2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Internationalization Process of Retailing and Distribution in Asia
| Project/Area Number |
15402031
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Commerce
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| Research Institution | Hosei University |
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Principal Investigator |
YAHAGI Toshiyuki Hosei University, Graduate School of Innovation Management, Professor, 大学院イノベーション・マネジメント研究科, 教授 (40230289)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SEKINE Takashi Senshu University, School of Commerce, Professor, 商学部, 教授 (70076933)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2006
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| Keywords | retail internationalization process / localization / global retailer / entry method / entry timing / 家電流通 / 総合量販店 |
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this research is to find out the facts on the internationalization process of retailing and distribution in Asia and conceptualize the localization pattern of retailers and distributors. The decade of the 1990s saw a wave of international activity by global retailers from Wal-Mart to IKEA. This wave was much larger than anything which had gone before. One response has been a surge of academic interest in retail and distribution internationalization. We intended both to provide an overview of the current situation of leading retailers' internationalization in Asia and to explore what the trends tell us about the processes of, and constraints upon retail expansion in the local markets. A typology of localization process helps us assess different companies' approaches, and find some indications of what may happen in future.
First, we found that the outcomes of internationalization by a retailer differ among the entry markets. The reasons why a retailer succeeds in one market and fails in another market can be thought of as being much determined by entry method and entry timing in addition to the organizational capability in general. Second, the international network formed by the home market and various entered markets influences the performance of retail internationalization. The effective and quick transfer of management know-how contributes to the smooth localization in the newly entered markets. However, in regard to the complex interaction between markets, there are more things still unknown than came to light. Third, internationalization in retailing is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is clearly a vital sales expansion vehicle, potentially capable of enhancing market position and financial returns. On the other hand, problems of international expansion such as culture mismatch and increased operation risks point to the necessity of approaching international growth from a better-informed perspective.
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