Types of International Businesses

 Imports and Exports

 Licensing
 Franchising
 Outsourcing and Offshoring
 Joint Ventures and Strategic Partnerships
 Multinational Companies
 Foreign Direct Investment
Factors to Consider before Starting International Business Operations
 Geographical Factors
 Social Factors
 Legal Policies
 Behavioral Factors
 Economic Forces
Types of International Businesses
All the major international business conducted in the world can come under seven main types.
These can also be termed as modes of business.
Imports and Exports
Simplest and most commonly used method, imports and exports can be seen as the foundation of
international business. Imports are an inflow of goods into the markets of home country for
consumption, in contrast, export means selling of goods to foreign countries. In short, imports
means inflow whereas export means outflow of goods in any form.
Licensing
Licencing is one of the easiest ways to expand a business internationally. When a company has a
standardized product with ownership rights, it can use licensing to distribute and sell the
products in the international market. Licenses come in many forms, some of which are patent,
copyright, trademark, etc. Products such as books and movies are usually distributed
internationally through licensing agreements.
Franchising
A very effective method to expand a business nationally as well as internationally, franchising is
similar to licensing. In this, a parent company gives the right to another company to conduct
business using the parent company’s name/ brand and products. The parent company becomes
the franchiser and the receiving company becomes the franchisee. Many of the biggest restaurant
chains in the world have used the franchisee model to expand internationally. Some examples
include – McDonald, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza and many more.
Outsourcing and Offshoring
Outsourcing means giving out contracts to international firms for certain business processes. For
example, giving out accounting function to an international firm. This is usually effective when
the cost of conducting these processes are comparatively much cheaper in some other country
than in the home country. For example, many developed countries such as the USA, Australia,
the UK, etc. outsource its functions to companies in India, China, etc. because it is cheaper.
Offshoring is similar to outsourcing in the sense that a function is moved away from the home
country. However, it is different in the sense that the facility is physically moved to another
country but the management stays with the company itself. For example, Apple Inc. is
conducting its manufacturing function in China, however, it is completely controlled by Apple
Inc.
Joint Ventures and Strategic Partnerships
A joint venture is a contract between two parties, one is an international company while another
company is local to where the business has to be conducted. Both parties contribute to the equity
and management of the company. As a result, both share the profit as well. These parties can
mutually decide the percentage of equity and profit sharing.
These types of ventures and partnerships come into existence when both the party has something
to offer. For example, the local company may have the brand name and network within the
country while the international company may have advanced technology. A classic example of a
joint venture is Tata Jaguar collaboration in India. Sometimes there are government restrictions
to international companies against holding 100% equity in certain areas such as defense. In such
cases, international companies can take the benefit of the new market by a joint venture.
Multinational Companies
Multinational companies, as the name suggests, are companies that are conducting business in
multiple countries. They actually set up the whole business in multiple countries. Some such
examples are Amazon, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, etc.
These companies have independent operations in each country, and each country has its own set
of offices, employees, etc. In fact, even the products and marketing campaigns are customized as
per local needs. For example, Nestle introduced a Matcha flavor Kit Kat in Japan as the flavor is
very popular in that country, however, they don’t offer the same flavor in India. This
customization is one of the many benefits of being a multinational company.
Foreign Direct Investment
Foreign direct investment is an investment made by an individual or a company located in one
country to the business interest located in another foreign country. In this the investing company
usually commits more than capital, they share management, technology, processes, etc, with the
company that they have invested in. The foreign direct investments can take many forms such as
a subsidiary company, associate company, joint venture, merger, etc.
These are the major types through which people, companies, and government conduct
international business. However, means of business is just one minor speck of the international
business environment.
One must consider many factors when setting up any business internationally.
Factors to Consider before Starting International Business Operations
Geographical Factors
Simple challenges that come with the change in geography have to be studied when considering
international business. There are differences in storage requirement, supply chain requirements,
connectivity issues, etc. from country to country. Colgate-Palmolive will face a thousand
challenges even before its soaps and shampoos can reach rural areas of India where there is a
lack of basic necessities such as water, electricity, transportation, etc.
Social Factors
Social factors are very important in international business. It is very difficult to set up shops in
countries that are politically disturbed or are going through some tensions. For example, most
companies don’t want to expand its business in Afghanistan, as there is so much disturbance.
Legal Policies
Every country has different laws and governing policies. A company should check all the legal
requirements in the country in which it wants to conduct business. The basic laws that need
attention are organization laws, securities laws, consumer protection laws, employees protection
laws, and many more. The process can be lengthy but it is necessary.
Behavioral Factors
Every country has different cultures and beliefs, and people can be very sensitive to these beliefs.
An international company, if not careful, can land a lot of issues if they don’t take care of the
country’s behavioral factors. For example, McDonald cannot sell its beef burgers in India, else it
will have to face the brunt of the Indian population that is majority Hindu.
Economic Forces
These factors include the county’s currency values, market size, cost, inflation, etc. These are
important because it directly affects the profitability of operations. Every company should
consider these factors before expanding internationally if they want to manage its bottom line.