., Sloane, R., & Ryan, L. M. (2007). Legal research and law library management. Law office management series. New York, N.Y. Law Journal Press. Ozyurek, E. (2007). The politics of public memory in Turkey. Syracuse, Syracuse University Press. Smith, R. P., & Zheutlin, P. (2009). Riches among the ruins: adventures in the dark corners of the global economy. New York, American Management Association. Trochim, W. M. K. (2006) Probability sampling. Research methods Knowledge Base. Accessed on 13 April 2010 from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampprob.php Appendices I Questionnaire Greetings! The following questionnaire has been developed to determine if you as the consumer would be open to a new product of chocolate in your country. Questions Please mark the appropriate answer 1. Do you consume chocolate? Yes No 2. How much chocolate do you consume? 1 piece or more per day 1 piece or more per week 1 piece or more per month 3. Do you have a negative feeling about the purchase of imported goods? Yes No 4. Do the ethics of the production of a product affect your consumer habits? Yes No 5. How important is chocolate as a product to your life? Important Somewhat important Neutral Less important Not important Not needed 6. Do you have a specific brand of chocolate that you purchase regularly? Yes No 7. If the answer to question 6 was yes, what brand? __________________________________ 8. What comments, if any, do you have regarding the promotion of a new chocolate product within your country? ________________________________________________________________________ Appendices II Consent Form The following survey will be conducted in such a manner to attempt to provide secure and anonymous provisions to the respondent. However, since the answers to the questions will be on the internet, the complete anonymity of the respondents cannot be guaranteed by the website from those who will purposely try to break into the site and steal the information. However, no record of the identity or associated identifying data will be collected or kept by the researcher for the purposes of this study. Read More