Inter-cultural relationships

• Another important aspect of culture in international business is managing cross-cultural differences.

• The best way is to locate relevant cultural information.

• Culture shock can be avoided by striving to be more flexible and forming effective inter-cultural relationships.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-ТЕХНІЧНЕ СЕРЕДОВИЩЕ

Аналіз технологічного середовища передбачає оцінювання очікуваних змін у процесі науково-технічної конкуренції, прогнозування можливості появи принципово нових технічних засобів і технологій або можливості нетрадиційного використання відомих технологій і т.д

• Technology development need not always occur in a single organization. It can occur in inter-connected networks of organizations such as industry-university cooperative research centers, R&D consortia, and R&D limited partnerships also.

• Universities and firms are increasingly entering into collaboration to conduct joint research. This type of research generally involves several corporations and universities.

• R&D consortia have been replacing other inter-organizational alternatives such as licensing arrangements, acquisitions, and joint ventures since the early 1980s. 

• An R&D consortium can be defined as a group of firms linked together by cooperation agreements and conducting their R&D together.

• R&D limited partnerships are formed between a general partner and a group of limited partners.

• Organizational networks represent some geographical characteristics based on which we can classify them into industrial parks or industrial clusters.

• An industrial park is an area designed and zoned for manufacturing and associated activities. This is developed and managed as a single unit.

• Clusters rarely come into existence because of government initiatives.

• Silicon Valley was not a result of any government policy. The government does however have an important role to play in nurturing clusters.

REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION

• The purpose of the regulation is to ensure equality and justice in society by framing laws, acts, and regulations.

• As the labor laws of various nations differ an authority is required to regulate matters relating to employment and labor at the international level. The International Labor Organization has laid down many laws and guidelines to regulate labor matters in the international trade.

• These laws aim at providing give legal and corporate status to workers, protecting their health, safety and welfare, giving them proper benefits in case of sickness, maternity or any injury, to ensuring that they receive regular and prompt wages and other benefits. All those countries (including India) which have strict laws are now liberalizing the norms to suit the changing conditions.

Multilateral environmental agreements

• The disparity in the laws of various nations relating to environmental protection and increasing cross-border trade has led to many differences between them. Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) have formed under the WTO to deal with issues relating to the environment. Apart from them, a number of conventions and programmes have been conducted to ensure a clean and safe global environment.

TRIPS

• Intellectual property rights are given to those who have invented a new method or technology useful to the entire society or to those who have created an original artistic or literary work.

• Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) are formed by the WTO to regulate issues relating to intellectual property at the international level.

• Intellectual property rights cover trademarks --- those marks which help customers identify a genuine product from a fake one); copy rights—(the rights given to any original literary or artistic work in tangible form); patents – (given for any new invention or innovation which is beneficial to society).

LICENSES

• License is an official sanction given by the government to import certain goods which are under the trade block.

• The regulations related to product promotion differ from country to country and from commodity to commodity.

• International marketers should thoroughly understand the norms and regulations of the foreign country before entering its market. The culture, beliefs, and language of the people should also be taken into consideration apart from the laws of the country.

SECURITIES’ REGULATIONS

• Similarly, regulations related to securities differ between nations.

• The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates all the issues related to securities in the US, while the Securities Exchange Board of India deals with all issues related to the capital and money markets in India.

• Similarly, the Financial Services Agency in Japan, the Federal Institution for Supervision of Financial Service in Germany, the Financial Services Authority in UK, the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong etc are the regulatory authorities in their respective countries.

ANTI-COMPETITIVE POLICIES

• The Sherman Antitrust Act, The Clayton Antitrust Act, and the Federal Trade Commission look into anti-competitive policies in the US. They are framed to ensure fair competition and prevent monopolistic abuses in the market. The European environment is regulated by the European Union. Among the various divisions of the EU, the European Commission acts as the executive body and plays a major role in the regulation of the European market. The failed merger of GE and Honeywell proves this point.