Entry strategies into international markets: Environmental effects of marketing in Kazakhstan and Turkish civil firm examples in Kazakhstan market

Kazakhstan is one of the most important countries that Turkey's international civil & construction engineering sector invested in. With its riches in crude oil and natural gas, Kazakhstan comes in second place behind Russia among old Soviet Union countries. Thus, country holds a very important place in world energy sector as strong actor. Therefore, national income per capita and wages are high. Yet, changes in the oil prices affect Kazakhstan drastically. Such a country Kazakhstan is that so untouched; civil engineering holds a great importance nowadays. This economic structure of civil engineering lowers the risk and gives new opportunities to Turkish civil construction companies. Positive political moves between Turkey and Kazakhstan encourages new companies to invest more. Kazakhstan is the lowest risk and highest gain geographical region for the international Turkish construction sector. Therefore, Turkish construction companies operating in Kazakhstan is worth researching as a thesis subject. Thesis contains five main topic. In first topic, international marketing concept, development of marketing notion and environmentally affecting factors of international marketing discussed theoretically. Second part of the thesis, explains the Kazakhstan marketing area, with emphasis on the Turkish companies' entrance strategies to international market to make a fundamental approach theoretically. In this part, internationalization of civil sector and international market entry strategies discussed. Third part of the thesis approaches the Turkish civil sector in global within the current literature. Turkish contractor activities, development of activities, stages of development, integration of Turkish civil sector into global sector with its problems and future discussed. In this part, Turkish civil sectors' first activities in North Africa, shift to Soviet Union which disbanded in 1990 and focus on Middle East market discussed. Fourth part of the thesis focus on environmental factors affecting Kazakhstan international marketing. Kazakhstan is one of the most important crude oil exporter after Russia in old Soviet Union and after its independence; emphasis on production and export of oil is increased. Kazakhstan's national income is almost 250 billion dollar when the oil prices are high between years 2011-2014. This income put Kazakhstan in an advantageous place for the investors. To encourage foreign investment, Kazakhstan government put in motion lots of laws for the continuation of the investment flow. Despite with decrease in oil pricing in recent years, Kazakhstan government's actions shows the stability on the infrastructure projects. This stability makes Kazakhstan attractive for the civil construction companies. In the fifth and the last part, Turkish civil companies' entries into Kazakhstan, strategies, advantages and problems discussed. In this subject we see that the civil companies has entered in Kazakhstan with many branches starting in 1990s then forming mergers and consortiums with Kazakh foreign and local companies in recent years working in mostly turnkey projects. In this context, Kazakh civil markets promise discussed even though the fluctuation of the country's economy.