international relations

(noun)

International relations (I.R.) is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational corporations (MNCs).

Related Terms

Examples of international relations in the following topics:

  • SWOT Analysis

    • A SWOT analysis allows businesses to assess internal strengths and weaknesses in relation to external opportunities and threats.
    • Performing a SWOT analysis allows a business to gain insights into its internal strengths and weaknesses and to relate these insights to the external opportunities and threats posed by the marketplace in which the business operates.
    • A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to a project or business venture.
    • Strengths: internal characteristics of the business that give it an advantage over competitors
    • Weaknesses: internal characteristics that place the business at a disadvantage against competitors

  • The stages of going international

    • Earlier in our discussion on definitions, we identified several terms that relate to how committed a firm is to being international.
    • Firms typically approach involvement in international marketing rather cautiously, and there appears to exist an underlying lifecycle that has a series of critical success factors that change as a firm moves through each stage.
    • For small-and medium-sized firms in particular, exporting remains the most promising alternative to a full-blooded international marketing effort, since it appears to offer a degree of control over risk, cost, and resource commitment.

  • Internal Energy

    • The internal energy of a system is the sum of all kinetic and potential energy in a system.
    • It is closely related to temperature.
    • The equation describing the total internal energy of a system is then:
    • We can use statistical mechanics to relate the (somewhat) random motions of particles in a system to the mean kinetic energy of the ensemble of particles, and thus the empirically measurable quantity expressed as temperature.
    • Express the internal energy in terms of kinetic and potential energy

  • Combining Internal and External Analyses

    • Using combined external and internal analyses, companies are able to generate strategies in pursuit of competitive advantage.
    • This internal analysis requires careful consideration of the following models and factors:
    • Context analysis considers the entire environment of a business, both internal and external.
    • By understanding how internal and external factors relate, companies can piece together the ideal way in which their strengths can capture opportunities while offsetting threats and rectifying weaknesses.
    • Apply a comprehensive understanding of internal and external analyses to the effective formation of new strategic initiatives

  • Political and legal risk in international business

    • For a firm considering a new foreign market, there are three broad categories of international business: trade, international licensing of technology and intellectual property, and foreign direct investment.
    • The country's standing in the international arena should also be part of the consideration; this includes its relations with neighbors, border disputes, membership in international organizations, and recognition of international law.
    • Careful planning and vigilance should be part of any company's preparation for developing an international presence.
    • A government makes changes in policies that have an impact on international business.
    • To solve domestic problems, governments often use trade relations.

  • Hegemony

    • A nation can exert relational and/or structural power over other nations.
    • Many sports, like football, soccer, or chess, are forms of relational power.
    • For countries, a nation's military strength determines its relational power.
    • The United States possesses both relational and structural powers.
    • A hegemony exceeds relational and structural powers.

  • Arbitration

    • International arbitration is a leading method for resolving disputes arising from international commercial agreements and other international relationships.
    • As with arbitration generally, international arbitration is a creature of contract.
    • These provisions of the New York Convention, together with the large number of contracting states, has created an international legal regime that significantly favors the enforcement of international arbitration agreements and awards.
    • The resolution of disputes under international commercial contracts is widely conducted under the auspices of several major international institutions and rule making bodies.
    • Specialist dispute resolution bodies also exist, such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which has an arbitration and mediation center and a panel of international neutrals specializing in intellectual property and technology related disputes.

  • The International Monetary Structure

    • The international monetary structure involves international institutions, regional trading blocs, private players, and national governments.
    • Certain regional institutions also play a role in the structure of the international monetary system.
    • The Bretton Woods system of monetary management, created at a conference in 1944, established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states in the mid-20th century.
    • The Bretton Woods system was the first example of a fully negotiated monetary order intended to govern monetary relations among independent nation-states.
    • Explain the role played by the United States over the history of the international monetary structure

  • Continuity Theory

    • The theory considers the internal structures and external structures of continuity to describe how people adapt to their circumstances and set their goals.
    • The internal structure of an individual - for instance, an individual's personality traits - remains relatively constant throughout a person's lifetime.
    • Other internal aspects such as beliefs can remain relatively constant as well, though are also subject to change.
    • This internal structure facilitates future decision-making by providing the individual with a strong internal foundation of the past.
    • Maddox provided an empirical description of the continuity theory in 1968 in a chapter of the book Middle Age and Aging: A Reader in Social Psychology called "Persistence of Lifestyle among the Elderly: A Longitudinal Study of Patterns of Social Activity in Relation to Life Satisfaction. " In 1971, Atchley formally proposed the theory in his article "Retirement and Leisure Participation: Continuity or Crisis?

  • Public Relations

    • Public relations is the management of a message between an individual or organization and the public.
    • Simply put, public relations manages communication between an organization and the public.
    • Communication with an internal as well as external public is essential and has become commonplace with the explosion of one-to-one communication through new technology.
    • It is sometimes seen as a derogatory but is commonly used in public relations campaigns.
    • Negative public relations, also called dark public relations (DPR), is a process of destroying or discrediting.