More Study Abroad Articles

International Business

It has been proven through studies by the World Bank and others that companies participating in international trade are more competitive. Arancha Gonzalez

The objective of the international business option is to prepare students for the increasingly competitive and interdependent international business world with which they must cope. There is a great and growing need for American business school graduates to be better informed about how to compete and do business outside the U. S. as well as in the U. S. market where much of their competition is from foreign firms. Students need to understand how international business practices and customs differ from those in the U. S. They need at least some familiarity with a language other than English as well as with cultural diversity and world geography. 

 

COB International Business Down Town Long Beach

International business refers to cross-border commerce and other business transactions between governments or companies. Among other things, engaging in international business requires an understanding of the legal requirements and business and trade regulations of the country in which you are doing business.

  • Financial Analyst
  • Stock Broker
  • Product Manager
  • Economist
  • Consultant Foreign Exchange Trader
  • Foreign Service Officer
  • Trade Specialist
  • Import/Export Coordinator

International business occurs in many different formats:

  • The movement of goods from country to another (exporting, importing, trade)
  • Contractual agreements that allow foreign firms to use products, services, and processes from other nations (licensing, franchising)
  • The formation and operations of sales, manufacturing, research and development, and distribution facilities in foreign markets

The prevalence of international business has increased significantly during the last part of the twentieth century, thanks to the liberalization of trade and investment and the development of technology. Some of the significant elements that have advanced international business include:

  • The formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995
  • The inception of electronic funds transfers
  • The introduction of the euro to the European Union
  • Technological innovation that facilitates global communication and transportation
  • The dissolution of a number of communist markets, thus opening up many economies to private business

The International Business Program offers short-term study abroad programs to various destinations. These programs typically involve class activities done on campus during the spring or fall semester plus a week-long overseas trip in winter (for fall program) or summer (for spring program). Students will enroll in the course CBA 494, with letters A indicating Asian destinations, B indicating European destinations, and C indicating Latin American destinations. Scholarships are available to support those enrolled in the fall and spring programs. Course credits count as electives for certain majors such as International Business, Management, and Marketing. In addition, we also offer programs exclusively in winter or summer via the Center for International Education. Destinations of past programs include China, Germany, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cuba, and South America.

Nine units of upper-division GE capstone must be chosen from a list of courses with strong global or international emphasis. This list is available at the CBA Student Center for Success (CBA 100), from the Director of the International Business Program.**

Revised List of GE Capstone Courses Suitable for International Business Majors

(December 18, 2015)

A/ST 307: Modern Asia
A/ST 309: Asia and Globalization
ANTH 307: Modernization in Global Perspective
ANTH 412: Culture and Communication
ART 333: Global Art Scene
ECON 306: Environmental Issues of World Economy
ECON 366: Introduction to Development Economics
ENGR 302: Energy & Environmental Global Perspective
GEOG 308: Africa South of the Sahara
GEOG 309: Middle East and North Africa
* GEOG 313: Southeast Asia
* GEOG 314: South Asia
* GEOG 315: East Asia
GEOG 318: Russian and Its Neighbors
GEOG 319 (I/ST 319): International Development
* GEOG 321: Geography of Latin America
* GEOG 355 (I/ST 355): International Environmental Issues
HSC: 420: International Health
HCA 417: Technology, Ethics, and Society
HCA 422: Global Issues in Health Services
HCA 457: Working Around the World
HIST 407: Japan and the U.S. in the 20th Century
I/ST 317 (SOC 317): Problems in International Social Conflict
I/ST 319 (GEOG 319): International Development
* I/ST 320: Migration and Modernity
* I/ST 355 (GEOG 355): International Environmental Issues
JOUR 312: Global New Media
R/ST 331: Islamic Religion and Culture
RGR 314: Introduction to Contemporary Europe
RGR 315: Contemporary European Society
SOC 317 (I/ST 317): Problems in International Social Conflict
WGSS 401: Bodies and Borders: Feminism and Globalization
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