The characteristics of each stage are as follows:
The development stage of international operation can be analyzed and judged from two angles: historical development and enterprise development.
1. From the perspective of historical development, international operation has experienced a process of continuous evolution to a higher level. This process is generally suspicious and is divided into three typical stages.
(1) initial development stage. This stage is from19th century to before World War II. 1865 Bayer chemical company of Germany invested and set up aniline factory in new York state, USA. 1866, the Swedish explosive manufacturer Nobel Company opened an explosive factory in Hamburg, Germany. 1867, American Shengjia sewing machine company established a sewing machine assembly plant in Glasgow, England, which opened the prelude to transnational business activities. However, the main characteristics of international business activities of enterprises are that import and export trade is the main mode of activities, while transnational investment is less, and the countries and industries involved are very limited. At this time, transnational investment is mainly regarded as a defense means for enterprises in developed countries to defend overseas markets.
(2) the stage of rapid development. This stage is from World War II to the 1980s. With the rapid development of science and technology, the deepening of international division of labor and the continuous expansion of the world market, enterprises in various countries have taken the initiative to carry out international operations. The outstanding feature of this stage is that transnational corporations, the product of international operation, have gradually become the core organizer and the most important subject of economic activities in the world economy. Foreign direct investment has become the dominant mode of international operation of enterprises, and its development speed far exceeds that of international trade. At this stage, although enterprises in developed countries continue to maintain a leading position in international operations, multinational companies in some newly industrialized countries and developing countries have also emerged and become an important emerging force in international operations.
(3) the stage of global competition. Since the 1980s, especially since the 1990s, with the acceleration of economic integration, the degree of mutual connection and interdependence among countries' economies has been deepening, and almost all countries have been brought into the international division of labor system. At the same time, due to the information technology revolution and the increasingly open markets in various countries, the competition between countries and enterprises is becoming increasingly fierce. Nowadays, multinational corporations have become the most important carrier of international business activities. Through international direct investment, multinational companies implement global strategy, form a global integrated production system and carry out business activities on a global scale.
2. From the perspective of enterprise development, international operation is a process from passive to active. Jonathan and Weschmipur divide the internationalization process of enterprises into five stages: domestic operation stage, sporadic export stage, regular export stage, foreign sales stage and direct investment stage. Deng Ning believes that the internationalization of enterprises can be divided into four different stages of development, namely, indirect and passive participation in international trade, direct and active participation in international trade, non-equity arrangement and international direct investment.