International market researching activities performed by Australian business franchising entering into Asian-Pacific markets

Conducting market research internationally adds to the complexity of the research task, when implementing an Australian business franchise system into international markets. The aim of this research is to investigate: 'Why and how do Australian companies perform international market research activities when entering into the Asian-Pacific markets?' Case research methodology was used for this research. Four cases, two food and two non-food, were examined. Eight semi-structured interviews were performed. International country analysis was found to be important. Information search for demographics identified the target markets and political/legal information searches discovered the importance of pilot stores in Asian countries. Pilot stores were also important for attracting potential international partners and franchisees.