The acquisition of the existing firm

According to Carl Schramm, entrepreneurs need to do ample research on the consumer market, commodity pricing, supply and future demand for their goods in order to be successful. (The Wall Street Journal on Business Planning).
The purchase of the original business, Chang Dow Trading Co. by Zip-6, would have some benefits over its drawbacks. Acquisition of a subsidiary of Lotse Tsangsung would mean the adoption of the company's current trading plan for Zip-6 in South Korea. This would also make it possible to reduce prices, retain its client base with the potential of expanding its revenue and therefore to improve profitability. This will also enable retain the production location with a familiar political, economic and cultural environment that may otherwise be not sustain the business in a different locality. With functional location economies, Zip-6 having been produced and sold successfully in South Korea in the past 7 years. The company having been established for a number of years, certain location externalities have been established including appropriate skilled labor from the population which will be hard and time-consuming to put up in a different location. There could have also been established manufacturers for the production of the raw materials needed for the manufacture of Zip-6 around the region. Relocating the company will therefore mean that raw materials for the production will need to be outsourced another time. This also comes with the costs for transportation of these materials to the production unit of the company. Another trade barrier in case of relocation could be the varying regulations on foreign direct investment that may cap the company’s operations like sourcing certain production components from a different country/region. It will also be prudent to acquiring Chang Dow Trading Co. subsidiary for the continuation of Zip-6 production by considering the technology needs for production. With the existing location the company and that it has been around for some time, it would be assumed that there exists fixed costs of technology that is efficient in scale unlike relation to other territories where the technology may not be as flexible. Relocating the company may indulge it into further marketing costs as the product may be unfamiliar to their new population who may be potential customers. There should also be consideration to the wage rates of its workers compared to the standards of those living in the potential new location of the company. However, selling the licensing agreement to Zip-6 and allowing the establishment of a new subsidiary through Greenfield ventures and consequently a new production and sales strategy. This poses a variety of advantages to the new company. It can be considered risky with a company aligning to the same strategy for a long time due to the fluid nature of a country’s political, social and economic stability that all affect the operations of a company as well, and their marketing environment. This nature may alter labor costs, production and sales unlike in a diverse geographical area having different variables that may favor a company with multiple subsidiaries. Relocating the company, can also be advantageous in case of an altered country’s exchange rate within appreciation impacting into high production rates for the company. It also be appropriate another subsidiary and a new strategy for Zip-6 in case it does not serve universal needs and that significant differences on the product does not affect its sales. With varying location externalities, expected volatile exchange rates in differect countries, possibility of an inflexible production technology, difference in another country’s socio-economic and political stability as well, costs in production with varying regulations; I would choose the first option that Lotse Tsangsung sells its subsidiary, Chang Dow Trading Co. to Zip-6 consequently retaining it to the Korean market unlike acquiring the licensing agreement and formulating a new strategy for Zip-6.Works CitedRoland Rust: International Journal of Research in Marketing, Official Journal of the European Marketing Academy, Elsevier Publishers. ISSN:0167-8116 https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-research-in-marketing/ Tim Berry: Wall Street Journal On Business Planning, Bplans https://articles.bplans.com/wall-street-journal-on-business-planning/