International Foods Company is an international firm that deals in global food production and supplies.

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Case study: International Foods Company

International Foods Company is an international firm that deals in global food production and supplies. It has been a successful producer and supplier of bagged salads and noodles to a number of South Asian countries since 1998. The company, which is Chinese-owned, has since 2001 made numerous inroads into the South Asian sub-continent especially in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Its products especially the bagged salads are heavily patronised by many people. The company has an outlet at the Xiamen University Malaysia campus where students and staff members buy from. More recently, some customers reported that they found millipedes in the course of eating the salad. Some customers have since boycotted the salads. The issue has caused considerable concern to the company and has affected its brand.

You have been contracted by the firm, as an international Business consultant, to allay the fears of customers and also to help it in its current crisis. It would be appreciated if you could critically examine the issue on this basis:

1. What issues do this problem raise?
2. What Marketing efforts are you going to use in dealing with the situation? How would this impact on the company’s reputation and what efforts can be used to mitigate the negative reputation on the brand?
3. With your knowledge of foreign market analysis, determine whether it would be a good opportunity for the company to invest outside the South Asian sub-region in the light of the present happening. What key considerations would you make in line with this?

Not more than 1500 words including reference