Abstract:

The international business environment has become more turbulent, uncertain and even chaotic, reflecting at the same time an intensification of the interdependencies between companies institutions at global level. More recently, the crisis of 2008-2009 has highlighted the strong relationships between markets and economic sectors, equivalent to interdependencies regarding the cost of living, consumption patterns and other aspects specific to individuals from different regions of the world. In this context, the high global competition requires market players to identify effective ways to maintain or improve their position on a particular market segment. The management of the companies has the task of establishing which are the activities that the company will carry and therefor the implementation of specific strategies. However, regardless of the strategic line that the top management will adopt it is obvious that, largely, the international operations involve both opportunities and additional risks for the company.