In this module, you will gain a comprehensive overview of international market entry strategies. You’ll start by considering the fundamental question: “Should you go global?” and examine the key factors that will influence your decision. If you decide to expand internationally, you will then need to explore three core entry decisions: entry timing, country selection, and your choice of entry strategy. Then to help with your analysis is a discussion of entry timing, followed by a detailed analysis of country selection, guiding you through the use of the PESTEL framework to evaluate and select your target market.

In this module, you’ll learn how to export to a foreign market. First, you’ll explore the relationship between exporting and importing, and then you’ll walk through the steps you need to follow for successful exporting. Next, you’ll compare three alternative types of exporting: direct exporting, indirect exporting with intermediaries, and piggyback exporting. Finally, you’ll discover how to achieve successful importing, which essentially mirrors the process of successful exporting.

In this module, you’ll explore ways to enter foreign countries directly, including both contractual entry methods and foreign direct investment. With contractual methods, you form arm’s-length relationships with foreign companies—these include licensing, franchising, outsourcing, management contracts, and turnkey projects. If you choose foreign direct investment (FDI), you will take an active ownership role in a foreign firm. Your FDI options include joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, and Greenfield investments.

In this final module, you will explore the personal side of international business by discussing what it’s like to work and live abroad as an expatriate (expat). You will identify the characteristics that make for a successful expat, and compare them with traits that may lead to less success. Next, you will review the many steps needed to take to get ready for living abroad, along with the precautions to consider. You’ll then examine what life abroad as an expatriate entails, including strategies you can use to cope with culture shock. Finally, you will consider the challenges you might face when returning home after a long assignment abroad. You then wrap up by reflecting on whether the experience is worth it for you—with the provisional answer being “yes!”

International Business Entry and Growth final assessment