Brake Lights at the Border: Going International Twenty–Two Miles Away¹

Abstract

Russ Clark is a successful NAPA Auto Parts franchisee in Yuma County, Arizona. He sees opportunity in the neighboring Mexican city of San Luis Rıo Colorado. But crossing the border with an after-market auto parts store will require building relationships with others, lots of learning to overcome the significant barriers, and some savvy decision-making in addition to the usual evaluation of business opportunities. Clark must consider a location decision, product mix, human resource issues, and how to promote the new business in an uncertain and unfamiliar context. Clearly, his current American business model will require a great degree of adaptation to make the venture a success. This case was developed from extensive field interviews and shadowing Mr. Clark for a day. In addition, Mr. Clark and his store manager, Rigoberto made classroom presentations describing their experiences surrounding the case situation.

Citation

Roberts, S.D., Anderson, J.S. and Williams, S.K. (2006), "Brake Lights at the Border: Going International Twenty–Two Miles Away¹", , Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 10-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/TCJ-02-2006-B002