Unlocking Bulgaria's Fashion Frontier: A Strategic Marketing Essay

You are a senior marketing consultant working for Ashanti Marketing Solutions (AMS) Limited. You have just been commissioned by a company (Marks& Spencer Group PLC (UK)) that wants to enter a suitable country (Bulgaria) with a new product or service (clothing sector). The problem is that, they do not know the kind of product or service to offer within the country you will be recommending. Your task is to produce a report on their behalf answering the following questions: ( I have given information to the tutor that I will use the ABOVE MENTIONED company and will open stores for clothes in the capital of Bulgaria -Sofia, Clothes are very expensive in Bulgaria, )

1.    Recommend a product or service and a country and provide a macro-environmental analysis (PESTEL) explaining the possible opportunities as well as threats your client could face within the market of your recommended country and provide possible solutions. (30%)

2.    Critically assess three modes of market-entry that could be suitable to your client. Out the three options, make a recommendation with justification as to the most appropriate one. (20%)

3.    Applying the concepts of market segmentation and targeting critically evaluate the potential target market of your client. (20%)

4.    Applying Porter’s generic strategy, explain how your client could gain competitive advantage by adopting one of the generic strategies in your recommended market (20%)

The remaining 10% of marks will be given for overall structure, presentation, synthesis and general use of wider references

1 Purchasing Department

The purchasing department is the department which handles all the activities related to buying and selling of supplies and materials. It ensures the preparation of purchase orders, timely delivery of materials and also prepareation of purchasing list for the items to be purchased by the business. Its responibility includes the delivery of materials on time and also payment to suppliers on time. The department has to prepare the list of orders with the help of cost accounting for working closely with accounting department to ensure the sufficient capital to purchase the material. The purchasing department also ensures that the activities of buying and selling are complying with all company policies. It is also responsibile for evaluating the prices to receive the material and selection of the best possible price for the maximise profit. It is essential for the business to make sure that there is always sufficient products in the warehouses or on shelves to keep the store well stocked or to keep the factory going and customers happy. Purchase department plays an important role in the company that is why a good technical knowledge of the industry is required (McNally, Akdeniz, and Calantone, 2011)

Purchasing Material Cost

Material cost is the cost which is invested in the production of a product but excluding labour. It means the cost at which company purchases the material but excluding labour. Production department ensures quantity of material and refill of the same in time