Transcript 4.1.2x
International Trade & Business Growth 4.1 Globalisation What you need to know • a) Exports and imports • b) The link between business specialisation and competitive advantage • c) Foreign direct investment (FDI) and link to business growth What is International Trade? • International trade is the exchange of products (goods and services) • Trade doesn’t take place between countries, it takes place between the economic agents of that country, such as businesses, governments or consumers • When conditions are right, international trade brings benefits to all countries involved and it can be a powerful driver for sustained GDP growth, employment and rising living standards Key Benefits from International Trade Export revenues and jobs help to reduce poverty Low prices for consumer as markets are more competitive Technology is spread, raising productivity Knowledge and skills cross borders Economies of scale – causing lower unit costs and prices Better use of scarce resources Potential Drawbacks of International Trade Transport costs e.g. emissions from food miles Negative externalities from production and consumption Structural unemployment as patterns of trade change Rising inequality – uneven gains from trade Pressure on wages and working conditions Risks from global (external) external shocks What are Exports? Exports arise as a function of international trade whereby goods and services produced by one country are sold to another country. What are Imports? Imports are the opposite of exports. Imports are goods or service brought into one country from another. UK – Where Most of our Exports Go To 16.0% Share of total exports 14.0% 13.8% 12.0% 10.0% 9% 8.8% 7.6% 8.0% 6.4% 6.0% 5.7% 4.3% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% Switzerland Germany United States Netherlands France Ireland Belgium More than half of the UK’s exports go to the other nations inside the European Union. Switzerland is our biggest export market but is outside of the EU. Text goes here Source: Office for National Statistics UK – Where Most of our Imports Come From 16.0% Share of total imports 14.0% 13.9% 12.0% 10.0% 8.5% 8.5% 8.0% 6.0% 6% 5.6% France United States 5% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% Germany Netherlands China Belgium The European Union (28 countries) is the biggest source of imported goods and services for the UK. But China is now ahead of USA as a supplier of products. Source: Office for National Statistics The Importance of Specialisation for International Trade Why are some countries better at producing certain goods or services than others? 1. Relative opportunity cost of production for a good or service is lower than in another country 2. A country is relatively more productively efficient than another Basic rule – specialise in the goods and services that a country is relatively best at This opens up important potential gains from specialisation and trade Why Specialisation Makes Sense • If each country specialises, total economic output can be increased across the global economy • Providing that a good price can be found from buyers, then specialisation should focus on those goods and services that provide the best value • In many countries, competitive advantage is shifting towards specialising in and exporting high-technology manufactured goods and highknowledge services which get a higher price • As a country develops more capabilities, then it can produce a wider range of closely-linked goods and services • Countries such as South Korea, Japan, Germany, the USA and UK all have a highly diversified pattern of exports • Nations at a lower stage of development tend to have fewer capabilities and thus export a narrower range of products Examples of Specialisation Zambia and Chile - copper mining Bangladesh - textiles Vietnam - light manufacturing (assembly) Angola – crude oil Ivory Coast - cocoa What is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)? FDI is investment from one country into another (normally by companies rather than governments) that involves establishing operations or acquiring tangible assets, including stakes in other businesses The Rapid Global Growth of FDI Global flows of FDI peaked at around $3 trillion just before the financial crash of 2018 Two Main Flows of FDI Inward FDI Outward FDI E.g. an overseas business decides to build a manufacturing factory in the UK E.g. an UK business expands into an overseas market by opening a new production facility A foreign retail firm invests to open new stores in the UK A UK business completes a takeover of a business based in another country Recent Inward and Outward Flows for the UK Some Examples of Inward FDI into the UK Some Examples of Outward FDI from the UK Reasons Why Businesses Engage in FDI • Take advantage of lower labour costs in other countries • Operate closer to sources of raw materials and other supplies rather than transport them long distances • Avoid protectionist measures (e.g. tariffs and import quotas) • Earn target returns on investment by buying valuable assets • Support a strategy of market development (e.g. expansion by global brands)