Theoretical milestones in international business: The journey to international entrepreneurship theory

For many decades global business was considered the preserve of large multinationals and traditional international business theory was developed to explain the behaviour of these firms. However, increasingly there is a realization that the small entrepreneurial firm has an important role to play in international business especially given that there are strong globalization pressures that both pull and push the small firm into international markets to ensure its very survival. On the questions of how and why international business takes place, several theoretical approaches have been developed that appear to run parallel to each other. However, this paper posits that the point of convergence is international entrepreneurship.     

Trends in international business,thought, and literature: The past and future of political analysis for international business

The literature on political risks (and opportunities) in international business has expanded far beyond its initial preoccupation with expropriation and instability in “third world,” developing countries. The literature has thus become more concerned with other types of government policies and with political conditions in “first world” and “second world” countries as well. In those respects, the literature has developed analytically and become of more widespread relevance to managerial issues in international business. This article reviews the topical coverage of the political risk literature of international business, and in addition it considers key analytical issues concerning the levels of analysis, theoretical content, and analytical methods that have been evident, as well as those that have been neglected. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Engaging values in international business practice

Managerial decisions and behaviors in the international business arena have ethical implications across cultures and countries. The need for ethics and core values in business practice has been heightened by continued business scandals and ethical managerial lapses that have violated public trust. Global businesses can offer practical guidance and set ethical examples for others to follow by establishing corporate values beyond written business codes. Four key work values (Honesty, Fairness, Concern of Others, and Achievement) known to be present in businesses across cultures, are put forth as a baseline start for multinational corporation leaders. Offered is a process for making the core values unique to an organization, and for adopting and training managers in the use of core values. Presented is evidence of managerial implementation of the core work values, and managers’ alignment of work values with organizational strategies. By addressing the values and principles of their workplaces, international businesses can achieve cross-cultural ethical practices, managerial alignment, and global social responsibility.     

A retrospective of international business education in the United States over the past fifty years

International business relationships are almost as old as mankind, but the idea that people needed to be educated to manage global business enterprises is less than 50 years old. The American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), established in 1946 was the first school to provide languages, international studies, and business management as a basic education in international management. Business schools in America have been slow to realize and to promulgate courses and curriculums in the field. It has only been in the last ten years that the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, composed of over 700 colleges and universities in the country, has become an advocate through a revision in its standards. After the words “and worldwide” were inserted in the AACSB standards of accreditation, international business education began to permeate the offerings of American business schools.     

商务档案管理在国际贸易中的作用

现代社会经济发展的多元化管理形势下,档案管理已经成为各项事务管理的重要形式.商务档案是经济主体在各种商务活动过程中直接形成的原始记录.新形势下,商务档案管理对于促进各项商务活动的健康运行举足轻重,同时又与社会各个阶层密切联系,相互促进相互发展,商务档案管理,在国际贸易活动中发挥了积极作用.     

The role of flexibility in online business

Companies are trying to be more competitive by establishing a presence on the fast-growing Net. At the same time, the Net's business environment is growing more complex and uncertain. Management literature argues that flexibility can enhance corporate responsiveness to such an environment. However, research on e-businesses has focused mainly on the idea of customizing online offerings. Here is a holistic view of flexibility, investigating how online companies can become flexible through the different functional aspects of their business—technology, human resources, operations, marketing, finance, and management. What are the related opportunities and pitfalls? And what guidelines can managers follow?     

Trends in international business thought and literature: Traversing the path to insolvency: Lessons from an international alliance in management education

In 1988 the Madrid Business School (MBS) was created through a cooperative agreement between a small entrepreneurial firm in Madrid, Spain, and a large public institution of higher education in the United States. By mid-1994 MBS was financially insolvent and had closed. Discussion of this case focuses on two questions: first, could the American partner have taken any actions to increase the likelihood of MBS as a viable institution? Second, what constitutes a strategic approach to international cooperative agreements? Both issues offer lessons for entering into and participating in international cooperative agreements in higher education.