1. International Business
Transactions cross international boundaries

2. Categories of organisation
Categorisation by size
Based on Revenues – Wal-Mart - $219.8 billion (2002)
Based on Market Value – General Electric - $286.1 billion (2003)
Based on profits – Citigroup - $15.3 billion (2003)
Based on employees – Wal-Mart –
1.24 million people
Based on foreign assets

3. Definitions of size Department of Trade and Industry – employees
European Commission – turnover, balance sheet, employees
Companies Act – turnover, balance sheet, employees – different limits
Exercise 1
How should companies be defined by size, discuss

4. Categorising by sector
The primary sector – extractive firms
The secondary sector – producing and manufacturing firms
The tertiary sector – service firms
Exercise 2
Give 5 examples of firms for each sector

5. Categorising by type
The Public Sector – Public Corporations, Government Departments, Local Authorities
The Private Sector – Mutuals, PLCs, Sole traders and partnerships
Voluntary Sector – charities, associations, clubs
Exercise 3
In groups give possible examples of objectives or motives for each of the above

6. Examples of large UK based multinationalsBP
HSBC Holdings
Vodafone
Proctor & Gamble
Lloyds