Abstract

The aim of this study is to solve the problem of determining the most appropriate new market upon which Güral
Porcelain, a Turkish ceramic company exporting to various countries, will invest within the scope of market
development strategy. In accordance with the purpose of the study, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which
enables to choose the most appropriate one among the alternatives by using both numeric and nonnumeric
criteria, was used. The study was carried out together with Güral Porcelain Export Department Executive. Total
eight main criteria were determined in the study: operating assets, communication infrastructure of the target
market, economic growth rate, proximity to other markets, competitive advantage in the target market, demand,
functioning of the legal system and trade agreements with the target market-exemption. After paired comparison
of the main criteria, their relative importance values were determined. According to these significance values, it
was seen that the criterion of “demand in the target market” was the most crucial criterion in choosing the new
market to invest on for Güral Porcelain. Relative importance values of the alternatives were computed and the
most suitable new market for Güral Porcelain to invest was determined to Northern Iraq. This was presented to
the Güral Porcelain Export Department Executive. In this study, the most appropriate market for Güral Porcelain
to invest was determined using AHP. Thus, decision makers seeking for new markets to raise their brand value
in global porcelain sector were guided in determining the most suitable target market.

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