Whether large or small, all businesses are engaged in international business. Traditional views identified customers as citizens of a country with a similar culture. Current and future needs target global customers with blending culture and language characteristics. Once only large, Fortune 500 firms were engaged in international trade. Millions of small firms and many virtual companies exist today by marketing goods and services to an increasingly international customer or client.
Any transaction involving citizens or firms from different countries is international business.
Exporting is the distribution and sale of products or services made in one country to a purchaser residing in a different country. Importing is the purchase of products or services made in other countries than one's native country. Please review the PowerPoint presentation to identify the most common reasons why firms engage in international business. Using the student discussion board, please comment as to whether each firm engaging in international business is likely to have each of these objectives defined as its reason for participation. The first site expresses an anti-globalization view, and the second and third site supports globalization.