to Canadian International
Business Management
| INTRODUCTION
to Canadian International Business Management |
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2008 Oct 27th, Prof. Richardson
created a 9 minute video which summarizes the main points of this webpage.
Students are encouraged to
view the video first, then scroll down the webpage to read the summary
in more detail.
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All Business is International Business
The reason we say that "All
Business" is "Int'l Business" is that we mean all business, even domestic
companies that do not directly exporting or import, are effected by international
circumstances which can positively and negatively effect their business
performance.
| All
Business is International Business
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.
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| All
Business is International Business
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As
reported in The Toronto Star
"sales at Harvey's fared badly as the fast-food burger concept coped with the mad cow scare and increased competitive pressures. System sales fell 4.2 per cent to $62 million, while same restaurant sales fell 3.4 per cent. Six restaurants closed in the quarter. The company ended the quarter with 339 Harvey's."
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Canada's major international
export
products/commodities
o forest
products
o dimension lumber (2x4, 2x6
etc.)
o wood pulp for making newsprint
and cardboard
o paper in giant rolls for cutting
and processing
o processed wood, like plywood,
fiberboard, mouldings, shingles, etc.
o grains
and oilseeds (wheat, canola)
 |
click on the screen capture to view a short clip, posted to YouTube, made by Prof. Richardson about the state of farming in Canada in fall 2008 |
o marine
products (frozen fish, roe, crustaceans)
o mining
and minerals
o ore and ore concentrates
o coal (metallurgical and thermal)
o processed metal products (sheets
of aluminium, steel. copper)
o precious metals such as gold
and silver
o protash - a big story in 2008
o agricultural
products (cheese, beef, maple syrup, etc.)
o automobiles,
automotive parts
o GM from Oshawa
o Ford from Oakville
o Honda in Alliston
o Toyota in Cambridge
Canada's major international
import
products/commodities
o consumer
products (VCR's, computers, cell phones)
o processed
food products
o automobiles,
automotive parts
o clothing
o Canada used to have a strong
garment industry in Quebec
but competition from Asia shut that down in the late 1990's
Now that we know have a bit of a short intro to "what is" international business, let us keep in mind the title of this course, it is "International Business Management" - meaning understanding management (or, being the boss of other people) in the context of international business.
International Business Management requires us to not only have a grounding in what the key sectors are, but we must also know some of the players.
So, Who
is big business in Canada? - Do you really know the company names?
If
you wanted to get a good job in "international business" in Canada, do
you know the playaz ?
see http://www.witiger.com/internationalbusiness/topcompanies.htm
The reason we discuss these
big companies, in the first class, is because this list gives some indication
of just how big, or small we are in the total world community of international
business - which may help us appreciate the competitiveness of our various
industries and companies within those sectors. It is also interesting to
look at how some Canadian companies rose, or fell as a consequence of the
influencing environments (competition, technology, economics, social-cultural
etc.)
.nn
|
re: Physical and Environmental Forces |
| In order for
you, as a Canadian student of International Business, to be successful
in finding a job in international business in Canada, it is very helpful
for you to have an appreciation for what types of business most large and
medium sized Canadian companies are involved in. The geographical size
of Canada, and the "gifts" of our natural resources means that Canadians
companies are doing international business on a large scale, are mostly
involved in the following
(WTGR.) |
|
| Key Points | It is important
to acknowledge, and understand the effect of the environmental forces on
international business because business does not happen in a vacuum - there
is always things - which you can do nothing about - which will effect your
success or failure. Being aware of these environments, and dealing with
them, will allow you to survive and thrive.
WTGR |
| . | There
are a number of Physical and Environmental Forces influencing and effecting
Int'l business in Canada.
|
| Physical and Environmental Forces influencing and effecting Int'l business in Canada? | Geographical
size and east-west spread of Canada
Canada population distribution map http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/peopleandsociety/population/population2001/distribution2001 |
| Physical and Environmental Forces influencing and effecting Int'l business in Canada? | Topographical,
"Latitude" and climatic challenges
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| Physical and Environmental Forces influencing and effecting Int'l business in Canada? | The
"gifts" of our land based and ocean based natural resources
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| Resources
Driving Canada's growth 2006 |
Peter Morton, writing in the National Post in April 2006, analysed the IMF report and makes the following comments. "Oil
and other natural resources will continue to drive strong economic growth
in Canada for the next several years"
Morton
cautions that the largest risks to the Canadian economy come if there is
a slowdown in the United States, a sharp depreciation in the U.S. dollar
or "a worsening of the terms of trade caused by weaker global commodity
prices."
Morton also notes the world is not totally driven by the U.S. economy - While the United States -- with an expected growth rate of 3.4% this year and 3.3% next year -- will continue to be the main economic driver among the leading economies, there are signs that an expansion in Japan and the European Union will also contribute to global growth....China's gross domestic product is seen expanding by 9.5% this year and 9% next, helped by booming investment and export growth. |
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There is a difference
between what exists as Canada's leading sectors of international business,
and what the government wants to promote as Canada's sectors.
To the left is a screen capture (Sept 2008) from the Canadian federal government website which is a portal to general info about doing business in/with Canada. It is interesting to note that some of the "Sectors" the government is promoting are not necessarily the ones in which we are actual world leaders. The sectors listed by the
government in Sept 2008 are
Automotive, or Tourism Ontario is North America's biggest location for automotive production, assembly and auto parts - bigger than
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| Sometimes in the 1st or
2nd lecture of this course we will have a short discussion about
Why you need International Experience. These are some of the key points from that discussion,
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| Modes
of International Business
- this is just a simple listing - a detailed explanation will follow later in the course - the purpose of listing these modes is to allow you to understand the range of "what" international business is Import/Export
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| useful sources of information
Canadexport is a publication
from the federal government.
The archives section allows
you to search the many previous documents they have on specific countries
or specific types of international business
It was suggested to students in class that they could contact canadexport and be put on the mailing list. |
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CONTACT I MAIN PAGE I NEWS GALLERY I E-BIZ SHORTCUTS I INT'L BIZ SHORTCUTS I MKTG&BUSINESS SHORTCUTS I TEACHING SCHEDULE |
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