Developing export strategies for Vietnamese fresh coconuts to European market. An application to SWOT - AHP model

Abstract

The objective of this study is to ascertain the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Vietnamese coconut export enterprises, with the aim of devising an appropriate expansion plan for the global market, with a particular emphasis on the European market. The initial SWOT analysis was carried out using secondary data obtained from secondary sources. The utilization of in-depth interviews in conjunction with pairwise comparison-based survey ratings on a Likert scale facilitated a comprehensive evaluation of both internal and external factors pertaining to the industry under investigation. This approach yielded more insights and enabled the modification of the SWOT survey by incorporating the latest perspectives from the industry. The gathered data was subjected to analysis utilizing the AHP methodology within the Microsoft Excel software. Based on AHP analysis, the study identifies priority factors by quantifying the significance of SWOT components. The integration of significant priority factors yields four distinct strategic alternatives, namely SO, ST, WO, and WT. This study proposes export strategies tailored to each type of participants based on the SWOT-AHP analysis. The study included three participants that represented common types of coconut export enterprises in Vietnam. They were categorized as Large-scale exporter, representing a large-scale player, Intermediary, signifying an intermediary possessing a proprietary brand, and Family-owned exporter, denoting a small-scale coconut exporter owned by a family. Each participant was queried regarding their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Despite operating within the same industry, their respective viewpoints regarding the potential opportunities and threats diverge.