1. Introduction to International Business
Chapter 1
Introduction to
International Business
Strategy Management & the New Realities by
Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger
Sincere congratulations to the entire Wolverine team!
17 consecutive quarter of record revenue and earnings per share is no small feat.
Your brand portfolio is strong and covers much competitive space.
the company has not been content with its success; and is looking to leverage its brands beyond food rather than across apparel and accessories.
You have set ambitious goals for the future.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

2. International Business – A Firm Level Activity
Performance of trade and investment
activities by firms across national
borders.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

3. The Internationalization of Business
Companies conduct value-adding activities on a global scale, primarily to organize, source, manufacture, and market
A “level playing field” has made international activities appealing to all types of firms- large and small; manufacturing and service sectors (e.g. banking, transportation, engineering and design, advertising, and retailing).
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

4. The Nature of International Business
All value-adding activities including sourcing, manufacturing, and marketing, can be performed in international locations
The subject of cross-border trade can be products, services, capital, technology, know-how, and labor
Firms internationalize via exporting, foreign direct investment, licensing, franchising, and collaborative ventures
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

5. Globalization of Markets – a Macro Concept
Ongoing economic integration and growing
interdependency of countries worldwide.
Integration is central to globalization, which has resulted in the widespread diffusion of products, technology, and knowledge worldwide, regardless of where they originate.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

6. Dimensions of Market Globalization
Greater integration and interdependency of national economies; leading to freer movement of goods, services, capital, and knowledge
Rise of regional economic integration blocs
Growth of global investment and financial flows
Convergence of consumer lifestyles and preferences
Globalization of production
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

7. International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities
International Trade
Exchange of products and services across
national borders; typically through exporting
and importing.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

8. International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities
Exporting
Sale of products or services to customers
located abroad, from a base in the home
country or a third country.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

9. Importing or Global Sourcing
Procurement of products or services from
suppliers located abroad for consumption in
the home country or a third country.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

10. International investment
Transfer of assets to another country or the
acquisition of assets in that country.
International Portfolio investment (typically short-term): Passive ownership of foreign securities such as stocks and bonds, to generate financial returns.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) (typically long-term): An internationalization strategy in which the firm establishes a physical presence abroad through acquisition of productive assets such as capital, technology, labor, land, plant, and equipment.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

11. World Trade Is Growing Faster than GDP
Rapid integration of world economies is
fueled by factors such as the decline of
trade barriers, e.g. tariffs, liberalization of
markets, privatization and the economic
vitality of emerging markets.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

12. Comparing the Growth Rates of World GDP and World Exports

13. Leading Countries in International Merchandise Trade, Total Value

14. Leading Countries in International Merchandise Trade, as % of Nation’s GDP

15. International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities
The Nature of FDI
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) - (asset ownership and long time frame)
The ultimate commitment-level of internationalization
We focus primarily on FDI, as opposed to International Portfolio investment.
Large, resourceful companies with substantial international operations leverage FDI to:
Manufacture/assemble products in low-cost countries, e.g., China, Mexico, E. Europe
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

16. Dramatic Growth of FDI Since the 1980s
September 11, 2001 interrupted FDI inflows, the longer term trend continues
Developed economies = Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States, and most countries in Western Europe.
Developing economies = Parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Of particular significance is the growth of FDI into developing economies despite widespread poverty and less investment capital than advanced economies.
The improved lives of billions are directly linked to world trade and investment.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

17. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflows into World Regions (in Billions of U.S. Dollars per Year)

18. Leading Countries in International Services Trade, Total Value

19. Leading Countries in International Services Trade , as % of Nation’s GDP

20. International Financial Services Sector
Banking and financial services are the most active international services.
Explosive growth of global capital markets is due to:
Deregulation of world capital markets
Falling investment barriers
Banks/financial institutions are internationalizing in pursuit of high returns to many previously untargeted countries
Money is flowing internationally into portfolio investments and pension funds
Leading players include Citibank, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, and HSBC
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

21. Service Industry Sectors That Are Rapidly Internationalizing

22. The Four Risks of International Business

23. The Four Types of Risks in IB
Cross-cultural risk: a situation or event where a cultural miscommunication puts some human value at stake
Country risk: potentially adverse effects on company operations and profitability holes by developments in the political, legal, and economic environment in a foreign country
Currency risk: risk of adverse unexpected fluctuations in exchange rates
Commercial risk: firms potential loss or failure from poorly developed or executed business strategies, tactics, or procedures
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

24. Risks: Always Present but Manageable
Managers need to understand their implications, anticipate them, and take proactive action to reduce adverse effects.
Some risks are extremely challenging, e.g., the East Asian economic crisis of 1998 generated substantial commercial, currency, and country risks. Political and social unrest surged to Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

25. Participants in International Business
Multinational enterprise (MNE): A large company with substantial resources that performs various business activities through a network of subsidiaries and affiliates located in multiple countries.
In addition to a home office, an MNE owns a worldwide network of subsidiaries.
Examples- Caterpillar, Kodak, Nokia, Samsung, Unilever, Citibank, Vodafone, DHL
Examples of Fortune’s Global 500- Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Ford, and Wal-Mart.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

26. Geographic Locations of Multinational Enterprises

27. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise
A company defined (in the U.S.) as having 500 or
fewer employees
Comprise % of all firms in most countries.
Increasingly more SMEs participate in international business
Account for 1/3 of exports from Asia; 1/4 of the exports from the affluent countries in Europe and North America
Contribute more than 50 percent of total national exports in Italy, South Korea, and China.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

28. International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities
The Born Global Firm
Born global firm: a young entrepreneurial company
that initiates international business activity very early in
its evolution, moving rapidly into foreign markets.
‘Born Globals’ and SMEs:
Are often more innovative, adaptable, and have quicker response times;
Are better able to serve niche markets;
Leverage the Internet to do international business;
Tend to minimize fixed costs and outsource, due to limited resources;
Tend to flourish on private knowledge that they cultivate via their knowledge networks.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

29. International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities
Why do Firms Internationalize?
Seek opportunities for growth through market
diversification
2. Earn higher margins and profits
3. Gain new ideas about products, services, and business methods
4. Better serve customers that have relocated abroad
5. Be closer to supply sources, benefit from global sourcing advantages, or gain flexibility in the sourcing of products
Fundamental changes in the business landscape
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

30. Why do Firms Internationalize? (cont’d)
Gain access to lower-cost or better-value factors of production
Develop economies of scale in sourcing, production, marketing, and R&D
Confront international competitors more effectively or thwart the growth of competition in the home market
Invest in a potentially rewarding relationships with foreign partners
Fundamental changes in the business landscape

31. Why Study International Business?
A facilitator of the global economy and interconnectedness
A contributor to national economic well-being
A competitive advantage for the firm
An activity with societal implications
A source of competitive advantage for you
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

32. Contributor to National Economic Well-Being
International trade is a critical engine for job creation. It is estimated that every $1 billion increase in exports creates more than 20,000 new jobs.
One of every seven dollars of U.S. sales is made abroad.
International business is both a cause and a result of increasing national prosperity.
Prosperity is accompanied by literacy rate gains, nutrition and health care improvements, with some tendencies towards freedom and democracy.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

33. A Competitive Advantage for the Firm
Increase sales
Maximize returns: Foreign markets often generate returns far superior to those in domestic markets.
Global scale economies: International players can maximize their efficiencies by securing cost-effective factor inputs from around the world.
Resource acquisition: Access to otherwise unavailable critical resources
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

34. An Activity with Societal Implications
As firms increase their international activities, so does responsibility to society to be a good corporate citizen.
Large corporations like Wal-Mart, Unilever, and Sony have annual revenues larger than the GDPs of many of the nations they operate.
The internationalization of thousands of firms negatively impacts the natural environment, e.g. pollution (Royal Dutch Shell’s refining operations in Nigeria).
Large banks and international investment brokers have disrupted the economies of nations with aggressive currency trading or by manipulating stock markets.
Some MNEs ignore human rights and basic labor standards by establishing factories in countries that pay low wages with substandard working conditions, e.g. Nike in Asia.
Building factories abroad often leads to job losses at home.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities

35. A Competitive Advantage for You
Julie, the student in the opening vignette is touched everyday by a variety of global business transactions.
She is considering a career in international business because she is grasping its importance and growing role in the world.
Working across national cultures exposes managers to a diversity of experiences, new knowledge, novel ways of seeing the world, and unusual challenges.
Internationally-experienced managers are typically more self-confident, cosmopolitan, and have positioned themselves for unique professional opportunities.
International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities