Commerce Beyond Borders: International Business vs. Global Marketing

Today’s world is exponentially progressing and evolving with the newest findings and innovations and so is the education sector. Advanced research and development in the education industry has led to the establishment of new courses and specialisations. The ever-evolving field of commerce has witnessed incredible growth in the past decade. Different types of courses including master's, bachelor's and diploma programmes have adopted International Business and Global Marketing as major areas of specialisation for the practical exposure and the subject value they hold. Cross-cultural communication, business analytics, adaptive thinking, rational understanding of the market, and calculated risk-taking are a few of the numerous skills a student gets to acquire by actively learning the courses. Further, these specialisations are also aligned with numerous job opportunities and we shall take a look at those later in this article.

International Business vs. Global Marketing: Course Duration and Eligibility

The course for International Business has been designed as one of the specialisation streams for MBA (Master of Business Administration) and PGDM (Post-Graduate Diploma in Management). For BBA courses, International Business has been integrated as one of the papers for fulfilling the criteria for completing the bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

The course duration for International Business varies with the type of course chosen by the candidate/student and the period for each type is as follows:

1. International Business in MBA - 2 years
2. International Business in PGDM - 2 years
3. International Business as a mandatory or elective paper in BBA - 3 years

Global Marketing has been included in the commerce curriculum through various programmes like MSc,  MBA, certification courses and more. The subject is one of the mandatory papers for MBA Marketing and numerous certification courses have been drafted solely for global marketing.

The course duration for Global Marketing varies with the type of course chosen by the candidate/student and the period for each type is as follows:

1. Global Marketing for MSc - 2 years
2. Global Marketing for MBA - 2 years
3. Global Marketing for certification courses - 6 months to 1 year

The eligibility criteria for both streams are completing a bachelor's degree with a minimum 50% aggregate. Cut-offs vary depending on universities and colleges.

International Business vs. Global Marketing: Course Curriculum

The course design for International Business and Global Marketing is elaborate and advanced in prospects with great practical exposure.
The course curriculum has been curated after carefully researching the industrial needs and job provisions, here is an overview of both courses:

The core areas of study in International Business are Business Research Methods, Business Economics, Corporate Ethics and Governance, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Business Statistics, Fundamentals of International Management, Leadership Development, International Trade Logistics, International Marketing Management, Financial Management, International Economics, Strategy in Emerging Markets. Legal Aspects of Business, Macroeconomics, Global Trade and WTO, Management Accounting, Business Mathematics, Economic Environment, Accounting, Micro Economics, Fundamentals of Marketing, Principles of Marketing, Behavioural Science, and International Institutions and Trade Implications.

The core areas of study in Global Marketing are Global Marketing Strategy, Product and Service Innovation and Global Logistics, Developing Personal and Professional Competence, Consumer-Led Sustainable Marketing, Global Branding and Integrated Marketing Communications, Research Project Design and Methods

International Business vs. Global Marketing: Career Opportunities

Undoubtedly, the world can only function with commerce and these already demanding streams of International Business and Global Marketing hold a big place in this world. Graduates with a background in International Business and Global Marketing are always welcomed to the real commerce industry with multiple work opportunities and they are as follows.

Career options for students after opting for International Business

1. Finance Analyst: Guides businesses with efficient spending of money and curating strategies to maximise profit percentage.
2. International Marketing Manager: Engaged in conducting market research to understand the new trends and economic conditions to create tailored marketing strategies for the brand.
3. International Product Manager: Involves in ensuring the product workflow and making it adaptable concerning market specifics and overseeing the project.
4. Research Analyst: Works on cross-examining the relevance of the data collected and assumptions formulated.
5. Business Development Manager: Engaged in researching, planning and implementing strategies and adapting newer techniques to increase the revenue generation of the company.
6. Logistics Manager: Works as a supply chain expert who cross-examines and oversees the overall operations, including purchasing, shipping and sale of products.
7. International Supply Chain Manager: Works as a supply chain at an international overseeing and controlling the operations globally.
8. International Brand Manager: Involved in drafting, creating, executing and overseeing marketing, advertising and communications of the company to create a positive brand impact at a global level.

Career options for students after opting for Global Marketing

1. Senior Analyst: Deals with closely examining complex data on market conditions, inside accounts, and stakeholder shares and provides valuable metrics and insights to marketing, sales and operations teams.
2. Commodity Trader: Works as a representative of the company and researches to find the best investing strategies and schemes for building the assets of the company.
3. Global Marketing Manager: Engaged in conducting market research to understand the new trends and economic conditions to create tailored marketing strategies for the brand at a global level.
4. International Business Development Executive: Engaged in researching, planning and implementing strategies and adapting newer techniques to increase the revenue generation of the company internationally.
5. Global Marketing Programmes Coordinator: Engaged in providing support for the team in terms of adequate technical support like CRM tools, In-Design and more.
6. Affiliate Business Executive: Gets involved in conducting affiliate marketing campaigns, and analysing the metrics to provide valuable actionable insights for fostering sales.
7. International Marketing Executive: Incorporate their global business and marketing knowledge for strategic planning, sales and operations.
8. Chief Marketing Officer: Oversees marketing strategies and execution of the organisation at all stages and implements newer methodologies whenever necessary.

In Short

From the above information, it is clear that both International Business and Global Marketing are exponentially growing fields in the commerce industry. The subjects are of relevance and career helping and choosing a stream between the two depends on the student’s interest in the respective area of study. Another essential factor to consider here is understanding and prioritising the career prospects clearly before enrolling for the course. On looking deeper into the subjects, it can be inferred that both International Business and Global Marketing are two distinct courses with prominent interconnection in certain subject areas. The latter factor can be counted as a merit for the flexibility of job opportunities the courses have to offer.