Foreign Trade Operations (5cr)

Evaluation scale

1-5

Objective

Students will be competent in assessing a company's readiness for foreign trade and initiating the entire export/import process step by step. Students will possess knowledge of the practical aspects of the foreign trade process and will be able to create necessary documentation for delivery, insurance, and payment procedures of the operation. Students will learn how different phases and decisions of the export process will affect each other and how these decisions will influence pricing, profit margin, risks, logistics, and legal obligations. Students will gain knowledge for choosing suitable payment terms and methods and managing risks and sanctions for the operation.

Content

Foreign trade practices:
- Controlled foreign business transactions – from offer to delivery and follow-up
- Phases of the export operation process and mutual dependence of them in the process
- How terms of payment and terms of delivery are dependent on each other
- Contract and how it affects pricing, contribution margin, risks, logistic solutions, and legal obligations of authorities
- EU obligations for the documentation of internal and external trade
- EU’s demands for different processes in foreign trade

Contract, delivery, Incoterms, and documentation:
- Documentation of foreign trade – what information is needed in the documentation
- Documentation requirements and regulations given by authorities in foreign trade (requirements for custom, statistics, and documents of origin)
- Incoterms 2010 – How terms of delivery will affect transport insurance and documentation

Payments in foreign commerce:
- Choosing the right method and term of payment (documentary collection, documentary credit, standby letter of credit)
- Needed documentation based on terms of payment

Financing foreign operations:
- Bank guarantee in foreign trade
- Financing foreign operations
- Managing risks and sanctions

Materials

All study material will be in Moodle learning environment.
- We will use a lot of real-time databases and tools of European commission related to: Tariffs, rules of origin, taxes and additional duties, import procedures and formalities, product requirements and trade barriers.
- IncoSolutions Pty Ltd, 2025. Incodocs. Global trade guide for importers and exporters. Pdf -file.
- IncoSolutions Pty Ltd. Global trade tools. Available at: https://incodocs.com/tools

Teaching methods

The study will be implemented as contact lessons in campus. The study includes lessons and exercises, a case-work, presentations and an exam. Exercises done during lessons are related to the case work. Students create an export (or import) plan and present it. Focus is the practical side of a foreign operation. There's an online exam in the end of the course.

Exam schedules

- The online exam will be open during wks 15 - 18.
- Retake possibilities: First retake on wk 23/ 2026. Second retake wk 33/ 2026.
- Retake is in Moodle or in the Exam-room.

International connections

Course is part of Gateway -studies. Exchange students can include the course into their learning agreement.

Student workload

The workload of the course is measured in a way that, in order to acquire the knowledge required for the course, one credit corresponds to an average of 27 hours of work done by the student. The actual need for time varies from individual to individual, e.g. due to previous expertise.

Total workload 135 hours, includes:
- Lessons 30 h
- Studying course materials 20 h
- Studying the use of online export tools 20 h
- Preparing the Export Plan and presentations 40 h
- Studying for the exam and doing the exam 25 h

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student can explain the main phases of the export/import process. The student is familiar with some aspects of the foreign trade process and is able to create sufficient documentation for a foreign operation. He/she can recognize some links between export decisions and pricing, profit margin, risks, logistics, and legal obligations. The student can choose a passable payment term and method for the case.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student can initiate the entire export/import process in detail. The student is familiar with the practical aspects of the foreign trade process and is able to create some documentation for delivery, insurance, and payment procedures for a foreign operation. The student can explain the main phases of the export process. He/she can explain some links between export decisions and pricing, profit margin, risks, logistics, and legal obligations. The student can choose a passable payment term and method for the case and is able to foresee some risks and sanctions of the case operation.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student can assess a company's readiness to foreign trade and initiate the entire export/import process in detail. The student is familiar with the practical aspects of the foreign trade process and can create necessary documentation for delivery, insurance and payment procedures for a foreign operation. The student knows the different phases of the export process. He/she can explain how decisions related to export operation will influence pricing, profit margin, risks, logistics and legal obligations. The student can choose suitable payment terms and methods for the case and is able to foresee the main risks and sanctions of the case operation.

Qualifications

- Basic Studies
- Cross Cultural Business