ABC Consulting as a Corporation in Kosovo - Assignment Example

Approximately 22% of the country’s population lives in Prishtina. The city is considered the region with the highest education in the country due to the presence of the University of Prishtina. The two official languages of Kosovo are Albanian and Serbian. English, French, and German are also spoken by the younger generations. Muslim is the most practiced religion in Kosovo. Atifete Jahjaga is the current president of Kosovo. The country has an efficient public transportation system that is used by most people. The unemployment rate of the country is very high hovering around 40%. The majority of the citizens that are employed work in the public sector or small family businesses (CultureGrams).

Marketing Mix
ABC Consulting must develop an effective marketing strategy to penetrate Kosovo. Even though the country is poor there are plenty of business opportunities for the company because there are a lot of small businesses. These business owners could benefit from the services ABC Consulting offers. The marketing strategy the firm must develop has to take into consideration the marketing mix. The marketing mix is composed of four variables. The four variables of the marketing mix are product, price, promotion, and place.

The product the company offers is consulting business services. The consulting industry is a very profitable industry that is growing due to the high demand for these types of services. Globally the consulting industry generated revenues of $366 billion in 2011 (Plunkett Research). The government of Kosovo is an instrumental stakeholder that the firm must target because the government is the main employer in the country. ABC consulting has to also target the thousands of small businesses operating in Kosovo.
The price of ABC Consulting depends on the type of service that is offered. Because Kosovo is a poor country, the firm has to offer its services at a lower price point than in the United States. The company should offer a price discount of 40% to the small businesses of Kosovo. The government of Kosovo would be eligible for a price discount of 20%. The payment period for clients that request the services on credit is 30 days. Larger governmental contracts are eligible for a 90 payment period.

The firm has to aggressively market its services in Prishtina. The company should use a variety of promotions to attract customers. Due to the high concentration of people in the capital, the firm should utilize banner advertising throughout the city. A second promotional channel the firm must use is the internet. Internet advertising is cost-effective and it can be implemented faster than traditional adverting. A special promotion the company can offer is a free general consultancy of one hour for first-time clients.

The place the company will establish its subsidiaries is Prishtina, Kosovo. There is more business activity in the capital of a country than in the suburbs. The corporate website will serve as the firm’s secondary place of business. The firm will also have a 24-hour call center to provide assistance and service to its clients. The service the company offers is an intangible product, thus the firm does not carry any inventory. Most of the service contracts the company will obtain require onsite service, thus the consultants will be given company cars for these visits.

Conclusion
ABC Consulting is in the process of becoming a multinational corporation. The company is targeting Kosovo as the place for international expansion. Kosovo is a good place to start an expansion for the company due to its small size. ABC does not have to spend a lot of money to reach the entire population of the country. During its first phase of the expansion plan,n the firm will strictly target customers in Prishtina. In Prishtina, there are lots of small businesses established. Proper implementation of the marketing mix is needed for the firm to succeed in its expansion plans. Read More