国际商业环境

Five major functions of business activities:

The innovation function is concerned with the development of new business ideas, in terms of products, processes, and methods of marketing, organization and management.

The production function comprises those activities concerned with the creation of goods and services through the bringing together and mixing of a number of resource inputs, including materials, labour, finance, and plans.

The marketing function deals with all those activities which relate directly to the consumer. These involve researching themarket and using that information in the development of the product, pricing, promoting, and ensuring that the product eventually reaches the consumer.

The human resource management function is concerned with the planning, acquisition, development, utilization and reward of an organization's human resources. An important part of the role is the management of conflict through those activities associated with industrial relations.

The finance and accounting function deals with the raising and management of funds, and the production of information to facilitate these two processes

The concept of interaction

Interaction is a process which involves a two-way influence. It occurs when two elements are able toexert influences which bring about changes in each other.

The concept of strategy

A strategy comprises a set of objectives and methods of achieving those objectives.

Global business environment model

1.Social Factors

the social responsibility aspects of modern business.

the role of multinational corporations in business and especially ethical behavior.

political issues relevant to business.

environmental impact of business and the effects of theenvironmental change on business. pressure groups and their influences on policy.

the issues surrounding animal rights, genetic engineering

2.Legal Factors

The laws relating to business and its employees of both China and the world - these will concentrate on health, safety, employment, anti-discrimination, labor relations, consumer protection and competition.

3.Economic Factors

what influences the level of economic activity;

what stimulates economic growth;

how interest rates are set and their influence on economic activity and trade;

how public expenditure is financed and what it is spent on the various types of exchange rates in operation and how they influence international trade;

trade flows between China and its major trading partners;

inflation: its causes and consequences;

the main causes of unemployment and how government tries to reduce it and its impact. 4.Political Factors

How politics imposes both opportunities and constraints on business. This will involve an awareness of government intervention, micro and macro policies, such as inflation, employment, monetary, growth generators, fiscal, regional and competition policies.

the international institutions that impact on business;

how certain policies such as taxes impact on the world of work;

the role of benefits in a democracy;

how education and training can be encouraged;

the role of trade unions in the new century;

the impact of monetary policy on business confidence;

the application of supply side policies and the business world.

5.Technological Policies

Their impact on the business world.

The impact will involve both opportunities and threats.

Six steps in the case analysis process:

Gaining familiarity with the case situation (critical case facts, persons, activities, context);

Recognizing the symptoms (what are the things that are not as expected, or as they should be?)

Identifying goals/objectives

Conducting the analysis

Making the diagnosis (identifying problems, i.e., discrepancies between goals and performance, prioritizing problems etc.)

Preparing the action plan (identifying feasible action alternatives, selecting a course of action, implementation planning, plan for monitoring implementation

Five components of research design that are important for case studies:

1) A study's questions

2) Its propositions, if any

3) Its unit(s) of analysis

4) The logic linking the data to the propositions