Euro is the currency used by the European Union (EU) countries, so, the market the Euro is used for, can be named Euromarket. It has in view all the transactions done by the banks in Euro currencies, Euro notes, Euro commercial papers, Euro bonds. It is a market that has developed itself in Europe. The market deals with US dollars as well and it can be named Euro dollar market. Currency is borrowed and lent by institutions located in different countries, there is a capital flow which seems to be uncontrolled. Theoretically, it cannot be a national control over this market. From the practical point of view, the market forces dictate the lending rates; the rates do not diverge from the domestic lending ones, it happens only for short interval of time. The international banks are the main operators; financial institutions are also allowed to enter the market. The Continue reading
Global Business Environment
The international/global business environment can be defined as the environment in different sovereign countries, with factors exogenous to the home environment of the organization, influencing decision-making on resource use and capabilities. The international business environment includes social, political, economic, regulatory, tax, cultural, legal, and technological aspects.
Reasons Behind the Financial Crisis of 2008
Financial crisis is a bubble created by excessive investor inclination towards a particular market. It shadows the valuations and when the bubble bursts, the investors want to exit and therefore rapidly start selling their stake. Too much of capital led to lower interest rates and this in return forced the investors to look for creative investment platforms where the yield was high. This requirement led to an unprecedented growth in the securitization market as the inclination towards such derivative instruments was high. Investors were willing to take higher risks as compared to the returns they would receive for their investments. Greed for higher returns, excessive leverage and low volatility led to the financial crisis of 2008. This low volatility which was a result of shadowed valuations led the borrowers to borrow over and above what their asset base allowed notwithstanding the criteria of credibility. 1. Low Volatility and High Leverage: Continue reading
External Environment Factors of Business
Business involves activities, which links an organization with outside world. Within an organization, a business is governed by the behavior of its employees, management or decision makers. But externally a business is influenced by a score of factors, which range from customers to competitors and government. Therefore, a business cannot be independent of the influence of these external factors. It should also be noted that a business has absolute control over all the internal factors, it has no control over the external factors. So often it becomes necessary for business houses to modify their internal decisions and policies, on the basis of the pressure from external factors. This highlights the need to be ever- cognizant of changes and influences of external factors so as to conduct business on healthy lines. It is in this context that business environment assumes all significance. Business environment therefore refers to the influences and pressures Continue reading
Concepts of Windows and Corridors for New Ventures
A window is time horizon during which opportunities exist before something else happens to eliminate them. A unique opportunity, once shown to produce wealth, will attract competitors, and if the business is easy to enter, the industry will become rapidly saturated. Bicycles did not become viable commercial products until people needed them as transportation. When that need occurred, hundreds of bicycle manufactures rushed to take advantage of the “window of opportunity.” Literally every successful product and service has had an optimal period of time for commercialization. Those introduced too early have usually failed, and those introduced too suffered from crowded markets. A brief period of opportunity opened for electronic spreadsheets when micro-computer hit the fast growth curve. Several entrepreneurs entered the market with good spreadsheet products. The first, VisiCalc was designed for the Apple PC. VisiCalc was quite successful, and later versions for Ms-Dos systems were even more successful. But Continue reading
Stagflation and Phillips Curve
Meaning of Stagflation The present day inflation is the best explanation for stagflation in the whole world. It is inflation accompanied by stagnation on the development front in an economy. Instead of leading to full employment, inflation has resulted in un-employment in most of the countries of the world. It is a global phenomenon today. Both developed and developing countries are not free from its clutches. Stagflation is a portmanteau term in macro economics used to describe a period with a high rate of inflation combined with unemployment and economic recession. Inflationary gap occurs when aggregate demand exceeds the available supply and deflationary gap occurs when aggregate demand is less than the aggregate supply. These are two opposite situations. For instance, when inflation goes unchecked for some time, and prices reach very high level, aggregate demand contracts and a slump follows. Private investment is discouraged. Inflationary and deflationary pressures exist Continue reading
Faces of Globalization
A fundamental shift is occurring in the world economy. The world is getting closer in terms of cross border trade and investment, by distance, time zones, languages and by national differences in government regulation, culture and business systems and toward a world in which national economies are merging into one huge interdependent global economic system. Globalization is affecting firms that previously operated in a nice, easy, protected national market. It also illustrates the increasing importance of thinking globally. Globalization is the trend toward a more integrated global economic system. Globalization is also termed as the shrinkage of economic space. The rate at which this shift is occurring has been accelerated recently. Two Faces of Globalization Globalization has two faces: 1. Globalization of Markets Globalization of markets refers to the fact that in many industries historically distinct and separate national markets are merging into one huge global marketplace. There is a Continue reading