Innovations in transportation and communications during the twentieth century have resulted in the ability of goods and services to move among nations with greater ease than at any other time in history. International business is no longer the exclusive realm of the large multinational corporation; small businesses are creating marketing niches for themselves in particular product or service areas. Because of this greater interest in the global economy, companies which are seeking to build long-term strategic plans must consider whether or not international marketing is a critical part of those long-term plans.
When considering international marketing, companies must take into account their own internal structure, the role of the governments of the countries considered, and the way in which the company would operate in the foreign nation (whether directly, as part of a joint venture, or through some licensing effort). Political situations must be considered, and the labor situation in the foreign country (as well as in the domestic country) must also be taken into account. The differences in the currencies between the various countries involved must also be considered, and barriers to trade (both tariff and nontariff) also need to be evaluated since the barriers which the company needs to overcome may determine whether a particular venture will be profitable or unprofitable.
Multinational corporations are those companies which offer products or services in different countries throughout the world, adapting their products to the countries in which they are selling. Global companies are companies which operate with a high degree of consistency regardless of the country in which the operation occurs (Aizenman 459). At multinational companies, internal practices are also changed to reflect the environment of the various countries. The result is that multinational companies have higher relative costs associated with their inter...