International Market Segmentation with the Use of CMS Method and Cluster Analysis

Abstract

The segmentation of foreign markets is currently treated as an important element of the strategy of operations of enterprises that participate in international exchange of goods and services. This paper fits squarely into a current trend in research on the matter. The article presents the possibility of combining the model of Constant Market Share developed by Leamer, Stern (1970) with cluster analysis. The CMS method allows for a detailed assessment of the sources of changes occurring in the export of compared countries, and in particular its results allow for answering the following question: To what extent may changes in export be explained by the economic situation in the world trade of individual clusters of commodities and to what extent do they result from the competitiveness of these countries? The application of the multivariate statistical methods for the designated effects will allow for the identification of the clusters of countries of the most similar position in the spatial and commodity arrangement, including countries of similar competitiveness of trade. This approach has been applied to the segmentation of EU countries’ markets.