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1. Explain the economic basis for international business.
2. Discuss the restrictions nations place on international trade, the objectives of these restrictions, and their results.
3. Outline the extent of international trade and identify the organizations working to foster it.
4. Define the methods by which a firm can organize for and enter into international markets.
5. Describe the various sources of export assistance.
6. Identify the institutions that help firms and nations finance international business.
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• International business
– All business activities that involve exchanges across national boundaries
• Some countries are better equipped than others to produce particular goods or services
– Absolute advantage
• The ability to produce a specific product more efficiently than any other nation
– Comparative advantage
• The ability to produce a specific product more efficiently than any other product
• Goods and services are produced more efficiently when each country specializes in the products for which is has a comparative advantage
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(cont’d)
• Countries trade when they each have a surplus of the product they specialize in and want a product the other country specializes in
• Exporting
– Selling and shipping raw materials or products to other nations
• Importing
– Purchasing raw materials or products in other nations and bringing them into one’s own country
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(cont’d)
• Balance of trade
– The total value of a nation’s exports minus the total value of its imports over some period of time
• Trade deficit
– A negative (unfavorable) balance of trade— imports exceed exports in value
• Balance of payments
– The total flow of money into a country minus the total flow of money out of that country over a period of time
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Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, http://bea.gov/international/bp_web/simple.cfm?anon=78260&table_id=1&area_id=3, accessed September 18, 2008.
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• The reasons for restricting trade range from internal political and economic pressures to mistrust of other nations.
• Nations are generally eager to export their products to provide markets for their industries and develop a favorable balance of trade.
• Most trade restrictions are applied to imports from other nations.
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• Import duty (tariff)
– A tax levied on a particular foreign product entering a country
• Revenue tariffs are imposed to generate income for the government
• Protective tariffs are imposed to protect a domestic industry by keeping the prices of imports at or above the price of domestic products
• Dumping
– The exportation of large quantities of a product at a price lower than that of the same product in the home market
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(cont’d)
• Nontariff barriers
– Nontax measures imposed by a government to favor domestic over foreign suppliers
– Import quota — a limit on the amount of a particular good that may be imported during a given time
– Embargo
— a complete halt to trading with a particular nation or in a particular product
– Foreign exchange control — restriction on amount of foreign currency that can be purchased or sold
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(cont’d)
• Nontariff barriers (cont’d)
– Currency devaluation — the reduction of the value of a nation’s currency relative to the currencies of other nations
– Bureaucratic red tape — a subtle form of trade restriction that imposes unnecessarily burdensome and complex standards and requirements for imported goods
– Cultural attitudes
— can impede acceptance of products in foreign countries
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FOR
– To equalize a nation’s balance of payments
– To protect new or weak industries
– To protect national security
–
To protect the health of citizens
– To retaliate for another country’s trade restrictions
– To protect domestic jobs
AGAINST
– Higher prices for consumers
– Restriction of consumers’ choices
– Misallocation of international resources
– Loss of jobs
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• Although the worldwide recessions of 1991,
2001-2002, and 2008 slowed the rate of growth, globalization is a reality of our time
• In the U.S., international trade accounts for over ¼ of GDP
• Trade barriers are decreasing, more competitors are entering the global marketplace, creating more choices for consumers and new job opportunities
• International business will grow with the expansion of commercial use of the Internet
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• Economic performance among nations is not equal; growth in advanced countries has slowed, while emerging and developing economies continue to grow rapidly
• At the current rate of global economic growth, world production of goods and services will double by 2025.
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Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/ highlights/top/top0712.html, accessed September 22, 2008.
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Source: Fortune Global 500, July 1, 2008, p. 165. Copyright © 2006 Time, Inc., www.fortune.com.
All rights reserved.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/18/global-09_The-Global-2000_Sales.html
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YES
The U.S. continues to carry an extremely large trade imbalance with Japan, while
Japanese direct investment in the U.S. economy continues to escalate. Many feel that Japan unfairly restricts U.S. imports and that the U.S. should retaliate by restricting Japanese imports.
American consumers are becoming increasingly dependent on Japanese products. Japanese firms are also increasing capacity, reducing costs, and developing new technologies much faster than their U.S. counterparts. The result is a worldwide, consumer market that is slowly becoming dominated by the Japanese.
NO
The total foreign investment in the
U.S. economy is currently less than
4%. In fact, the British and
Canadians have more investment in the U.S. than the Japanese.
With globalization becoming common, trade and foreign investment are usual practices in today’s world. For example,
Chrysler now owns 11% of
Mitsubishi, while Ford owns 24% of
Mazda. Foreign investment is good for the U.S. because it is being directed at permanent assets like plants and equipment, thus stimulating industry, providing jobs, and stabilizing the economy.
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• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
– International organization of 153 nations dedicated to reducing or eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers
– Most-favored-nation status (MFN)—Each member of
GATT was to be treated equally by all other members
– Kennedy Round, Tokyo Round, Uruguay Round, Doha
Round
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
– Created in the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiation as a successor to GATT
– WTO oversees GATT provisions, has judicial powers to meditate trade disputes arising from GATT rules and exerts more binding authority than GATT
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• Economic community
– An organization of nations formed to promote the free movement of resources and products among its members and to create common economic policies
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Political/Legal Sociocultural
Economic
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• Licensing
– A contractual agreement in which one firm permits another to produce and market its product and use its brand name in return for a royalty or other compensation
– Advantage
• It allows expansion into foreign markets with little or no direct investment
– Disadvantages
• The product image may be damaged if standards are not upheld
• The original producer does not gain foreign marketing experience
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(cont’d)
• Joint ventures
– A partnership formed to achieve a specific goal or to operate for a specific period of time
– Advantages
• Immediate market knowledge and access
• Reduced risk
• Control over the product attributes
– Disadvantages
• Complexity of establishing agreements across national borders
• High level of commitment required of all parties involved
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(cont’d)
• Totally owned facilities
– Production and marketing facilities in one or more foreign nations
– Advantage
• Direct investment provides complete control over operations
– Disadvantage
• Risk is greater than that of a joint venture
– Two forms
• Building new facilities in the foreign country
• Purchasing an existing firm in the foreign country
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• General Electric
• British Petroleum Company, Plc
• Toyota Motor Corporation
• Royal Dutch/Shell Group
• ExxonMobil Corporation
• Ford Motor Company
• Vodafone Group, Plc
• Total
• Wal-Mart Stores
Source: UNCTAD; World Investment Report: Transnational Corporation and the Infrastructure Challenge; http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=10509&intItemID=4697&lang=1 ; accessed February 17, 2009.
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(cont’d)
• Strategic alliances
– Partnerships formed to create competitive advantage on a worldwide basis
• Trading companies
– Firm that provide a link between buyers and sellers in different countries
– Take title to products and perform all the activities necessary to move the products from one country to another
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(cont’d)
• Countertrade
– An international barter transaction
– Avoids restrictions on converting domestic currency to foreign currency
• Multinational enterprise
– A firm that operates on a worldwide scale without ties to any specific nation or region
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(cont’d)
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(cont’d)
Insert steps 7-9, from Table 3.4 , p. 96
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• U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEACs)
– www.sba.gov/oit/export/useac.html
• International Trade Administration (ITA)
– www.ita.doc.gov/
• U.S. and Foreign Commercial Services
(US&FCS)
– www.export.gov/
• Advocacy Center
– www.ita.doc.gov/advocacy
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• Trade Information Center (TIC)
– ita.doc.gov/td/tic
• STAT-USA/Internet
– www.stat-usa.gov
• Small Business Administration
– www.sba.gov/oit
• National Trade Data Bank (NTDB)
– www.stat-usa.gov/tradtest.nsf
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• The Export-Import Bank of the United States
(Eximbank)
– An independent agency of the U.S. government whose function it is to assist in financing the exports of American firms
• Multilateral Development Bank (MDB)
– An internationally supported bank that provides loans to developing countries to help them grow
• World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB),
Asian Development Bank (ADB), African Development
Bank (AFDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD)
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
– An international bank with 185 member nations that makes short-term loans to developing countries experiencing balance-of-payment deficits
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1.
A developing country found that to meet its needs the previous year, it had imported far more goods than it exported. This country experienced a(n) a) unfavorable balance of payments.
b) favorable balance of payments.
c) favorable balance of trade.
d) unfavorable balance of trade.
e) unfavorable supply of goods.
2.
Due to political differences with North Korea, the U.S. government has stopped trading with North Korea. This practice is an example of imposing a(n) a) import duty.
b) import cut.
c) export control.
d) trade embargo.
e) export duty.
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(cont’d)
3. When the United States wants to reduce the cost of its goods in foreign nations, it a) revalues its currency.
b) devalues its currency. c) pays off its trade deficit.
d) borrows from the Eximbank.
e) sells more goods abroad.
4. A forum for the discussion of trade problems and a reduction of trade barriers is provided by a) the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) or the World Trade Organization (WTO).
b) a free trade zone.
c) the World Bank.
d) the Eximbank.
e) All of these answers are correct.
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(cont’d)
5. XYZ Company is seeking a partner in China to manufacture its products. It wants to team up with an established Chinese firm that will provide immediate market knowledge and access, reduced risk, and control over product attributes. The best choice for XYZ
Company is a) licensing.
b) a bilateral agreement.
c) a joint venture.
d) an export/import merchant agreement.
e) an export-import agent agreement.
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1.
A developing country found that to meet its needs the previous year, it had imported far more goods than it exported. This country experienced a(n) a) unfavorable balance of payments.
b) favorable balance of payments.
c) favorable balance of trade.
d) unfavorable balance of trade.
(Correct) e) unfavorable supply of goods.
2.
Due to political differences with North Korea, the U.S. government has stopped trading with North Korea. This practice is an example of imposing a(n) a) import duty.
b) import cut.
c) export control.
d) trade embargo.
(Correct) e) export duty.
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(cont’d)
3. When the United States wants to reduce the cost of its goods in foreign nations, it a) revalues its currency.
b) devalues its currency.
(Correct) c) pays off its trade deficit.
d) borrows from the Eximbank.
e) sells more goods abroad.
4. A forum for the discussion of trade problems and a reduction of trade barriers is provided by a) the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) or the World Trade Organization (WTO).
(Correct) b) a free trade zone.
c) the World Bank.
d) the Eximbank.
e) All of these answers are correct.
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(cont’d)
5. XYZ Company is seeking a partner in China to manufacture its products. It wants to team up with an established Chinese firm that will provide immediate market knowledge and access, reduced risk, and control over product attributes. The best choice for XYZ
Company is a) licensing.
b) a bilateral agreement.
c) a joint venture.
(Correct) d) an export/import merchant agreement.
e) an export-import agent agreement.
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