The decision process for the International Market Selection

The international marketing literature shows different models which give interesting but partial contributions to the problem of International Market Selection. In this study, a new model is proposed to evaluate the attractiveness and the accessibility of potential foreign markets. We attempt to hybridize the formal rigour of normative approaches based on the multi-criteria analysis with the attitude of the behavioural approaches to take into consideration the firm’s strategic orientation and the managerial experiential knowledge. The model, based on a Fuzzy Expert System (FES), is tested and validated through an application to the foreign markets’ choice problem of a small industrial firm. Then, main results, managerial implications and limitations are discussed.