Thursday, 17 November 2011

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT.BASICS . Study Material.


1.        ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
o    Culture: system of values, norms that are shared among a group of people and that taken together constitute a design for living. (or)
o    Complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, custom & other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society.
o    Values-abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, desirable/shared assumptions about how things ought to be.
o    Norms-social rules & guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations.
o    Society-group of people who share a common set of values & norms .

2.        Values & norms
o    Values-* form the bedrock of culture
o    *Provide context with in which a society’s norms are established & justified
o    *include a society’s attitudes toward such concepts as individual freedom, justice, democracy, truth, honesty, loyalty, love, social obligations, collective responsibility, role of woman, sex & marriage.

3.        Norms
o    Norms-social rules that govern people’s actions towards one another.
o    2 major categories-1.folkways-routine conventions of every day life, actions of little moral significance.
o    Ex-dress code, social manners, eating with correct utensils, neighbor behavior, attitude towards time.
o    Mores-norms that are seen as central to the functioning of society & to its social life.
o    Ex-act against thefts, adultery .

4.        Determinants of culture
o    Religion
o    Social structure Political
o    Culture
o    Norms &
o    Value systems
o    Language Economic
o    Education

5.        1.Social structure
o    Refers to basic social organization
o    2 important dimensions
o    *degree to which the basic unit of social organization is individual as opposed to group
o    *degree to which a society is stratified into classes/castes.
o    Individuals & groups-group is an association of 2/more individuals who have a shared sense of identity & who interact with each other in structured ways on the basis of common set of expectations about each other behavior.
o    *individuals are the basic building blocks of social organization.

6.        Social stratification (categories)
o    Social strata-typically defined on the basis of characteristics such as family income, background, occupation.
o    Social mobility-refers to the extent to which individuals can move out of the strata into which they are born.
o    -varies from society to society
o    -the most rigid system of stratification is caste system.
o    Class system-less rigid form of social stratification in which social mobility is possible.
o    -is a form of open stratification in which the position a person has by birth can be changed through his/her own achievements
o    Significance-class consciousness-refers to a condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their class background & this shapes their relationships with members of other classes .

7.        2.Religious & ethical systems
o    Religion-system of shared beliefs & rituals that are concerned with the realm of sacred.
o    Ethical systems-refer to a set of moral principles/values that are used to guide & shape behavior & product of religions.
o    4 dominant religions-Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism

8.        Religions
o    Christianity -wider practiced religion in the world.
o    -roman catholic church (Catholicism)
o    -orthodox church (Protestantism)
o    *by Weber-protestants believed in hard work & wealth creation & absence of interest in worldly pleasures.

9.        Islam
o    -2 nd largest, dates back to 610 AD.
o    Characteristics:
o    -respect to parents -not committing adultery
o    -being generous -respecting rights of others
o    -avoid killing –equal dealing with other
o    -being of pure heart & mind –being humble
o    -safe guarding possessions of orphans
o    Islamic fundamentalism
o    -modernization in Islam in rich urban societies
o    -impoverished urban & rural societies
o    Ex-killing of foreign tourist , WTO, Pentagon attacks
o    Economic implications of Islam-free enterprise & earning of profits
o    -interest was a sin

10.     Hinduism
o    - believes in dharma, reincarnation, rebirth, karma, nirvana
o    Economic implications of Hinduism- Weber
o    -individuals should not be judge by material achievements but by spiritual achievements
o    -supports caste system

11.     Buddhism
o    -6 th century by Siddhartha Gauthama
o    -nirvana, spiritual enlightment
o    -life is comprised of suffering
o    -eight fold path: right seeing, thinking, speech, action, living, effort, meditation, mindfulness
o    -no support for caste system
o    -believe in after life & spiritual achievement

12.     Confucianism
o    -5 th century by Confucius, china, Korea, Japan
o    -teaches the importance of attaining personal salvation through right action
o    Economic implications of Confucianism
o    -loyalty to one’s superiors is regarded as sacred duty, so it binds the employees to the heads of their organization and reduces the conflict between management & labor

13.     3.Language
o    Both spoken & unspoken means of communication
o    Spoken language-enable people to communicate with each other
o    -direct the attention of its members to certain features of the world
o    -English common in IB

14.     4.Education
o    -Formal education plays a key role in society
o    -medium through which individuals learn many of language, conceptual & mathematical skills
o    -high skilled individuals are an asset for country.

15.     5.Culture & work place
o    4 dimensions
o    -power distance: people are unequal in physical & intellectual capabilities
o    -individualism vs. collectivism
o    -uncertainty avoidance
o    -masculinity vs. femininity
o    Cultural change-changes in value systems can be slow & painful for a society

16.     Implications for business
o    1.Cross cultural literacy-ethnocentrism, polycentrism, regiocentrism, geocentrism
o    2.Culture & competitive advantage
o    3.Culture & business ethics
o    -respect for core human values
o    -respect for local tradition
o    -respect for freedom

17.     Cultural awareness
o    1.Problem areas that hinder managers are
o    -subconscious reactions to circumstances
o    -the assumption that all societal subgroups are similar
o    2.A company’s need for cultural knowledge increases as
o    -its number of foreign functions increases
o    -the number of countries of operations increases
o    -its moves from external to internal handling of operations

18.     Identification & dynamics of culture
o    The nation as a point of reference
o    Cultural formation & dynamics
o    * choice/imposition
o    * contact with other cultures
o    Language as a cultural stabilizer
o    Religion as a cultural stabilizer

19.     Social & cultural
o    Culture facilitates communication
o    Cultural attitude & IB
o    Culture & thinking process
o    Cross cultural communication process & negotiations
o    Cultural universals
o    Communication through languages
o    Time & culture (appointment)
o    Space & culture

20.     Social & cultural
o    Culture & agreement
o    Culture of friendship
o    Culture & superstition
o    Culture & color
o    Culture & gifts
o    Culture prescriptive-the kinds of behavior considered acceptable in the society
o    EX-consumption of wine
o    -US acceptable
o    -India socially not acceptable
o    -Saudi socially & legally unacceptable

21.     Behavioral practices affecting business
o    1.Social stratification systems -group affiliation
o    *Performance orientation
o    *Gender based groups
o    *Age based groups
o    *Family based groups
o    *Occupation
o    2.Motivation
o    *Materialism & leisure
o    *Expectation of success & reward
o    * Assertiveness
o    * Need hierarchy (recognition, attention, appreciation, maslow’s hierarchy)

22.     Behavioral practices affecting business
o    3.Relationship preferences
o    *Power distance
o    *Individualism vs. collectivism
o    4.Risk taking behavior
o    *Uncertainty avoidance
o    *Trust
o    *Future orientation
o    *Fatalism

23.     Behavioral practices affecting business
o    5.Information & task processing
o    *Perception of cues, obtaining information
o    *Information processing
o    -monochromic: people like to finish work one after one
o    -polychromic: people concentrate on all tasks at one time

24.     Strategies for dealing with cultural differences
o    Making little/no adjustment
o    Communication
o    Silent language
o    Culture shock (expatriate)

25.     Company & Management orientations
o    Polycentrism-control is decentralized
o    Ethnocentrism-superiority
o    Geocentrism
o    Strategies for instituting change
o    Value system -the more a change upsets important values, the more resistance it will encounter
o    Cost benefit of change
o    Economic cost
o    Psychic cost

26.     Strategies for instituting change
o    Resistance to too much change
o    Participation
o    Reward sharing
o    Opinion leaders
o    Timing
o    Learning abroad

27.     Political environment
o    Political process functions include
o    *interest articulation-politicians, individuals, businesses, interest groups
o    *policy making
o    *interest aggregation
o    *policy implementation & adjudication

28.     Political environment
o    a. Basic political ideologies
o    b. Impact of ideological differences on national boundaries
o    *a political spectrum
o    *political rights & civil liberties
o    *stability in democracy
o    c. Impact of political system on management decisions
o    *political risk

29.     Political environment
o    Types & causes of political risk
o    *Opinions of political leadership
o    *Civil disorder
o    *External relations
o    *Micro&macro political risks
o    d. Government intervention in the economy
o    *individualistic paradigm-minimal government intervention, democratic & economically free
o    *communitarian paradigm-authoritative & prestigious government, defines needs & priorities

30.     Formulating & implementing political strategies
o    Identify the issue
o    Define the political aspect of the issue
o    Assess the potential political action of other companies & special interest groups
o    Identify important institutions & key individuals
o    Formulate strategies
o    Determine the impact of implementation
o    Select the most appropriate strategy & implement it

31.     Political environment
o    Collectivism & individualism
o    Socialism
o    *Communists *Social democrats
o    Democracy & totalitarianism
o    *Communist totalitarianism-dictatorship
o    *Theocratic totalitarianism-by a party/group
o    *Tribal totalitarianism
o    *Rightwing totalitarianism-gives economic freedom but restricts political freedom

32.     Legal environment
o    Kinds of legal systems
o    Common law-based on tradition, custom, usage & interpretation by courts Ex. US,UK
o    Civil law-codified legal system, legal codes Ex. Germany, France, Japan
o    Theocratic law-based on religious precepts Ex. Islamic countries

33.     Legal environment
o    Consumer safeguards-product liability issues
o    Legal profession
o    Legal issues in IB
o    *national laws affect all local business activities
o    *national laws affect cross border activities
o    *international treaties, cross border transactions

34.     Legal systems
o    Property rights
o    *public & private action
o    Protection of intellectual property
o    *patents *copyrights *trademarks
o    Product safety & liability
o    Contract law

35.     Economic environment
o    Key economic forces
o    *general economic framework of a country
o    *economic stability
o    *existence & influence of capital markets
o    *market size
o    *availability of economic infrastructure

36.     Economic environment
o    An economic description of countries
o    Factor/production conditions-HR, physical resources, knowledge resources, capital resources, infrastructure
o    Demand conditions
o    *composition of home demand (quality of demand)
o    *size & growth of demand (quantity of demand)
o    *internalization of demand

37.     Economic environment
o    Countries classified by income
o    Gross national income (GNI)
o    Gross national product (GDP)
o    World bank:
o    -5 closely associated institutions
o    *IBRD (International bank for reconstruction & development)
o    *IDC (International development association)
o    *IFC (International finance corporation)
o    *MIGA (Multilateral guarantee agency)
o    *ICSID (International center for settlement of investment disputes)

38.     Economic environment
o    Countries classified by region
o    East Asia & pacific
o    Latin America & the Caribbean
o    The Middle east & North Africa
o    South Asia
o    Sub-Sahara Africa
o    Importance of regional groupings of countries
o    Similar economic conditions
o    Mirrors the way companies organize their firms geographically

39.     Economic environment
o    Countries classified by economic system- every government struggles for ownership & control of economy
o    *Ownership-who own the resources engaged in economic activity
o    -can be public sector, private sector/both
o    *Control-whether resources are allocated & controlled by the public/private sector

40.     Economic environment
o    Factors that determine economic freedom
o    Trade policy
o    Fiscal burden of government
o    Government intervention in the economy
o    Monetary policy
o    Capital flows & investment
o    Banking & finance
o    Wages & prices
o    Property rights & regulation
o    Black market activity

41.     Economic environment
o    State capitalism-Japan, Korea
o    Market economy-private sector
o    *consumer sovereignty
o    Command economy-public sector
o    Mixed economy
o    * Inflation -condition in which prices are going up
o    -inflation rate is the percentage increase in the change in prices from one period to the next, usually a year
o    -to measure inflation the following

42.     Economic environment
o    *consumer price index (CPI)
o    *surpluses & deficits
o    *balance of payments (BOP):
o    -current account: trade in goods & services & income from assets abroad
o    -merchandise trade balance: net balance of exports minus imports of merchandise
o    -deficit: imports exceed exports
o    -surplus: exports exceed imports

43.     Economic environment
o    External debt
o    Internal debt
o    Privatization
o    Transition to a market economy-includes liberalizing economic activity & establishing legal & institutional framework

44.     Economic environment
o    Process of transition
o    Russian transition
o    *includes political & economic transition at the same time
o    *initial transition steps resulted in steep economic declines
o    *soft budgets, subsidies & other government supporting activities have continued
o    *hard administrative constraints have disappeared & are being replaced with connections & corruption
o    *debts & deficits-both internal & external area real challenge

45.     Economic environment
o    China’s transition
o    *Chinese growth has been far stronger than for other countries in transition
o    *china has maintained totalitarian political control while loosening the economy
o    *a major challenge is privatizing state owned enterprises

46.     Economic environment
o    The future of transition
o    *continued macro stability
o    *maintaining economic growth
o    *continued improvement in institutional & structural areas
o    *the solution of social issues such as poverty, child welfare, HIV/AIDS

47.     Ethical issues in IB
o    Utilize natural resources optimally & appropriately
o    Benefit should accrue to the host country in the nature of production/export
o    Technology transfer, employment, training of host country’s personnel, equal treatment to be done
o    Social segment responsibility to be discharged
o    Accounting should be transparent
o    Do not involve in host country’s politics.
o    Avoid bribery


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