Your company is headquartered in Charlotte and has branch operations in Dallas, TX, Seattle, WA and Cleveland, OH. Your primary business is to serve as a distributor for athletic shoes for several manufacturers.

Your Sales Manager has approached you with an idea to begin "going global" by expanding operations into sub-Saharan Africa. You have asked her to analyze the positive and negative aspects of making this move and to rough-out portions of the strategic plan to make it happen. Although no decision has been made, you do feel positive about the potential.

What are the issues the Sales Manager should investigate before finalizing her recommendations? Include in your recommendation whether the expansion should be achieved through the strategic alliance, building new facilities, or supplying the market from existing facilities in the United States. Also, are there alternative ways to expand into the new market without actually having "brick-and-mortar" facilities present in the area? (Hint: If expansion through the Internet is considered be sure to consider the viability of that option in the region.)