Putien: The Road to the Unexplored

Description

Started in 2001, Putien, a full-service Chinese restaurant, has grown successfully in Singapore. By the end of 2011, it has nine restaurants in Singapore, one in Jakarta, Indonesia and one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Except for the one in Jakarta, which is a joint venture, all the other restaurants are fully owned by the company. From the beginning, Putien has differentiated itself from its competition by focusing on its unique cuisine, based on fresh and flavourful food from Fujian Province, China and by its creation of a home-like atmosphere with fine furnishings and tableware, elegant décor and a serving staff that is warm and sincere. The company keeps in touch with its customers through requesting feedback and answering queries on Facebook and Twitter. Now, the founder and chief executive officer is considering growth by expanding into international markets. With limited international experience, he needs to consider carefully where to go and how to enter these markets without jeopardizing the quality standards that have made Putien so successful.

Learning Objective

The Putien case is intended for early use in the internationalization section of an international business course or in sessions on international marketing, global franchising and business strategy. ·It introduces key issues around market entry strategy such as the selection of markets and entry mode. ·It allows students to familiarize themselves with relevant procedures for shortlisting possible new markets and key considerations surrounding entry mode decision. ·It also allows students to develop a good understanding of the Asian business environment.

Keywords

Business growth Foreign Entry Strategy International Expansion market selection Singapore