Impact of and adaptation to the market environment: The case of Chinese export trading companies in the United States.

摘要

This study examines market environment factors that affect Chinese trading companies in the United States. It assesses the degree to which these factors impact the creation and adaptation of products and related marketing activities.; Personal interviews and a mail survey were utilized to collect data for analysis. The study includes a description of the development of China's foreign trade structure since 1949 and a review of current literature on international marketing adaptation and theories on the internalization of firms.; The study identifies 32 major factors that are grouped into three areas: the U.S. market environment, the Chinese domestic market environment, and Chinese trading companies. Findings reveal that the Chinese domestic market environment factors were perceived as having the most important impact on Chinese trading companies' marketing activities. The Chinese trading company factors were considered as having the least important influence.; The study found that the Chinese trading companies surveyed have adapted in a limited manner to the U.S. market. Some of the more common adaptations include: only telling their home suppliers about the market situation; visiting and telephoning customers as their primary means of promotion; and being more likely to select the U.S. importers and wholesalers as their intermediaries, instead of approaching their final buyers directly. The most favorably rated approaches for contacting potential studies showed that the marketing activities used by these companies to adapt into the U.S. market were varied, based on the product category and company subordination.; The study concludes that market environment factors have influenced Chinese trading companies to adopt some marketing practices and to adapt some Chinese practices for promoting their products to the U.S. market.