Introduction

UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION
Objectives

After reading this unit you should be able to:

Define international business and highlight its importance

Explain the historical developments of international business and its

dimensions

Understand the role of MNEs as Central actors in international business

Appreciate the role of trade in services and the role of international trading
houses and

Understand the role of international business in the world economy and

spread of global competition

Structure
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
1.10
1.11
1.12
1.13
1.14
1.15
1.16

Concept of International Business

Nature and Importance of International Business
Growth of International Business and FDI
Dimensions of International Business
Central Actors in International Business
Differences between Domestic and International Business
Trade in Goods and Services
State Trading in International Business
International Trading Houses
International Business in World Economy
Globalisation of Business (Spread of Global Competition)
World's Largest Multinationals
Summary
Key Words
Self-assessment Questions
Further Readings

1.1

CONCEPT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

The conceptual framework of international business starts with its definition.

International business can be described as the business carried on across the national
borders between two or more nations. The concept of international business stems
from the business processes intersected by the national borders. Since the
international business processes are not confined to the geopolitical boundaries in the
conventional sense, the term `national border' is to be used in a wider perspective. A
more flexible concept of the national border is the contact line between people and
the multinational enterprises (MNEs) possessing a distinctive character attributable to
their different social, cultural and economic environments.
A three-pronged approach may be adopted for understanding the concepts relating to
international business. The first prong deals with the transmission of resources from
one country to another in the form of shipment of goods, transfer of funds, and
movement of people. The second prong is concerned with the relationship of the
MNE with the host societies. The third prong involves the elements of conflict
arising from the national sentiments and nationalistic attitudes guiding both the
parent and the host countries. Here, the MNE has to grapple with the profitability
aspects. It has also to grapple

International Business :
Role and Processes

with the question of how best to accommodate the interest of the parent and host
nations.
Resource transmission is based on the mutual benefits expected from the trade flows
between the trading nations and the investment activities undertaken by the MNEs
abroad. The resource allocation, according to the Comparative Cost Doctrine
propounded by Ricardo, benefits the countries engaging in trade. The state
intervention may cause trade diversion, which may distort cost differentials and may
direct resources to their inefficient uses. Trade across borders and investment in other
countries (resource transmission) provide opportunities to the MNEs for taking
advantage of their superior technology, innovativeness, and economies of scale.
The diverse business systems prevailing in different societies confront an MNE with
the choices between conformity and innovation. A suitable growth strategy has to be
adopted by introducing changes in a gradual manner, acceptable to the host
governments, keeping in view the employment and welfare of the people. Despite the
efforts of the MNEs to follow a balanced approach, areas of conflicts do arise
because of different national interests. The MNEs are often seen as penetrating into
the host country markets for exploiting their economies. The objectives of foreign
investors and socio-economic objectives of the host governments may come in
conflict. The conflicts relating to equity participation, use of local inputs,
employment, expansion of exports, etc., may be resolved through negotiations.
A multi-national enterprise carries out its international operations in two ways. It may
deal with the individual countries separately according to their politico-economic and
social environments, taking care of the national interests of both the parent and the
host countries. With different environmental factors prevailing in different countries,
this approach may lead to a diversified and fragmented global pattern for the MNE.
Usually, an MNE operates simultaneously in many countries: The multi-country
operations necessitate a suitable overall conceptual framework for international
business. Here, some kind of conflict may arise between the need for specificity and
the need for uniformity in managing multi-country operations. In the second
approach, guided by the need for uniformity, an international firm considers the
entire world as a global market, and attempts to use similar global strategies and
goals in the diverse environments of different countries. The conflicts arising from
pursuing discrete and uniform policies and strategies are related to problems such as
product policy, logistic plans and ownership. Although it may appear difficult for an
MNE to achieve unified policies in the face of its unique global characteristic due to
different business laws in different countries, the success of the global firm lies in
achieving a balance between fragmentation and unification. The thrust in the balance
however may be towards unification.

1.2

NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL

BUSINESS

The international business operations comprise many facets; and international trade is
just one of these. Other aspects, such as licensing, joints ventures and Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) of international business usually follow later, but not necessarily.

10

Introduction

An interesting part of international trade is that some countries like Singapore,

Hongkong and Taiwan have exports and imports substantially greater than their
GNP. This happens due to the nature of their trade and their role as offshore
assembly platforms (trade entrepots). Such trading countries export most of their
production and allow export related imports.

Activity 1
Contact some exporting company in your town, and ascertain the reasons for the
increase, if any, in its exports.

11

International Business :
Role and Processes

1.3

GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND

FDI

The genesis of international business may be traced to the ancient times when the
Mesopotamian, Greek and particularly the Phoenician merchants carried out their
trading activities in different parts of the world. The Phoenecians controlled the seaborne trade and the goods procured by them from Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria were
sold throughout the Mediterranean. They were doing foreign business even upto
Cape Verde and the Azores Islands in the Atlantic, and for this purpose used the
straits of Gibralter.
In those days, India's spices and textiles were also being traded by the Phoenicians to
Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. The trading was mainly confined to the West
Coast of India. Goods were landed in Southern Arabia through sea routes and
transported to the Mediterranean ports for shipping to other trading places.
The Roman merchants were active in international business and played an important
role in the development of the Roman empire by providing finance for the military
expeditions. Trade was facilitated by the construction of roads and development of
the banking system. The banks, owned by private entrepreneurs, accepted deposits
for providing loans and credits to the merchants.
Rome was not only the centre of attraction for the merchants. They were operating as
far as the Atlantic Coasts of Africa "and Europe and reached Germany upto the Baltic
Sea. Some penetrated even to Turkestan to purchase Chinese goods.
The decay of the Roman empire and the rise of Turks and the Arab crusaders shifted
the control of strategic ports into the hands of the Arabs and, subsequently, that of the
overseas trade and markets. They purchased goods from India by establishing trading
ports in Sind and dominated the trade on the Indian West Coast. During the 13th and
14th centuries, the Arabs spread their network in South-East Asian countries, notably
in the present day Malayasia, Indonesia, Brunei and Southern Philippines.
The international business received stimulation from the events that happened at the
beginning of the 11th century. The crusaders were forced to search out new avenues
for trade. New commercial centres in Italy, such as Genoa and Venice sprang up and
the Europeans, after losing their control of the sea routes to India through Red Sea
and the Straits of Harmuz, had to circumnavigate Africa in order to obtain the Indian
spices and textiles, which were in great-demand in Europe. Meanwhile, the European
Renaissance led to voyages and the discovery of America by Columbus and the
arrival of Vasco de Gama at Calicut in 1498.

12

The hurdle in the growth of international business was eased by the development of
credit institutions and the introduction of methods of payments. The trade
instruments like,. the bills of exchange and drafts facilitated the rapid increase in
trade transactions, as there was no need for actual gold or silver to be delivered to
settle the unfavourable balance of

trade. The bill of exchange assured the payment to the exporter on a specified date.
Associated with this, the banking houses, functioning in the Eastern Mediterranean
region in the 14th century, became important financial centres. By the 16th century,
Holland developed into an international financial centre, and the Dutch banks
financed the business all over Europe.

Introduction

The considerable expansion of international business needed lots of money, and the
individual investors were unable to cope with the situation. It became inevitable to
pool capital together for carrying, out large transactions. The mechanism of joint
stock company developed. Initially, the individual investors were returned their
shares after the completion of a particular trade for which the capital was raised, but
later on, the investors were permitted to keep their money with the company and earn
dividends. The shareholders could sell their shares to the company depending upon
their market value.
As a matter of fact, a great influence on the international business was brought about
by the Industrial Revolution, which facilitated the application of machinery into the
production process. The Industrial Revolution occurred in the U.K., and not only the
production of manufacturing goods took place there but also these goods become
cheaper. The excess production was exported and, in return, food-stuffs and raw
materials were imported.
A series of innovations after, the Second Industrial Revolution in 1880 caused large
scale production of a variety of .goods which required more raw materials from other
countries. Capital began to flow out for the purpose of production of raw materials,
which were mostly in the extractive industries, transport, communications and
electric power. The world became interdependent; manufactured goods began to be
exported by the European countries and food and raw materials by the less developed
countries. The import of capital by some countries provided them an opportunity to
develop their own industries and, thus, they became a part of the industrial world.
Japan, in recent years, became an important industrial power by taking advantage of
the capital inflows.
Emergence of Multinational Corporation
It was as early as the Fourteenth, century that the multinational companies were
involved in foreign business. The trading firms in the Italian trade centres of Genoa
and Venice operated across the border throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area. In
Britain, trading companies were well-known for their foreign business during the
reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The trading firms enjoyed monopoly powers in world
markets, but they were surpassed by new forms of enterprises created by the
Industrial Revolution. The need arose for' direct investment abroad in order to
produce sufficient raw materials to meet the requirements of the manufacturing plants
at home.
The outcome of this process was the formation of multinational companies making
direct foreign investment for extraction, processing and transportation of raw
materials to their parent countries. Some individuals were the forerunners in the.
establishment of multinational enterprises. In 1865, Friedrick Bayer, a German.
purchased some shares in New York just after two years of establishing a chemical
plant in Germany. In 1876, he established dyestuff factories in Russia, in 1882 in
France and, in 1908 in Belgium. According to Fortune Survey of 1990, this German
firm "Bayer" ranked 39th among 500 world's largest companies in terms of their
sales.
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist. established a plant at Hamberg, Germany in
1866. Similarly, the Singer company founded a plant at Glassgow, Scotland in 1887.
In India, the commencement of the multinational corporate business may be assumed
to have stated with the

13

International Business :
Role and Processes

establishment of the East India Company at the beginning of Seventeenth century. In

1788, Thomas Perry was the first to act as a free merchant in Madras followed by
Jessop's predecessors, Breen & Co, in Calcutta.
Such trends in the FDI provided new dimensions to the international business
activities. The payments for multinational business took the form of royalties, license
fees and management fees in return for the use of patents, trade marks and
technological know-how.
The United States' multinationals began their operations as early as 1850, when the
United Fruit Company established its plants in Honduras and Nicaragua. As in the
case of the others, the U.S. multinationals also developed in their early stages due to
the need for new sources of raw materials. The U.S. foreign investment took place
mainly in oil companies and mining. It was after the World War I that the U.S. first
came on the international scene on a massive scale and industries, such as
automotives, chemicals, petroleum and machine tools developed rapidly by supplying
products to the allies. As the greater part of the 1920's saw a worldwide economic
prosperity, the U.S. automotive industry, began dominating the world markets.
International Business in the Post-World War II Period
After suffering a setback following the 1930's severe recession in the world economy,
the growth of international business in the post-World War II period, especially after
1950 was tremendous. Both the international trade and investment grew fast due to
changes in the international economic arrangements like the proliferation of the
bilateral investment treaties specifically meant for the promotion and protection of
the FM. Other factors such as favourable political and economic environments of the
host countries, prospects of profits and the developments of new forms of
investments also provided a spurt to the growth of international business. After the
production of merchandised goods, the MNEs also played a leading role in the
international trade in services. In 1989, the contribution of the trade in services
accounted for S 1000 billion out of the total world trade amounting to $ 3100 billion.
The new investment arrangements in the form of non-equity involvement in licensing
agreements, turnkey contracts, management contracts, franchising, international subcontracting and equity sharing in joint ventures have grown rapidly since the mid
1970s. The newly industrialized countries (NICs) entered into such contracts and,
after attaining export capability, they began exporting technology abroad, both in the
form of joint ventures and the FDI. Many OPEC nations are now having joint venture
arrangements with the parent companies in their downstream processing, refining and
distribution of related petroleum products. In the ASEAN countries, Japan is the
major partner in the petrochemical joint ventures.

14

During the decades of the Fifties and Sixties, United States continued to be the major
investor in foreign countries. The book value of the U.S. FDI increased from $ 11.8
billion in 1950 to $ 78.1 billion in 1970. The bulk of the U.S. foreign investment
went to Canada and Western Europe, which received more than 50 per cent of the
total U.S. FDI in 1970. The influx of American investment in Western Europe was
mainly meant to take advantage of the emerging prosperity of the Common Market
countries and to protect its export markets from their tariff barriers. The markets for
Eurodollars and Eurobonds also developed in West Europe, promoting U.S.
investments there. When the U.S. Government imposed restrictions on the American
FDI, the U.S. MNEs continued to expand by using these markets.

The LDCs were not a large recipient of the U.S. direct investment during this period.
The reason was America's lesser accent on investment in the extractive industries and
greater accent on investment in manufacturing. The U.S. investment in Latin
America in the manufacturing sector, increased only from $ 1.8 billion in 1950 to $
4.6 billion in 1970. In Asia, during the same period the investment increased from $
100 million to $ 150 million, indeed a meagre amount. The total U.S. direct
investment in manufacturing increased from $ 6.4 billion to $ 32.3 billion over the
same period. Thus, the U.S. multinationals changed their geographic as well as
investment foci, resulting in very marginal or no development of LDCs.

Introduction

In the 1970s, the developed countries invested relatively large amounts in the
developing economies. In 1975, the U.S. foreign investment going to the developing
countries amounted to about 47 per cent of its total international investment, and to
Japan it was about 60 per cent. However, the trend was reversed in th 1980s and the
developing countries again received relatively small amount of FDI. In 1986, the
foreign investment by the U.S. and Japan to the developing countries was about 27
per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
The increase in FDI in the developing countries during the 1970s was in response to
the optimism about the growth potential of these countries which did not continue in
the 1980s. Some of the important reasons for this decline may be stated as the
decreasing confidence in their credit worthiness due to the debt crisis in those
countries, recession and macro economic instability (which further went to
undermine the confidence of the investors), reduction in the attractiveness of large
resource based projects, particularly petroleum owing to the nationalisation drive in
the Middle East and the relative improvement in the profitability in the industrialised
world itself.
The greater amount of Japanese investment is still being directed to the United States,
but it has also shown an upward trend in Latin America and Asian countries,
particularly the NICs. The interesting aspect of the international business during
1970s and 1980s is the decline in the dominance of the U.S. MNEs and the increase
in the competitive strength of the European and, Japanese multinationals, and of even
some MNEs of the developing countries. A reverse investment occurred in the U.S.
The MNEs from Europe and Japan began investing large amounts of FDI in America.
They have also provided competition to American firms in the overseas markets. A
greater foreign investment took place in the manufacturing and service industries,
showing a movement away from resource based projects.
Those of the LDC2s which have liberalized their economic policies have attracted
relatively larger amount of FDI and have made good progress in their economies.
Two lessons emerge from the investment behaviour in relation to FDI. One, the
magnitude of FDI depends on the economic success of a nation. One would rarely
find a case where foreign investors have taken interest in countries where
unfavourable attitude to the international investment -and an uncongenial
environment prevails. Two, infrastructural development is an essential prerequisite
for attracting FDI. The prospects of the FDI in the LDCs, therefore, will depend upon
the economic policies pursued by those countries with regard to the foreign
investment and predictable political stability, and also the protection these countries
can give to the trade marks.
Activity 2
From the above discussion about the growth of international business, list some
important events which provided a spurt to the foreign trade and investment.

15

International Business :
Role and Processes

1.4

DIMENSIONS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

International business has many dimensions. It is not merely the border crossing
which is sufficient to comprehend the numerous problems faced by the MNEs in the
overseas markets. Different countries follow different business laws, tax systems, and
have different political, economic and cultural environments. The strategies of the
MNEs aiming at efficient management and optimum returns are shaped by the
external factors. An NINE, having company specific advantages on which it may
have some control, has to confront and manage the foreign environments which may
not be within its control. The formulation of policies to achieve efficiency in the
functional areas, such as production, finance, marketing and human resource
management, has to take into account all these realities.
Two types of theoretical issues are invoked in the international business
management. The first type involves the study of trade and the FDI theories, and the
second type is concerned with the financial matters which are, in turn, affected by the
financial factors such as fluctuation in foreign exchange rates, changes in political
and economic conditions and inflation. All these factors have to be taken into account
while evaluating the fruitfulness of the foreign investment.
The MNEs are often criticised in their host countries. It is, therefore, advisable to
maintain good relations with the host governments and convince them that their
intention is not merely the pursuit of profit but directed at raising the level of growth
and employment. It is important for an MNE to adopt an adjusting attitude towards
the policies and programmes of the different host nations.
The international business also includes the study of international accounting,
pricing, international management and marketing as they have a direct bearing on the
operations of an MNE. Foreign competition is a continuing phenomenon, and this
requires an MNE to make the necessary changes in its production techniques for
lowering cost, raising productivity and improving the quality of its products, to exist
in a globally-oriented business.
The various dimensions of international business may be summarised in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1

DIMENSIONS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

16

Table 1.1

Introduction

Activity 3
From Table 1.1, mention : (i) the company specific advantages and the host country
specific advantages; and (ii) also prepare a `task wheel', showing the controllable and
non-controllable factors for an MNE.
Host Country Specific
Company Specific Advantages

Advantages

1.5

CENTRAL ACTORS IN INTERNATIONAL

BUSINESS

The multinational enterprises are the central actors in` international business. An
MNE-also known as Multinational Corporation (MNC), International Corporation
(IC) and Transnational Corporation (TC)-conducts the business across the borders of
a country and has been described in various manners. The U.N. Centre for
Transnational Enterprises defines the Multinational Corporation as "enterprises
which own or control production or service facilities outside the country in which
they are based." Feyerweather defines them as "multicultural, multinational, global
spanning systems". Rodriguez and Carter refer to a multinational firm as "a company
with substantial operations (usually 30% or more of its total activity) carried on
outside its own national borders. These activities may be trading or manufacturing"
According to Phatak (Arvind K. Phatak, Managing Multinational Corporation,
Praeger Co., New York, 1974, pp 21-22) "A multinational company is an enterprise
that has an interlocking network of subsidiaries in several countries, whose
executives view the whole world as its theatre of operations, and therefore obtain and
allocate financial, material, technical and managerial resources in a manner
conducive to the achievement of total enterprise objectives." Like a firm doing
business in a domestic market an MNE is also required to take decisions about the
prospective returns. In addition, the MNEs may also have to take into the account the
fluctuations in interest rates, exchange rates, impediments to trade, repatriation of
funds and inflation in the countries where its subsidiaries operate.
Thus, the essence of multinationality is the international production. An MNE is that
corporation, whose business operations are across the border, foreign to total sales
(F/T ratio) is 30% or more and the attitude of management is geocentric, having a
global orientation. The MNE is not supposed to adopt the ethnocentric approach as it
is home-oriented, and it will not be called a true MNE even if it follows the
polycentric approach which is merely the host nation oriented.

17

International Business :
Role and Processes

1.6

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

The political situation also influences the investment decisions. A change in the
government may lead to the blockage of funds. In some cases, the political risk may
be considered very high when expropriation of the foreign capital, an extreme step,
may appear to be a possibility.
In the international business we have also to consider the variations in the exchange
rates, inflation and policies of the government. The exchange rate changes involve
the transaction, translation and operational risks. The volatility in the exchange rate
affects the management of the working capital and the profitability of the
international investment. A careful scanning of the environments of foreign
economies is highly important in the decision making process for the international
investment, its management, expansion of existing subsidiaries and the
worthwhileness of the foreign investment.

1.7

TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES

It is important to understand the distinction between trade in goods (merchandise

trade or visible trade) and trade in services (invisible trade). The merchandise, i.e.,
the imports and exports of raw materials and manufactured goods may show either
trade deficit or surplus in the current account of a country's balance of payments. The
invisible trade relating to the traditional services, such as shipping, aviation,
communication, banking and insurance, plays a vital role. It supplements the trade in
goods and may thus reduce the trade deficit. The trade in services has assumed a new
trend, i.e., moving from the traditional services to the non-traditional services such as
data processing, computer programming, scientific research, engineering, and
consulting. The services are rapidly growing, and have opened new vistas for
international trade. The developed countries are now orienting their economies from
the industrial sector to the service sector, because foreign trade in services has
become a critical factor for economic growth and employment.

18

In India, the trade in services has played a positive role, reducing our trade deficit and
improving our foreign exchange position. Its role in India's Sixth and Seventh Five
Year Plans may be summarized in Table 1.1.

Table 1.2

Introduction

Key Indicators of India's Balance of Payments

(As per cent of GDP)
Exports
Imports
Net
Invisible

Year

Trade
Balance

1980-81
1981-82
1982-83
1983-84
1984-85

4.8
4.9
5.1
4.9
5.2

9.2
8.7
8.4
7.7
8.1

3.2
2.4
2.0
1.7
1.7

-4.4
-3.8
-3.2
-2.8
-2.9

Current
Account
Balance
-1.2
-1.5
-1.3
-1.1
-1.2

Average
1980-85

5.0

8.4

2.2

-3.4

-1.3

1985-86
1986-87
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90

4.4
4.5
4.9
5.3
6.4

8.1
7.7
7.7
8.9
9.3

1.4
1.2
0.9
0.8
0.6

-3.7
-3.2
-2.8
-3.5
-2.9

-2.3
-2.0
-1.9
-2.7
-2.3

Average
1985-90

5.1

8.3

1.0

-3.2

-2.2

Source : Government of India, Economic Survey 1990-91. p. 152

Table 1.2 shows that the trade deficit in the Sixth plan averaged 3.4 per cent of the
GDP, but it was brought down to 1.3 per cent on account of the surplus enjoyed by
India in trade in services during this period averaging 2.2 per cent of the GDP.
Although, the surplus in trade in services declined during the Seventh plan to 1.1%, it
was still significant, as it lowered our trade deficit from 3.2 per cent to 2.2 per cent of
the GDP.
Activity 4
Study the latest economic survey of the Government of India, and note the role of
services on the current account of India's balance of payments. Attempt similar study
of the data relating to some other developing countries. Compare the data and offer
your comments.

1.8

STATE TRADING IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

State trading, as defined in the Havana Charter, means trading by the government or
the government controlled enterprises.
According to Kostecki (in his book State Trading, 1978), 20 to 25 per cent of the
international trade during the 1970s was carried out through the state trading. State
trading has occupied an important place in the foreign trade of the developing
countries, and ranges from 10 per cent (in the case of Brazil) to 90-100 per cent (in
case of Egypt). As the foreign trade was the state monopoly in the erstwhile
communist countries, usually the entire foreign trade transactions were carried out by
way of state trading. In India, the share of public sector in total exports was 24.1 per
cent in 1988-89. Most of the state trading in India is through the State Trading
Corporation (STC).

19

International Business :
Role and Processes

The state engages in the international trade for achieving external and domestic
objectives. The external objectives of the state trading are improvement in the
international bargaining power and terms of trade, export expansion, fulfilment of the
international obligations and linking of trade with socio-economic policies. The aim
is improvement in the conduct of the international trade and increasing gains to the
nation. The domestic objectives behind the state trading are protection of the
domestic industry, achievement of price and distribution policies, augmenting of
government revenue, health and the public security.
State trading would improve the welfare of the nation so long as it is employed to
overcome the market imperfections. If it tends to distort the international trade flows
like tariffs and quantitative restrictions, it may adversely affect the international
welfare. Moreover, state enterprises have generally not been found operating as
efficiently as private enterprises, and on this ground their contribution to the welfare
of the nation is relatively lower.

1.9

INTERNATIONAL TRADING HOUSES

International trading houses are established to facilitate the trading activities at the
global level.. The foremost function of an international trading house is to coordinate
the exchange of goods and services between the importers and exporters of different
countries.
Having a world-wide network of staff and communication units, these trading houses
carry out market research in order to identify the potential buyers of different
products supplied by different countries in the overseas markets. They also maintain
trained personnel for assisting the exporters in procedural matters and the business
laws of the trading partners. They also arrange the logistics, and accept financial
liability for the shipments.
As a matter of fact, the international trading houses are extensions of export
management companies (EMCs), which are independent businesses and act as the
export departments of some other manufacturers who are not directly engaged in the
export activity. In countries, such as Canada, certain manufacturers organise an
export consortium for trading their exportable products. There are several trading
houses operating in South Korea, Brazil and the United States, but most important are
the large Japanese trading companies, known as Sogo Shoshas, which, after
achieving success in various export markets, expanded their role from an
international focus to a more global and multinational outlook.
These days, the international trading houses participate in joint ventures, provide
finance for procurement of raw materials and assist in the third world country trade
negotiations. With their pool of skilled and knowledgeable personnel in different
parts of the world, they are well qualified to provide liaison function in multilateral
negotiations, and can identify the potential participants in international joint ventures.
In many cases, they serve' a banking role, which is made possible by their close
connections with several: international banks.

1.10 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS IN WORLD

ECONOMY
Although many structural problems have occurred in the world economy,

20

especially after the 1973 oil crisis, international business has taken an upward trend.
International trade has grown from $ 136 billion in 1960 to $ 2 trillion in 1980.
During the 1980s, the world trade rose rapidly. According to the data in the 1991
edition of the IMF's Direction of Trade-Statistics Year book, international trade
accounted for more than 3 trillion in 1990. The value of the world trade increased by
about 14.6 per cent (in U.S. dollars) in 1990 compared to 8.1 per cent in 1989, and
14.5 per cent in 1988. However, the growth of trade in volume terms slowed by about
3.9 per cent in 1990 and 7.1 per cent in 1989 due to the decline-in global economic
activities, disruption in trade among the central and East European countries and rise
in the oil prices.

Introduction

In 1990, the trade of the industrial countries grew at about the same rate as the world
trade. Their exports rose by 15.3 per cent and imports by 14.8 per cent. Germany
overtook the United States as the world's leading exporter. The exports and imports
of the developing countries increased by 13.0 per cent and 15.3 per cent respectively
in the same year. Among the developing countries, the Middle East recorded the
fastest export growth in 1990 (23.9 per cent) mainly because of the higher oil prices.
Its imports rose by 16.9 per cent the same year. The aggregate trade surplus of the
Middle East shows the highest rise since 1981 (in US dollars).
The growth in the exports of the developing countries was 12.3 per cent in Asia, and
it was outpaced by the rise in imports (14.3 per cent). The world trade flows are
summarized in Table 1.2.
Table 1.3
World Trade Flows
(billion U.S. dollars)

Activity 5
From Tale 1.3 ascertain the growth in foreign trade of (i) industrial countries and (ii)
developing countries between 1984 and 1990 (in U.S. dollars).

21

International Business :
Role and Processes

1.11 GLOBALISATION OF BUSINESS (SPREAD OF

GLOBAL COMPETITION)

The success of the European and Japanese multinationals in the face of the global
competition can be attributed to their higher rates of savings, investment,
technological development, improvement in management styles and higher
productivity of labour. In view of the superiority gained by the multinationals of
these nations, Lester Throw (A Strategy for Revitalising American Industry,
Columbia Management Review, XXVII, No. 1 (Fall, 1984, p.9) lamented that unless
the US corporations and government took urgent measures, its dominance as an
industrial power would fast disappear, and it would be overtaken by Japan. In his
words:
"America faces a problem that is simply put. The huge technological edge
enjoyed by America in the 1950s and 1960s has disappeared... We are now
faced with competitors who may be in the process of achievements and may
be with the process of moving ahead of us... when our effortless superiority
has vanished, the American economy has been absorbed into a world
economy. For most goods there is now a world market not just an American
market. Competition is world-wide-not just American."
What Lester Throw has said may be taken as a warning by all those countries and
governments, which are slack in upgrading their technologies and improving the
quality of their products, but wish to compete at the world level where intense
competition is a fact of life today.

1.12 WORLD'S LARGEST MULTINATIONALS

22

International trade and investment are now being dominated by the world's largest
multinational companies. The United States which enjoyed a considerable lead before
and immediately after World War II in the international business lost much of its
share to European, Japanese, Canadian and even to the multinationals of the third,
world countries. The relative performance and the number of the multinationals
controlled by a particular country are indicative of its economic strength at the global
level.

Introduction

Japan has made significant development in the international business by accelerating

its foreign investment. The traditional efforts in exporting have been supplemented
by FDI made by the Japanese multinationals. Toyota Motors of Japan occupies a
place in the top ten largest multinationals of the world. The Japanese multinationals
are dominated by motor vehicles and electronics. In addition, they are providing
intensive competition in the overseas market in the fields of computers, office
equipments, metals, farm equipment and petroleum refining.
From the third world countries, South Korea dominates the scene. South Korea has
diversified its industrial structure, and has made a good progress in electronics, motor
vehicles and textiles. The third world multinationals have to be aware of the R & D
activities of the multinationals of the developed countries. They should pay attention
to the upgradation of technology, cost effectiveness and improvement in the quality
of their products in order to face the rapidly growing competition in the international
business.

1.13 SUMMARY
The international business may be defined as the business carried out across the
national borders. The concept of international business stems from the business
processess intersected by the national borders. These processes may be reviewed in
three ways: (a) resource transmission approach; (b) interaction between the MNE and
the host societies; and (c) conflicting interests between the parent and host nations.
The genesis of international business may be traced back to the ancient times when
the Mesopotamian, Greek and, in particular the phoenician merchants, carried out
their trading activities in different parts of the world. The sea-borne trade was
controlled by the phoenicians, and the network of their foreign business spread in
many countries.
When the Turks and Arabs took over the control of the strategic sea routes such as
the iced Sea and the straits of Hormuz, the crusaders were forced to

23

International Business :
Role and Processes

search out new avenues, and they had to circumnavigate Africa in order to procure
the Indian spices and textiles which were in great demand in Europe. Many voyages
were undertaken culminating in the discovery of America by Columbus and the
arrival of Vasco de Gama at Calicut in 1498.
The development of credit institutions, construction of roads and introduction of the
methods of payment like the bills of exchange and drafts stimulated the growth of the
foreign business. As the individual investors could not cope with the increasing
financial requirements of international business, the growth of the foreign business
was facilitated by the establishment of joint stock companies.
The enormous impact on international business was brought about by the Industrial
Revolution at the beginning of the Seventeenth century, facilitating the application of
machinery into production process. A series of innovations after the Industrial
Revolution caused large scale production of a variety of goods, which required raw
materials from abroad in greater quantities. The outcome was the extraction,
processing and transportation of raw materials to the parent countries.
The growth of international business was tremendous in the post-World War II
period, especially after 1950. Both the world trade and investment grew rapidly.
During the decades of the 1950s and 1960s, the FDI was dominated by the United
States, but in the subsequent period, the trend moved in favour of the European and
Japanese and even some MNEs from the developing countries. The bulk of the FDI
by the developed countries occurred among themselves and LDCs were by and large
neglected for international investment.
International business has many dimensions. It is not merely the border crossing
which is sufficient to comprehend the numerous environmental factors faced by the
MNEs in the overseas markets. The external factors are also to be taken into account
by the MNEs while formulating strategies for efficient management and optimum
returns. International business also includes the study of international accounting,
international pricing, international management and international marketing as they
have a direct bearing on operations at the international level.
The MNEs, like the global octopuses, are the central actors in the international
business. They have received both appreciation and criticism. Their contribution to
the spread of knowledge-and technology and in raising the standard of living all over
the world has been highlighted by many writers, while there is no dearth of the critics
who have spoken about their exploitation of local markets, transferring of obsolete
technology and keeping the less developed countries (LDCs) dependent upon the
developed world.
International business differs from the domestic business in terms of the environment
they face. The foreign investors confront different socio-economic, cultural and
physical environments in different countries. Therefore, they make necessary
adjustments in their strategies keeping in view the diverse environments in the
overseas markets.
Recently, the trade in service has assumed significance and has helped several
countries in reducing their trade deficit. Governments have entered into international
business for minimising the possibility of monopoly or concentration and for meeting
their welfare objectives. State trading is competing in many products in the foreign
markets.

24

The international trading houses have been established in many countries for
facilitating both foreign trade and investment. The international business has taken an
increasing share in the world economy. There is now global

competition in the international business. The domination of the United States before
and immediately after World War II has been constantly challenged by the European
and Japanese companies, and even by the multinationals of the LDCs.

Introduction

1.14 KEY WORDS

International Business: Business carried out across the national boundaries. Some
important forms of international business are: export and import of goods and
services, licensing agreement, management contracts, joint ventures, manufacturing
and or marketing in other countries.
Multinational Enterprises (MNEs): The central actors in international business
whose business operations extend beyond the national borders. Foreign to total sales
ratio (F/T ratio) is usually 30 per cent or more, and the attitude of its management is
globally oriented.
Fragmentation : An approach under which an MNE presents different policies for
different world markets (or countries) depending upon the unique conditions
prevailing in those countries.
Unification : An approach to international business dealing with multi-country
problems; In this case, the MNE has a multi-country orientation, treats the entire
world as a global market and attempts to unify the diverse environments of the world
economies.
State Trading : Trading by the government or government controlled enterprises.
International Trading Houses : Exports consortia of non-competing manufacturers
for exporting the members' products. The international trading houses facilitate
trading activities at the global level by coordinating the exchange of good, and
services between the exporters and importers of different countries. They are now
extending all sorts of services relating to the foreign business.
Soga Shoshas : Japanese large trading companies operating as international trading
houses.
Trade Entrepots : Offshore assembly platforms maintained by certain countries, like
Singapore, Hongkong and Taiwan for export purposes. They freely allow export
related imports,
Ethnocentric : Home. oriented attitude of the MNEs.
Polycentric : Host-nations oriented attitude.
Geocentric : Globally oriented attitude.

1.13 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1)

Define international business, and bring out the differences between the
domestic business and international business.

2)

What is the essence of multinationality? Elaborate this concept on the basis of

several definitions of an MNE.

3)

Examine the impact of the Industrial Revolution on international business.

4)

Compare and contrast the growth of international business during the .. pre and
post World War II period.

25

International Business :
Role and Processes

5)

Explain the factors responsible for the development of the modern

multinational enterprise.

6)

Discuss the various dimensions of international business.

7)

Discuss the relative performance of one largest MNE from each of the United
States, Europe, Japan and the third World countries.

8)

Discuss the changing nature of the FDI in the United States. What factors, in
your opinion, have contributed to the rise of European and Japanese
multinationals? What new patterns are emerging in FDI?

9)

Examine the importance of the trade in services, and highlight the role of the
international trading houses in stimulating the foreign trade and investment.

10)

Analyse the importance of international business in the world economy.

11)

In what ways has the state trading provided a formidable challenge in the
international business?

12)

Discuss evolutionary patterns in the organisation structure of international

business.

13)

Compare the key global strategies and the organisational structures of the
MNEs of the- United- States, Europe, Japan and India.

1.16 FURTHERREADINGS
Aharoni, Fair, 1980. "The State-Owned Enterprise as Competitor in International
Markets", Columbia Surnal of World Business, Spring 1980; 14-22.
Fishwick F. 1982. Multinational Companies *and Economic Concentration in
Europe, Praeger: New.York,
Negandhi, A.R. 1937. International Management, Prentice Hall of India Private Ltd:
Delhi.
Negandhi, Anand B. 1985. "Management Strategies and Policies of American,
European and Japanese Multinational Corporations", Management Japan, Spring
1985; 12-20.
Root, Franklin B, 1984. "Some Trends- in World Economy and their Implications for
International Business Strategy," Journal of International Business Studies,
Winter 1984; 19-23.
Rugman, A,M., Lecraw, D.J. and L.D. Booth 1985. International Business, .
McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York. ,
Schmitzer, M.N., Liebrenze, M.L., and Kubin, K.W. 1985. International Business,
South-Western Publishing Company.
Schmitzer, M.C. et al 1985. International Business, South-Western Publishing Co.,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Vernon, R. 1991. Manager in International Economy, Prentice Hall of India Private
Ltd: New Delhi.
Walter, I. and T. Murray (Ed); 1988. Handbook of International Basiness, John Wiley
and Sons: New York.
Wilkins M. 1971. The Emergence of Multinational Enterprises : American Business
Abroad from the Colonial Era to 1914. Harvard University Press (1971). The
Maturing of Multinational Enterprise. American Business Abroad from 1914 to
1970. Harwaid University Press: Cambridge, Mass.

26

Young, John A. "Global Competition: The New Reality". California Management

Review, Spring 1985: 11-25.