{"id":590,"date":"2015-04-22T19:20:07","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T19:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/masterybusiness1xngcxmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=590"},"modified":"2015-10-05T20:13:28","modified_gmt":"2015-10-05T20:13:28","slug":"reading-what-is-international-business","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wmintrobusinessx51xmaster\/chapter\/reading-what-is-international-business\/","title":{"raw":"Reading: What Is International Business?","rendered":"Reading: What Is International Business?"},"content":{"raw":"

The Definition of International Business\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nInternational business relates to any situation where the production or distribution of goods or services crosses country borders. Globalization\u2014the shift toward a more interdependent and integrated global economy\u2014creates greater opportunities for international business. Such globalization can take place in terms of markets, where trade barriers are falling and buyer preferences are changing. It can also be seen in terms of production, where a company can source goods and services easily from other countries. Some managers consider the definition of international business to relate purely to \u201cbusiness.\" However, a broader definition of international business may serve you better both personally and professionally in a world that has moved beyond simple industrial production.\r\n\r\nInternational business encompasses a full range of cross-border exchanges of goods, services, or resources between two or more nations. These exchanges can go beyond the exchange of money for physical goods to include international transfers of other resources, such as people, intellectual property (e.g., patents, copyrights, brand trademarks, and data), and contractual assets or liabilities (e.g., the right to use some foreign asset, provide some future service to foreign customers, or execute a complex financial instrument). The entities involved in international business range from large multinational firms with thousands of employees doing business in many countries around the world to a small one-person company acting as an importer or exporter. This broader definition of international business also encompasses for-profit border-crossing transactions as well as transactions motivated by nonfinancial gains (e.g., triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, and political favor) that affect a business\u2019s future.\r\n

Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA knowledge of both strategic management and entrepreneurship will enhance your understanding of international business.\r\n

Strategic Management<\/h3>\r\nStrategic management is the body of knowledge that answers questions about the development and implementation of good strategies and is mainly concerned with the determinants of firm performance. A strategy, in turn, is the central, integrated, and externally oriented concept of how an organization will achieve its performance objectives. One of the basic tools of strategy is a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) assessment. The SWOT tool helps you take stock of an organization\u2019s internal characteristics\u2014its strengths and weaknesses\u2014to formulate an action plan that builds on what it does well while overcoming or working around weaknesses. Similarly, the external part of SWOT\u2014the opportunities and threats\u2014helps you assess those environmental conditions that favor or threaten the organization\u2019s strategy. Because strategic management is concerned with organizational performance\u2014be that social, environmental, or economic\u2014your understanding of a company\u2019s SWOT will help you better assess how international business factors should be accounted for in the firm\u2019s strategy.\r\n

Entrepreneurship<\/h3>\r\nEntrepreneurship, in contrast, is defined as the recognition of opportunities (i.e., needs, wants, problems, and challenges) and the use or creation of resources to implement innovative ideas for new, thoughtfully planned ventures. An entrepreneur is a person who engages in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship, like strategic management, will help you to think about the opportunities available when you connect new ideas with new markets. For instance, given Google\u2019s current global presence, it\u2019s difficult to imagine that the company started out slightly more than a decade ago as the entrepreneurial venture of two college students. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University. It was first incorporated as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. Increasingly, as the Google case study demonstrates, international businesses have an opportunity to create positive social, environmental, and economic values across borders. An entrepreneurial perspective will serve you well in this regard.\r\n

Spotlight on International Strategy and Entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nHemali Thakkar and three of her fellow classmates at Harvard found a way to mesh the power of play with electrical power. The foursome invented \u201ca soccer ball with the ability to generate electricity,\u201d Thakkar said. Every kick of the ball creates a current that\u2019s captured for future use. Fifteen minutes of play lights a lamp for three hours.\r\n\r\nCalled the sOccket, the soccer ball can bring off-grid electricity to developing countries. Even better, the soccer ball can replace kerosene lamps. Burning kerosene is not only bad for the environment because of carbon dioxide emissions but it\u2019s also a health hazard: according to the World Bank, breathing kerosene fumes indoors has the same effects as smoking two packs of cigarettes per day.\r\n\r\nHow did the idea of sOccket emerge? All four students (Jessica Lin, Jessica Matthews, Julia Silverman, and Hemali Thakkar) had experience with developing countries, so they knew that kids love playing soccer (it\u2019s the world\u2019s most popular sport). They also knew that most of these kids lived in homes that had no reliable energy.\r\n\r\nAs of November 2010, the sOccket prototype cost $70 to manufacture, but the team hopes to bring the cost down to $10 when production is scaled up. One ingenious way to bring costs down is to set up facilities where developing-world entrepreneurs assemble and sell the balls themselves.\r\n
\r\n

KEY TAKEAWAYS<\/h3>\r\nInternational business encompasses a full range of cross-border exchanges of goods, services, or resources between two or more nations. These exchanges can go beyond the exchange of money for physical goods to include international transfers of other resources, such as people, intellectual property (e.g., patents, copyrights, brand trademarks, and data), and contractual assets or liabilities (e.g., the right to use some foreign asset, provide some future service to foreign customers, or execute a complex financial instrument).\r\n\r\nStrategic management is the body of knowledge that answers questions about the development and implementation of good strategies and is mainly concerned with the determinants of firm performance. Because strategic management is concerned with organizational performance, your understanding of a company\u2019s SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) helps you better assess how international business factors should be accounted for in the firm\u2019s strategy.\r\n\r\nEntrepreneurship is the recognition of opportunities (i.e., needs, wants, problems, and challenges) and the use or creation of resources to implement innovative ideas. Entrepreneurship helps you think about the opportunities available when you connect new ideas with new markets.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Reflection Questions<\/h2>\r\n
    \r\n\t
  • How do Harvard-educated students benefit from doing business in lesser-developed countries?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n \r\n

    Check Your Understanding<\/h2>\r\nAnswer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered in this section. This short quiz does not<\/strong> count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times.\r\n\r\nUse this quiz to check your understanding and decide whether to (1) study the previous section further or (2) move on to the next section.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/161","rendered":"

    The Definition of International Business\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    International business relates to any situation where the production or distribution of goods or services crosses country borders. Globalization\u2014the shift toward a more interdependent and integrated global economy\u2014creates greater opportunities for international business. Such globalization can take place in terms of markets, where trade barriers are falling and buyer preferences are changing. It can also be seen in terms of production, where a company can source goods and services easily from other countries. Some managers consider the definition of international business to relate purely to \u201cbusiness.” However, a broader definition of international business may serve you better both personally and professionally in a world that has moved beyond simple industrial production.<\/p>\n

    International business encompasses a full range of cross-border exchanges of goods, services, or resources between two or more nations. These exchanges can go beyond the exchange of money for physical goods to include international transfers of other resources, such as people, intellectual property (e.g., patents, copyrights, brand trademarks, and data), and contractual assets or liabilities (e.g., the right to use some foreign asset, provide some future service to foreign customers, or execute a complex financial instrument). The entities involved in international business range from large multinational firms with thousands of employees doing business in many countries around the world to a small one-person company acting as an importer or exporter. This broader definition of international business also encompasses for-profit border-crossing transactions as well as transactions motivated by nonfinancial gains (e.g., triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, and political favor) that affect a business\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

    Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    A knowledge of both strategic management and entrepreneurship will enhance your understanding of international business.<\/p>\n

    Strategic Management<\/h3>\n

    Strategic management is the body of knowledge that answers questions about the development and implementation of good strategies and is mainly concerned with the determinants of firm performance. A strategy, in turn, is the central, integrated, and externally oriented concept of how an organization will achieve its performance objectives. One of the basic tools of strategy is a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) assessment. The SWOT tool helps you take stock of an organization\u2019s internal characteristics\u2014its strengths and weaknesses\u2014to formulate an action plan that builds on what it does well while overcoming or working around weaknesses. Similarly, the external part of SWOT\u2014the opportunities and threats\u2014helps you assess those environmental conditions that favor or threaten the organization\u2019s strategy. Because strategic management is concerned with organizational performance\u2014be that social, environmental, or economic\u2014your understanding of a company\u2019s SWOT will help you better assess how international business factors should be accounted for in the firm\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n

    Entrepreneurship<\/h3>\n

    Entrepreneurship, in contrast, is defined as the recognition of opportunities (i.e., needs, wants, problems, and challenges) and the use or creation of resources to implement innovative ideas for new, thoughtfully planned ventures. An entrepreneur is a person who engages in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship, like strategic management, will help you to think about the opportunities available when you connect new ideas with new markets. For instance, given Google\u2019s current global presence, it\u2019s difficult to imagine that the company started out slightly more than a decade ago as the entrepreneurial venture of two college students. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University. It was first incorporated as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. Increasingly, as the Google case study demonstrates, international businesses have an opportunity to create positive social, environmental, and economic values across borders. An entrepreneurial perspective will serve you well in this regard.<\/p>\n

    Spotlight on International Strategy and Entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Hemali Thakkar and three of her fellow classmates at Harvard found a way to mesh the power of play with electrical power. The foursome invented \u201ca soccer ball with the ability to generate electricity,\u201d Thakkar said. Every kick of the ball creates a current that\u2019s captured for future use. Fifteen minutes of play lights a lamp for three hours.<\/p>\n

    Called the sOccket, the soccer ball can bring off-grid electricity to developing countries. Even better, the soccer ball can replace kerosene lamps. Burning kerosene is not only bad for the environment because of carbon dioxide emissions but it\u2019s also a health hazard: according to the World Bank, breathing kerosene fumes indoors has the same effects as smoking two packs of cigarettes per day.<\/p>\n

    How did the idea of sOccket emerge? All four students (Jessica Lin, Jessica Matthews, Julia Silverman, and Hemali Thakkar) had experience with developing countries, so they knew that kids love playing soccer (it\u2019s the world\u2019s most popular sport). They also knew that most of these kids lived in homes that had no reliable energy.<\/p>\n

    As of November 2010, the sOccket prototype cost $70 to manufacture, but the team hopes to bring the cost down to $10 when production is scaled up. One ingenious way to bring costs down is to set up facilities where developing-world entrepreneurs assemble and sell the balls themselves.<\/p>\n

    \n

    KEY TAKEAWAYS<\/h3>\n

    International business encompasses a full range of cross-border exchanges of goods, services, or resources between two or more nations. These exchanges can go beyond the exchange of money for physical goods to include international transfers of other resources, such as people, intellectual property (e.g., patents, copyrights, brand trademarks, and data), and contractual assets or liabilities (e.g., the right to use some foreign asset, provide some future service to foreign customers, or execute a complex financial instrument).<\/p>\n

    Strategic management is the body of knowledge that answers questions about the development and implementation of good strategies and is mainly concerned with the determinants of firm performance. Because strategic management is concerned with organizational performance, your understanding of a company\u2019s SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) helps you better assess how international business factors should be accounted for in the firm\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n

    Entrepreneurship is the recognition of opportunities (i.e., needs, wants, problems, and challenges) and the use or creation of resources to implement innovative ideas. Entrepreneurship helps you think about the opportunities available when you connect new ideas with new markets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Reflection Questions<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • How do Harvard-educated students benefit from doing business in lesser-developed countries?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Check Your Understanding<\/h2>\n

      Answer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered in this section. This short quiz does not<\/strong> count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times.<\/p>\n

      Use this quiz to check your understanding and decide whether to (1) study the previous section further or (2) move on to the next section.<\/p>\n

      \t