October 9, 2020
Okay, so your domestic business is booming in your home country. And demand is growing in international markets. You are considering how to increase sales for your product or service.
But you are stuck on the finer points of planning an international expansion strategy. How can you plan and make an informed decision?
As a starting point, there are the following areas to understand:
For the first point - how can you understand the environmental challenges?
PESTEL analysis helps to understand the external factors in the strategic business environment.
They are grouped into political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors.
We will cover PESTEL and how it can help you plan and deliver your global expansion. Here are the topics:
NOTE - The model is also known in various guises as PEST, STEP, STEEPLE and PESTLE. It was originally conceived as ETPS by Harvard professor, Francis Aguilar.
Often used for existing challenges, PESTEL is also helpful for new market research. You could use it with a SWOT analysis to identify existing opportunities and threats.
Or it can forecast future issues that will need careful management.
Expanding globally carries many challenges due to differences between locations and countries. From language and customs to the pace of business change to the currency or technology.
Often, the biggest obstacle to doing business is registering a legal entity in-country. This process can be very costly and can take up to a year to complete. This time will be better spent growing market share but can get eaten up by paperwork and delays.
Growth can be accelerated by working with a global employment outsourcing company.
They can help you set up quickly without establishing a legal entity in a particular country. That means - speed to market!
Let’s examine each element of the PESTEL framework and some questions to ask when planning.
This variance can slow your growth if you are caught unaware.
Airswift can help you establish a presence in Singapore within days. But we know in The Philippines it will take several weeks and perhaps months. In either location, we can have talent deployed and effective immediately through our global employment outsourcing model.
The variations in establishment time are huge differences. And if you need to be generating cash quickly, every extra day matters.
Figure 1: How many days does it take to start a business in Asia? (The World Bank Doing Business Report)
But volatile inflation or exchange rates will erode profits. As business expenses increase you may need to put off investment or hiring decisions.
Using BIS data, we tracked how much a currency had appreciated or depreciated since 2010.
The chart represents how much the rate has deviated up or down each quarter over the 10-year period. The bar for each economy demonstrates how widely the currency had swung from high to low over time.
The currencies of Singapore, New Zealand and the Euro Area did not deviate much. However, there were big swings in Argentina and Russia as economic issues derailed growth. Depending on your business model, this volatility can represent a huge risk.
Of course, it is worth paraphrasing financial advisers and saying...
'Past performance does not predict future returns'
A better indicator of future potential can be seen in the social factors of an economy. In particular, the potential labour force and demographics can influence an economy.
Figure 2: Exchange rate volatility (Bank for International Settlements)
The rapid expansion of China on the world stage can be attributed to a few factors, including entry into the WTO and gradual economic opening.
Furthermore, a huge driver of economic growth was the availability of a ‘demographic dividend'. They had a high proportion of the population of working age available to industry.
Throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, China had a large working-age population. This was boosted by the migration of talent from agricultural to manufacturing roles.
A large, low-cost labour pool and strategic investment fuelled China’s growth. However, their competitive advantage is reducing as wages, and average ages rise.
Chinese working-age population has peaked and will age over the next 40-50 years.
In comparison, Sub-Saharan African countries like Mozambique has a growing labour pool. India will also maintain a high percentage of working-age civilians over the same period.
This had led to suggestions that India or Africa will be the centre of industry in the mid-21st century.
Alongside reduced availability of workers, an aging society will have less spending potential. This is a challenge for both government and individual as social spending and healthcare costs mount.
Figure 3: World Population Prospects 2019 (The United Nations)
The availability of a large population is not the only factor to consider. High technology companies looking to expand may want to consider the STEM graduation.
It is here that China is managing their economic transition from manufacturing to technology successfully.
China are world leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduate education.
In fact, they quadrupled the number of STEM graduates between 2000 and 2014. These graduates will now be entering the prime of their careers.
Figure 4: Bachelor's Degree awards in Science & Engineering 2000-2014 (National Science Board)
Data provided by The World Bank highlights an outlier outside the largest economies. Korea has the highest proportion of researchers per million inhabitants and R&D spend as a share of GDP.
A nation focused on R&D can benefit a business that needs niche talent or an innovative supply chain.
Another innovation indicator is the number of patents filed, and China excels here. By comparison, other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa) are lagging.
Figure 5: Spending on R&D (as % of GDP) and number of full-time equivalent researchers per million inhabitants (The World Bank)
If you were to expand to Europe, you need to be aware of the European Union Emissions Trading System. The EU ETS regulates carbon emissions and can increase business costs.
Implementing processes to ensure EU ETS compliance can be costly. You may need to hire environmental specialists or radically change operational procedures.
Even companies in sectors not regulated by the EU ETS may face a higher cost. Their customers may seek to reduce supply chain spend to mitigate increasing costs.
Local environmental policies will also create opportunities for companies pivoting to meet climate goals.
The UK plans to increase investment in offshore wind and attract global innovation. In fact, IRENA is forecasting global offshore wind capacity to increase 41x by 2050. As the industry grows, a global supply chain will grow with it.
Figure 7: Offshore Wind Installed Capacities (GW) to 2050 (International Renewable Energy Agency - Future of Wind)
Corporation taxes can vary from 0% in the United Arab Emirates to 40% for foreign companies in India. There are also great differences in dismissal and severance regulations.
Failure to understand labour law can be costly and time consuming. In the USA, an individual worker dismissed after four years is not entitled to severance or a notice period.
In contrast, a worker in Turkey is entitled to six months’ pay and a two-month notice period.
Mismanaging contracts can also impact your future ability to attract and keep talent. It is advised to work with a local employment expert to guide you throughout your expansion.
Figure 6: Notice period and severance pay for individual dismissals of regular workers in OECD nations (OECD Employment Protection Legislation Database)
In recent years, strategists have added another important factor. Ethical factors should guide business decisions around your workforce and license to operate.
If an American company is expanding, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards may not apply. So, it will be difficult to regulate and standardise working conditions between countries. This could cause tensions between headquarters and policymakers.
Another ethical factor to consider is expectations of working hours and conditions. Our World in Data found global variance in working hours and productivity levels. An expanding company used to long/short working hours may have a culture shock elsewhere.
Figure 8: Productivity vs. annual hours of work (Our World in Data)
International growth is key to staying competitive. It’s a process that should be carried out carefully. Otherwise, you may encounter a number of pitfalls.
Your strategy to expand overseas should consider partnering with a local expert.
International companies that specialise in global employment can help navigate the intricacies of expansion.
Here are a few ways of how they can do that:
A global employment and mobility provider can help with all, or some of, the following.
This is where a provider acts as the Employer of Record. They can act as a third party between the company and its employees. The most important benefit is that the provider holds the legal entity and liability. They also understand how to calculate payroll, taxes, leave accrual and administer benefits.
They are, essentially, a full scale outsourced Human Resource function for your company, which is beneficial when expanding. Corporate tax liabilities are reduced since they aren’t the legal employer of record, even while technically operating in-country.
If any part of your workforce will include expats, you’ll need to manage immigration service. A local partner can manage work permits and authorizations, applications, and advisory services.
Tax laws vary by location, and payroll is a detailed process that can be prone to error. You may wish to work with a provider who has a track record and systems for processing local payroll.
Many companies choose to outsource payroll due to limited infrastructure. They can then save time and money and focus on scaling their operations.
Mobilizing an expat workforce has many facets. From managing real estate to relocating family members and finding accommodation and schools.
When you work with a Global Mobility provider, they handle this. This then frees you to focus time and attention on setting up an in-country operation.
When setting up operations in a new location, creating an HR function is essential. As such, you may want to opt for consulting advice from local specialists.
A HR consulting specialist can advise on the following:
When you are growing fast, a market expansion strategy helps you go further and build for the long term. This allows for faster organic growth of a company.
A PESTEL analysis identifies the challenges and opportunities of a global expansion. By analysing the new market, business leaders can decide if it is a viable opportunity.
Global expansion can be a source of new revenue streams and organic growth. It can also help mitigate intense competition through new markets and diversification. Other benefits include improved access to talent pools, investment, and a more diverse customer base.
A PESTEL analysis uncovers many challenges of global expansion. For business planning the cultural, political, and legal barriers can be most complex. Key considerations include the below:
Companies that partner with a global employment and mobility provider find many benefits. The following are benefits that our clients have experienced when partnering with Airswift:
This post was written by: Liz Fiumara and Rob Boyle, Content Development Manager and Marketing Campaign Specialist
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