answer following question by writing please brief answer.

506 PART 4 . MANAGING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OPERATIONS Building Global Skills Ajax Alarms is a medium-sized U.S. firm that sells alarm Your assignment is to outline a marketing plan for clocks. It subcontracts the production of its clocks to a Ajax. Ajax wants you to consider product policy,pricing, Korean firm, which manufactures them based on Ajax promotion, and distribution issues. In developing your designs and specifications and then ships the clocks directly marketing plan, be sure to consider the factors discussed to the Ajax warehouse in Kansas. Ajax markets and distrib- in this chapter, including standardization versus cus- 'utes the clocks throughout the United States and Canada. tomization, legal forces, cultural influences, economic The clocks themselves are brightly colored novelty items. factors, and brand name questions. Note specific areas For example, one of the firm's biggest sellers is a plastic where you can make recommendations to your client. For rooster that crows in the morning. Last year Ajax reported example, if you believe a certain advertising medium will profits of $5 million on total revenues of slightly more than be beneficial to Ajax, make that recommendation (be sure $50 million to provide some rationale or justification). If you feel Ajax managers have determined that the firm has few you lack sufficient information to make a recommenda- growth opportunities in the United States and Canada and tion in some area, identify the factors that must be so must enter new markets if it is to continue to expand. The addressed by Ajax in that particular area. For example, if managers have decided to start by selling in Mexico. They you cannot recommend a pricing policy, describe the have hired you, an internationally famous marketing con- information Ajax needs to acquire and evaluate when sultant, to advise thern. making that decision