800 – 1000 words: The International Environment

You are the senior vice president in charge of strategy and implementation. You have been approached by the CEO of your bank to start investigating the issues involved in expanding what right now is just a domestic bank to an international one. Explain some of the issues that you need to investigate. Include the following in your paper:

• What do you need to know regarding the macro environment of the countries that you want to research?
• What do you have to ask your CEO in terms of the bankâ€s overall strategy, future structure, implementation parameters, and controls?
  • How far is the bank willing to go on social and economic responsibility in other locations?
  • What will the role and responsibility of management be?
• What are some of the legal issues you may have to deal with?
• Why would your CEO be interested in expanding overseas?
• How is a bank different from a manufacturer when it comes to its international strategy and objectives for increased efficiency, managing risks, and learning to adapt?
• What are some of the sources of competitive advantage for a bank as opposed to a manufacturer?
• Do issues around foreign trade improve a bankâ€s profitability or do foreign trade issues and agreements just affect manufacturers?
  • Explain your answer, and give examples.