A small Canadian firm that has developed some valuable new medical products using its unique biotechnology know-how is trying to decide how best to serve the European Union. Its choices are given below. The cost of investment in manufacturing facilities will be a major one for the Canadian firm, but it is not outside its reach. If these are the firm's only options, which one would you advise it to choose? Why?
a. Manufacture the product at home and let foreign sales agents handle marketing.
b. Manufacture the product at home and set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Europe to handle marketing.

For the small Canadian company, manufacturing the product at home (Canada) would afford them the opportunity to protect their new medical product from piracy. Also, they would be able to receive tax incentives from their government as well file for patent of their new innovation.

The foreign agent would strictly be focused on the marketing of the finished product without having access to the detailed information of the product.