International business

International business is a term used to describe all commercial transactions (private and governmental, sales, investments, logistics,and transportation) that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundaries. Usually, private companies undertake such transactions for profit; governments undertake them for profit and for political reasons. It refers to all those business activities which involve cross border transactions of goods, services, resources between two or more nations. Transaction of economic resources include capital, skills, people etc. for international production of physical goods and services such as finance, banking, insurance, construction etc.

A multinational enterprise (MNE) is a company that has a worldwide approach to markets and production or one with operations in more than a country. An MNE is often called multinational corporation (MNC) or transnational company (TNC). Well known MNCs include fast food companies such as McDonald's and Yum Brands, vehicle manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Toyota, consumer electronics companies like Samsung, LG and Sony, and energy companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell and BP. Most of the largest corporations operate in multiple national markets.

Areas of study within this topic include differences in legal systems, political systems, economic policy, language, accounting standards, labor standards, living standards, environmental standards, local culture, corporate culture, foreign exchange market, tariffs, import and export regulations, trade agreements, climate, education and many more topics. Each of these factors requires significant changes in how individual business units operate from one country to the next.

Physical and societal factors of competitive social environment

The conduct of international operations depends on companies' objectives and the means with which they carry them out. The operations affect and are affected by the physical and societal factors and the competitive environment.

Operations

• Objectives: sales expansion, resource acquisition, risk minimization, Diversify their revenue stream

Means

• Modes: importing and exporting, tourism and transportation, licensing and franchising, turnkey operations, management contracts, direct investment and portfolio investments.
• Functions: marketing, global manufacturing and supply chain management, accounting, finance, human resources
• Overlaying alternatives: choice of countries, organization and control mechanisms

Physical and societal factors

• Political policies and legal practices
• Cultural factors
• Economic forces
• Geographical influences

Competitive factors

• Major advantage in price, marketing, innovation or other factors.
• Number and comparative capabilities of competitors
• Competitive differences by country
• Local taxes

Risk

• Strategic risk
• Operational risk
• Political risk
• Country risk
• Technological Risk
• Environmental Risk
• Economic Risk
• Financial risk
• Terrorism Risk

Factors that influenced the growth in globalization

There has been growth in globalization in recent decades due to the following eight factors:

• Technology is expanding, especially in transportation and communications.
• Governments are removing international business restrictions.
• Institutions provide services to ease the conduct of international business.
• Consumers know about and want foreign goods and services.
• Competition has become more global.
• Political relationships have improved among some major economic powers.
• Countries cooperate more on transnational issues.
• Cross-national cooperation and agreements.

Importance International Business Education

• Most companies are either international or compete with international companies.
• Modes of operation may differ from those used domestically.
• The best way of conducting business may differ by country.
• An understanding helps you make better career decisions.
• An understanding helps you decide what governmental policies to support.

Managers in international business must understand social science disciplines and how they affect all functional business fields.

Importance of studying International Business

The International Business standards focuses on the following:

• raising awareness of the interrelatedness of one country's political policies and economic practices on another;
• learning to improve international business relations through appropriate communication strategies;
• understanding the global business environment—that is, the interconnected-ness of cultural, political, legal, economic, and ethical systems;
• exploring basic concepts underlying international finance, management, marketing, and trade relations; and
• identifying forms of business ownership and international business opportunities.

By focusing on these, students will gain a better understanding Political economy. These are tools that would help future business people bridge the economical and political gap between countries.

There is an increasing amount of demand for business people with an education in International Business. A survey conducted by Thomas Patrick from University of Notre Dame concluded that Bachelor's degree holders and Master's degree holders felt that the training received through education were very practical in the working environment. Business people with an education in International Business also had a significantly higher chance of being sent abroad to work under the international operations of a firm.

The following table provides descriptions of higher education in International Business and its benefits.

	Master's	Doctorate
Who is this degree for	People interested in management careers with multinational companies	People who are interested in academic or research careers
Common Career Paths (with approximate median annual salary)	- Chief executives ($167,000)* - General or operations managers ($95,000)*	- University business professors ($75,000)* - Economists ($91,000)*
Time to Completion	1–2 years full-time	3–5 years in addition to master's or other foundational coursework
Common Graduation Requirements	- Roughly 15-20 graduate level courses - Internship or study abroad program - Foreign language requirement	Most (or all) of the master's degree requirements, plus: - At least 12 more graduate level courses - Ph.D. qualifier exams - Dissertation prospectus (proposal) - Dissertation - Teaching requirement
Prerequisites	Bachelor's degree and work experience, quantitative expertise	Bachelor's or master's degree in business or related field
Online Availability	Yes	Limited

See also

• 3G system of Marketing
• Emerging Markets
• International Masters of Business Administration
• International trade
• List of international business journals
• World economy

External links

• US Chamber of Commerce The world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations
• The International Trade Centre ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations
• The U.S. Government’s export promotion and finance portal A government resource for U.S. exporters
• UK Trade & Investment A government resource for UK exporters
• globalEDGE Knowledge web-portal that connects international business professionals worldwide
• "International Business". National Business Education Association. Retrieved 6 April 2013. 
• "International Business Degrees: Masters, PhD & Online Course Info". Diploma Guide. Retrieved 7 April 2013. 
• Journal of International Business Studies Vol. 41, No. 1 - Vol. 43, No. 2,2010-2012