2nd Submission (related to Chapter 3) 1. For your chosen company, explain what type of focal firm the company is. 2. Identify and explain which market-entry strategy you believe the company is using in 1 specific international market the company has. Justify your choice. 3. Using the same international market as above, identify and justify which distribution channel intermediaries the company could use. Research and identify a real world example of your identified intermediaries. 4. List the facilitators that you believe would be involved in the above international market. Answer 1: A focal firm is the company that is the initiator of a business transaction that includes the MNEs and SMEs with proper designs and innovative techniques which are intended to offer for consumption of worldwide consumers. Commonwealth Bank, Australia deals face to face with the consumers. It is an industry in the service sector that has to deal with the consumers directly. Supply chain is not particularly evident in these types of service sectors (Scott and Davis 2015). This sector largely depends on the consumers and focus on treating the consumers well. Thus, greater initiatives are made to improve the service of the organization and satisfy the consumers. It has to be understood that in the service sector, customer satisfaction plays the most vital part and the organizations that provide the best quality service, are found to grow in the market. Answer 2: Among the various marketing strategies like direct exporting, licensing, franchising or even buying a company, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia has undertaken the approach of joint venture and partnering in entering the market of India. It has been found that the Bank has partnered with the Kotak Mahindra Bank of India (Collis and Hussey 2013). This is the most valid strategy that the Financial Institution has undertaken for the internalisation of the company because in order to create greater dominance in the market, it is important to partner with other existing companies in the market. In case, if the Bank had undertaken other expansion approaches like direct entry or franchising then the Company had to face major risks in its business operations. Franchising might reduce the fame of the Bank if it fails to operate in the right condition. On the other hand, partnering reduces the risk of financial and other operational challenges. Answer 3: As it has been evident that the Commonwealth Bank provides service and it is not a product that has to follow a particular distribution channel, it can be said that the services are made directly available to the consumers without any intermediaries. Distribution of goods takes place mainly by four types of intermediaries, by agent, wholesalers, distributors and retailers. However, in case of a service sector like the Commonwealth Bank, such distribution channels are not found. The only means of delivering service to the consumers is by directly providing the same. However, in case of a product, the distribution channels would have been different (Cavusgil et al. 2014). For instance, a mobile phone can be manufactured in China and the same set can be sold in some other parts of the world. In such cases, the products are marketed to the international market by wholesale or retail methods. Answer 4: Facilitators help the business to reach out the outcome of the decision of the international marketing. Facilitators also help in providing a fully structured and cooperative decision making to the business expansion. Some of the important facilitators of the business in the market of India are governmental practices that facilitate incoming of new businesses (Scherer et al. 2014). The country also has adequate supply of resources to meet the needs of the business operation. For instance, the demand of the market is high because of the large population of the country. In addition to this, labors can be easily available in the country of India. The form of distribution channel could be easier for the Bank as well because it belongs to the service sector. In fact, India has facilitated other forms of business as well due to its huge population and diverse business operational facilitators available in the market.   References: Cavusgil, S. (2015). International Business - The new realities. 2nd ed. Melbourne, Vic: Pearson Australia, pp.1-26. Cavusgil, S.T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J.R., Rammal, H.G. and Rose, E.L., 2014. International business. Pearson Australia. Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan. Scherer, A.G., Palazzo, G. and Matten, D., 2014. The business firm as a political actor: A new theory of the firm for a globalized world. Business & Society, 53(2), pp.143-156. Scott, W.R. and Davis, G.F., 2015. Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural and open systems perspectives. Routledge.