International Business is the study of business and management across international borders. It encompasses aspects such as globalisation and the impacts of the global environment on organisations, trade and trade policy, foreign direct investment, strategies of international firms, strategic alliances and exporting, and international management, including cross-cultural and international human resource management.

It has become essential for business managers, policy makers and researchers involved in the global environment to understand international business. In the 21st century, goods, services and knowledge flow across country borders much more easily than in the past. For business, the implications of these flows and the increased mobility of human resources are profound.

On the one hand, global competition has become more intense, while on the other, opportunities for cooperation across borders have never been greater. Long-term survival of businesses, and indeed entire economies, depend on how well these forces are understood and leveraged. Students of international business will be considerably advantaged in these respects when they embark on their careers.