Marketing Analysis of the Country of Zaire - Research Paper Example

Marketing Analysis of the Country of Zaire INTRODUCTION Before venturing into foreign expansion, it is a must that a business studies thoroughly the demographics of the country because the success of the business largely depends on the viability of its market. For this project, we will specifically research if the country of Zaire is a good potential for a US Supermarket chain expansion. We will then gather the demographic and economic data in this location. MAIN BODY History. The Republic of Zaire is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It had its former name between 1971 and 1997 when it eventually carried the latter name (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 2009). Its capital is Kinshasa and its people are called Zairian (Library of Congress Country Studies, 1993). "Known as the Belgian Congo up until its independence in June 1960, unrest and rebellion plagued the new government until 1965, when Lieutenant General Joseph-Dsir Mobutu, by then commander-in-chief of the national army, seized control of the country and declared himself president for five years" (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 2009).

Geography. The over-all land area is 2,343,950 square kilometers / 904765 square miles and with a generally high temperature and humidity. Two wet and two dry seasons are observed during the year with an average annual temperature of 25C (Library of Congress Country Studies, 1993). Demography. The over-all population of the country is recorded at 53,624,718 and a density of 22.88 per sq. kilometer. A study of Shapiro in 1995 has found out that the population grows by 3% annually over the past 30 years (Shapiro, 1995).

This figure has not increased much then. The birth rate is 46.02 births/ 1000 population while the death rate is at 15.15 deaths/ 1000 population. Life expectancy at birth is recorded at 48.94 years. As to the literacy rate, defined as "age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba", the figures are 77.3% for the total population, 86.6% for male and 67.7% for female based on the 1995 estimate (Traveljournals.net). Concerning the religious and ethnic groups, Roman Catholic comprise 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%, and "over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population" (Traveljournals.net). Government and Economic.

Zaire is a "republic with strong presidential authority dominated since 1965 by Mobutu Sese Seko" (Library of Congress Country Studies, 1993). The country posted a GDP of $ 34 billion in 2001 and a $610 per capita. It has a "subsistence farming involves 80% of the population: livestock, maize, yams, cassava, rice, beans, quinquina, coffee, tea, cocoa" (Crawfurd). The technology in the country is behind compared to the rich countries and even to some third world countries. CONCLUSION The country is not ready for sophisticated supermarket chains given its low economic production.

The fact that it has subsistence farming also reveals that there is no potential market for supermarket chain. Works CitedCrawfurd, J. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2009, from http://crawfurd.dk: http://crawfurd.dk/africa/drcongo.htmLibrary of Congress Country Studies. (1993, December). Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://lcweb2.loc.go: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/rfrd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+zr0006)Shapiro, D. (1995, January). Population growth, changing agricultural practices, and environmental degradation in Zaire.

Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.popline.org: http://www.popline.org/docs/1103/102063.htmlTraveljournals.net. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2009, from http://www.traveljournals.net: http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/zaire/people.htmlWikimedia Foundation, Inc. (2009, September 25). Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaire