Abstract This paper explores the growth and success of multinational organizations today. The paper then discusses the need for a company to be aware of the language, culture, politics and laws of the country it is expanding into. The paper also explains the law of comparative costs in international trade, how the international financial market works, the factors that have affected the process of economic globalization and the role of strategic planning in international business. The paper predicts that the future of international business is bright.
Outline:
Abstract
The International Business Imperative
Culture and International Business
National Trade and Investment Policies
Politics and Laws
The Theory of International Trade and Investment
The International Economic Activity of the Nation: The Balance of Payments
International Financial Markets
Economic Integration
Market Transitions and Development
International Business Research
International Business Entry
Multinational Corporations
Strategic Planning in International Business
International Marketing
International Services
International Logistics and Supply-Chain Management
Multinational Financial Management
Countertrade
International Accounting and Taxation
International Human Resource Management
Organization, Implementation, and Control of International Operations, and their Future
From the Paper "Revolutionary changes in technologies have provided the mechanisms that propel the growth of international business. The intensification of competition at both domestic and international levels has driven firms to look beyond their domestic markets for new opportunities. The progressive removal of barriers to trade and capital movements has stimulated greater flows of exports, imports and foreign direct investment (FDI). Multinational enterprises have emerged as the key agents of international economic co-ordination. They provide the capability to generate innovations and deliver new goods and services to the market; they also provide the capability to exploit these technological advances at a global level; and they are a depiction of the capacity of international managerial co-ordination to operate efficiently across international boundaries. Furthermore, the growing economic strength of the newly-industrializing countries (e.g. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea) and the opening up of China and Eastern Europe have provided an additional stimulus to international business activities (Wei)."
Abstract This paper examines Starbucks Coffee's move into the international market. The paper first describes the franchise's products and success in the United States. It then goes on to describe the challenges Starbucks faces now that it has taken on a global scope. The company's strategy was to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected coffee retailer in the world. The author compares and contrasts Starbuck's success in various international markets, including Japan and Europe.
Outline:
Strategies for International Expansion
Problems for Starbucks on the International Side
Future Outlook for Starbucks Internationally Table 1 - Starbuck's International Presence
Appendix A
Appendix B International Market Risks
From the Paper "Since 1987, Starbucks has transformed itself from a modest nine-store operation in the Pacific Northwest into a powerhouse multinational enterprise with 7,225 store locations, including some 1,600 stores in 30 foreign countries. During Starbucks' early years, when coffee was a 50-cent morning habit at local diners and fast-food establishments, skeptics had ridiculed the notion of $3 coffee as a yuppie fad. The popularity of Starbucks' Italian-style coffees, espresso beverages, teas, and pastries has made Starbucks one of the great retailing stories of recent history and the world's biggest specialty coffee chain. In 2003, Starbucks made the Fortune 500, prompting Schultz to remark, "It would be arrogant to sit here and say that 10 years ago we thought we would be on the Fortune 500. But we dreamed from day one and we dreamed big." "
Tags: starbucks, coffee, chains, franchise, international
Abstract This paper discusses the business operations, strategies, and future options of the Home Depot, a leader in the retail building and supply industry. The paper points out that the Home Depot's dominance in the all important "do-it-yourself" (DIY) industry caused many small regional operators and businesses to close down. The paper gives a brief overview of the factors contributing to the company's success, such as pricing strategy, customer service , an established brand name, efficient corporate structure, human resources, use of technology, and their ability to grow both abroad and domestically. In conclusion, the paper suggests that, in order to ensure Home Depot's continued success, thorough risk assessment, formulation assistance, development of new products, and testing are necessary steps it must undertake.
Outline:
Retail Building and Supply Industry
The Professional Business Segment
Internal Strengths
Impact Analysis
Potential Weakness of Recommendations
From the Paper "The Home Depot has several internal strengths it can rely on going into the future. The list includes but is not limited to: Pricing Strategy (marketing and sales), customer service (service), an established brand name, efficient corporate structure (operations), human resources (inbound logistics), use of technology (outbound logistics) and their ability to grow abroad and domestically in both RYI and Professional market segments.
"Establishing a dependable relationship with its suppliers is one of the main reasons that Home Depot is able to undercut the competition by as much as 25% in price. The majority of the 5,700 vendors Home Depot does business with are purely manufactures, allowing for "corner cutting" on prices accordingly. This simply reinforces their slogan of "Everyday Low Prices". Reinforcing this corporate philosophy into the global market through cheaper labor is key. Any sort of expansion would involve improvising this internal corporate strength."
Abstract Since the end of the Second World War, the number of international bodies dedicated to maintaining peace a general rule of law among nations has grown exponentially. This paper examines one of the more prominent of these international bodies, namely the International Court of Justice, and look at its history, organizational structure and duties in an effort to ascertain its role within the modern international system. The paper also reviews the key historical cases, treaties and current activities of the court inasmuch as these items have and will continue to shape the court far in the future.
Abstract This paper provides a strategic audit of Wal-Mart's international division, including a SWOT analysis, and makes recommendations for the future. The paper discusses Wal-Mart's international beginnings and the situation of the international division today.
Tags: Wal-Mart, strategic audit, SWOT, international
Abstract This paper looks at four scenarios - the rise to power of China and India, the persistence of American hyper-power status, the rise of an Islamic Caliphate, and a "cycle of fear" scenario wherein the world becomes noticeably Orwellian and where intrusive security measures are the norm. The paper discusses which one of the four scenarios is most likely to materialize and why and then examines the theoretical assumptions upon which the aforementioned prediction is predicated. The paper concludes that the world of tomorrow promises to be one dominated by the Asian superpowers of China and especially, India.
From the Paper "The trends and the implicit/explicit theoretical assumptions guiding this writer to the conclusion that the rise of India and China to pre-eminence is the most likely of all the four scenarios outlined above are numerous but easily explained. Most of all, demographic trends are key. This writer operates under the assumption that the country with the greatest latent human resources will eventually win - even if it initially trails a competitor. Clearly, both nations have this advantage to the fullest. Working especially in India's favor is the fact that this nation has not embarked upon a ruinous "one-child" program as has China; consequently, India's population will not age (is not now aging) as rapidly as China's. Therefore, India will cut into whatever human resources advantage China has by virtue of having a relatively younger and thus more industrious population."
Abstract This paper discusses the impact on international trade that the Internet is making. Specific sources of these impacts are discussed in the paper.
Outline
Introduction
Issues
Regions
Technology
Regulation
Future Implications
Bibliography
From the Paper "As we move into the twenty-first century, we are faced with an ever-shrinking world. One in which borders are diminishing, and cultures are merging. The economies are now moving together within regions to form larger, more efficient, powerful centers for monetary and economic exchange. What once used to be a very segregated globe is now separated into an almost continental based economy. Each region has its specific power centers in which the economic activity revolves. There has been an even greater push in these economies to develop more efficient means of communicating to make transactions easier. This is where the Internet has aided this movement."
Abstract This paper considers how international institutions in general and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in particular, are used in the international economy to stabilize economies. The paper also evaluates the criticism leveled at the IMF in recent years.
From the Paper "Today's economies are linked on a global level. For example consumers in the United States purchase computers manufactured in Japan and receive service assistance from call centers based in India ..."
Tags: IMF, international finance, international economics
Abstract This paper examines the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II by comparing this action with the freedom experienced by German-Americans during the same period. The author questions the inherent racism of Americans that enabled such an occurrence to be legally sanctioned, while German-Americans lived their lives freely, although Hitler and Germany were also enemies of America during World War II. The paper then presents a detailed background of the Japanese immigrant experience in America, contrasting this with the American ideal of freedom and the reality of racism. The experiences of African and Native-Americans are also considered. The paper then describes the actual Japanese internment, which was unprecedented event in American history. The paper further states how the Internment still has an effect on the psyche of the Japanese-American population today. The author concludes that the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War was one of the great tragedies of American history.
Outline:
Introduction
Background: The Japanese Experience in America
Prejudice Unleashed: The Internment Experience
Conclusion
From the Paper " Naturally, the situation was worse the further removed from the Anglo-Saxon ideal a group might chance to be. After the Civil War, the newly reunited nation demanded a huge supply of cheap labor to build its rapidly expanding railroad network. In the West, this labor was provided, to a large extent, by settlers from Japan and China. Labor Contractors, generally Japanese or Chinese themselves actively recruited these workers and brought them to America. They helped to lay the foundations of America's industrial prosperity. White American racial attitudes combined with a nationwide railroad strike in 1877 to create the necessary conditions for a crackdown on Asian immigration. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was soon followed by other, stricter acts, in 1892, 1902, and 1904. And as White America saw little, if any difference, between Japanese and any other Asians, the anti-Chinese immigration laws were followed by a Japanese Exclusion Act in 1907. By 1924, the United States had imposed an almost total ban on all immigration from East Asia, ..."
Tags: Japanese-Americans, internment, World, War, II, immigrant, experiences
Abstract The writer of this paper contends that the modern world is characterized by greater contact and interaction between nations. With this in mind, the author examines the role of international law in the modern world. He continues and contends that at the same time the contemporary world is also a place of greater complexity and competition for scarce resources, as well as increasing conflict. The writer contends that international law must face extremely difficult and complex situations in maintaining the ideals of peace and order and that there are areas where international law is virtually powerless whilst there are others where the role of international law has been very effective. The paper concludes that, as the world grows more complex and as the danger to peace and human equality intensifies, the need for a strong and well-supported system of international law increases as well.
From the Paper "However, many of these high ideals have not yet been accomplished in the present century. In fact, international law has failed to a certain extent, particularly in the area of international conflict. One of the central problems that International law faces is the usurpation of its objectivity and impartiality by the politics and agendas of 'superpowers" or influential countries. This can be seen for example in the events leading up to the recent Iraq war. In this case, the position held by international law, as defined by the United Nations, was overruled by the United States. Therefore, the standing of international law has been reduced in many cases by the complexity of international politics and the often convoluted and intricate views and agendas of influential countries like the United States, the Soviet Union and China. This has played a major part in the effectiveness of international law in recent years. This aspect has also curtailed the ability of international law to deal with the various complex conflicts and issues in the world, such as the conflict in Darfur."
Tags: conflict global nation superpowers, united nations, international peace equality
Abstract The paper compares the 19th century capital markets, whose stability resulted from the trust in the gold standard, with capital markets today, which provide the means to raise capital for all ventures. The paper notes that investments in the products available in the capital markets help generate funds and stabilize interest rates and are an indicator of the status of the economy. The paper further notes that, unlike the colonial past, the modern economies that are developing need special care regarding the effects of the capital on states labor. In comparison with the 19th century market which was good, the present international capital market is in chaos. The paper concludes that while the modern international capital markets has great problems, it is unique to the present, and cannot be compared to the economy that was based on a colonial world, although some economic features seem to be common in both
Outline:
Introduction
International Capital Market in the Nineteenth Century
Transition from the Old to the New
The Post War Economy and Globalization
International Capital Market - Analysis
Globalization and the International Capital Market
Comparison of both the Markets
Conclusion
From the Paper "During the depression of 1920 and the Second World War, the system collapsed. Post war activity was more in direct investment and the United States has emerged as a more powerful player. The post war scenario witnessed the entire capital surplus of the nineteenth and twentieth century evaporates. The capital market has come back to the operative state ever since 1972 and is growing to the state it was in the nineteenth century. The amount of capital flow in the globe in the nineteenth century shows that the market was well organized at that period. The capital market integration was also taking place within the countries that participated during the period. (O'Rourke H; Williamson, 1999) "The integration of capital markets is usually tested with an interest rate arbitrage model even though much different financial assets must be compared."
Abstract This paper discusses whether or not Quaccess should move to adopt international accounting standards. It considers the role of financial statements and international implications. The author concludes that American firms should wait and see before moving toward adopting international standards.
From the Paper "Accounting is sometimes referred to as the language of business. Financial statements and accounting pronouncements are used by stakeholders in organizations-shareholders employees creditors ..."
Tags: Quaccess, accounting standards, international accounting standards, financial statements, balance sheet, income statement, IAS, IFRS, FAR, international financial reporting standards
Abstract An exploration of the many factors which need to be considered by international retailers when deciding to do business in a new country. The paper shows that when considering international marketing, companies must take into account their own internal structure, the role of the governments, the way in which the company would operate in the foreign nation, political situations and the labor situation in the foreign country. These factors are discussed in relation to North America, Mexico, Pacific Rim, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Germany.
From the Paper "Taken together, Canada and the United States form one of the most sought-after markets in the world, particularly in the area of consumer goods. Although there are cultural differences between the two countries, they share a common language (despite efforts by some Canadians to create a separate French-speaking country English remains the official language of Canada) and many of the same products are marketed in both nations. Perhaps most significantly, many of the same retailers are found in both Canada and the United States (Rankin, 2001, p. 18)."
Abstract This paper explains that a conflict of interest arises when independent and internal auditors, who check the design of a company's internal control system, also help to construct it. The author points out that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was designed to provide checks of independence for public accountants who perform audits on publicly traded companies.
From the Paper "An accounting system is only accurate to the extent that it is used properly. The management of a company is charged with designing the accounting system and developing an environment in which the system will be used consistently and correctly. Internal controls are the management policies implemented to assure that the information coming from the accounting system reflects the actual transactions of the company. There are two prerequisites to implementing internal control techniques. One is proper management attitude. Unless the management of ..."
Abstract This paper explores the kind of background and knowledge an accountant requires to be an effective internal consultant. The author explains that data gathered by accountants is not only used internally but also externally. The paper relates the ways in which information gathered by accountants at Marmon and other corporations is used by individuals and organizations outside of the company.
From the Paper "There is still a role for external consultants as they provide flexible resource of manpower and specialist expertise that an organization often lacks. Internal consulting offers a new model for many highly skilled accountants whose abilities are under-utilized. A common failure of internal auditors becoming internal consultants is that the company and the consultants both expect their job duties to be driven by functional department manager they are assisting. However, successful consulting demands a proactive approach where the relationship is between equals. Consultants often must challenge the d
Tags: Accountants, Marmon, internal consultants, Data gathering, internal and external customers.
