International Business Basics

Foreign Market Entry Modes – Five Modes of Foreign Market Entry

Changes in the internal and external business environment have meant that more and more firms are expanding their operations across country borders. External factors such as: the removal of trade barriers, free trade agreements between countries, and an emerging middle class has made the idea of going global more attractive to organisations across the world. Internal factors such as: increasing profits, increasing market share and becoming a global brand are more drivers for organisations to globalize. Whilst there are a lot of drivers of internationalization, and hence potential advantages to internationalize.

Types of Foreign Market Entry Modes

An organisation has a number of different entry modes to choose from when it internationalizes its operations.  … Read the rest

Abey Francis

Global Company Competitiveness Analysis

A domestic company may extend its products to foreign markets by exporting, licensing and franchising. Initially, the exporting is indirect. It may develop a more serious attitude towards foreign business and move to the next stage of development. International company is normally the second stage in the development of a company towards transnational corporation. The orientation of the company is basically ethnocentric and the marketing strategy is extension. The marketing mix developed for the home market is extended into the foreign markets when a company decides to respond to market differences, it involves into the stage there multinational that pursues a multidomestic strategy.… Read the rest

Abey Francis

Competitiveness for Globalization – Country and Company Competitiveness

Strategic management of a global company requires an understanding and analysis of international business environment in order to assess opportunities and threats. The management has to formulate alternative strategies to exploit the opportunities provided by the environment by using company strengths. Many MNCs having the strength of technology and the environment of developing countries provide the opportunities of high quality and low priced products. Therefore, it is necessary to study the competitiveness of global business.

The comparative cost theory concludes that the countries can specialize in producing certain products in which they have the competitive advantage of producing goods at low cost.… Read the rest

Abey Francis

Globalization of an Existing Business – Need, Process and Impacts

Interdependence and integration of individual countries of the world is called globalization. The globalization integrates not only economies but also societies. The globalization process includes globalization of markets, production, technology and investment. However globalization has two important components, one is globalization of market and other is globalization of production. Today, a company can view the entire world as one country for its business operation. In fact the businessmen were doing their operations even in the past. History indicates that business operations were existing across the countries even in the old days. Therefore the concept of global business is as old as civilization.… Read the rest

Abey Francis

Country Risk Analysis

Country Risk Analysis is the evaluation of possible risks and rewards from business experiences in a country. It is used to survey countries where the firm is engaged in international business, and avoids countries with excessive risk. With globalization, country risk analysis has become essential for the international creditors and investors.

Country risk analysis identifies imbalances that increase the risks in a cross-border investments.  Country risk analysis represents the potentially adverse impact of a country’s environment on the multinational corporation’s cash flows and is the probability of loss due to exposure to the political, economic, and social upheavals in a foreign country.

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Payment Terms in International Trade: Open Account, Barter Trade and Bank Guarentee

Open Account

From the seller’s point of view the Open Account is the most unsatisfactory international business payment system. Under this payment system the arrangement is that the buyer pays at the end of an agreed period. The seller consigns the goods directly to the buyer or to his order and documents pertaining to the goods are sent directly to the buyer enabling him to take delivery of the goods. Under this payment system the seller after having supplied goods is purely at the mercy of the buyer. Such a payment is normally in those trading arrangements requiring a high degree or trust between the buyer and the seller and a regular continuous business relationship between the two parties.… Read the rest

Abey Francis