The decision process for the International Markets Selection:A fuzzy model application to a small firm case

The international marketing literature shows different models which give interesting but partial contributions to the problem of International Markets Selection. In this study, a new model is proposed to evaluate the attractiveness and the accessibility ofpotential 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 themanagerial 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 andlimitations are discussed.