| Course | TGF-7130 Topics in Global Finance |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: the world's marketplace and international environment |
| Length | About 552 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | MBA in Finance |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for TGF 7130 Module 1
Already Global Without Meaning to Be: A Filter Maker in the World's Marketplace
Student Name
MBA in Finance, Thomas Edison State University
TGF-7130: Topics in Global Finance
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Already Global Without Meaning to Be: A Filter Maker in the World's Marketplace
The Firm
We employ 210 people and earn about $64 million a year making replaceable filter cartridges for homes, restaurants and factories. Most sales are in the United States and Canada, but 14 percent go to Germany through a distributor, and our plastic housings come from a supplier in Ningbo, China. We did not set out to be an international business; customers and suppliers made us one. Our founder still describes the company as a New Jersey manufacturer, and most of our managers have never worked abroad, which is part of why our international activity has grown by accident rather than by plan.
Globalization and Its Drivers
Griffin and Pustay (2015) describe globalization as the growing interconnection of national economies through trade, investment, technology and the movement of people and ideas, and they identify drivers such as falling trade barriers, cheaper transport and communication, and the strategic need of firms to reach new markets and resources. Each driver touches us. Lower tariffs and container shipping made Chinese housings cheaper than domestic ones. Online ordering lets German restaurants find our filters. And competitors from Germany and South Korea now sell in our home market.
Why Nations and Firms Trade
Classical trade theory explains part of our situation. Under comparative advantage, each country gains by concentrating on goods it makes at a lower opportunity cost and buying the others through trade; China's advantage in high-volume plastic molding and ours in filter media and engineering fit that pattern. But comparative advantage says little about why particular firms succeed. Porter (1990) argued that national competitive advantage arises from four linked conditions, factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure and rivalry, which he called a diamond.
Our advantage is in filter media design and certification, the slow, expensive work of proving that a cartridge removes what it claims to remove, not in molding plastic, which is why the mix of Chinese housings and New Jersey media makes sense.
| Diamond condition | New Jersey and U.S. position for our firm |
|---|---|
| Factor conditions | Skilled engineers and chemists from nearby universities and pharmaceutical firms |
| Demand conditions | Demanding customers: water utilities, food service chains and strict regulators |
| Related and supporting industries | A dense base of chemical, plastics and laboratory suppliers |
| Firm strategy, structure and rivalry | Strong domestic rivals that push us to innovate in filter media |
Opportunities and Threats
Bernard and Jensen (1999) found that exporting firms are larger and more productive than nonexporters, mainly because better firms choose to export, though exporting also brings faster growth in sales and employment. For us, the evidence suggests that the capabilities that make us competitive at home can travel.
| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|---|
| Growing demand for clean water in Europe, Latin America and Asia | Foreign competitors entering the U.S. market |
| Stricter water rules abroad that reward certified products | Dependence on one Chinese supplier |
| Lower production costs near new markets | Currency swings on euro sales |
Conclusion
Globalization already shapes our costs, sales and competition. Our advantage lies in engineering and certification rooted in New Jersey's diamond. International growth is no longer optional: competitors are coming to us, so we should go to them, carefully and in order, beginning with markets where strict water standards reward what we do best.
References
Bernard, A. B., & Jensen, J. B. (1999). Exceptional exporter performance: Cause, effect, or both? Journal of International Economics, 47(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1996(98)00027-0
Griffin, R. W., & Pustay, M. W. (2015). International business (8th ed.). Pearson.
Porter, M. E. (1990). The competitive advantage of nations. Harvard Business Review, 68(2), 73-93.
What the TGF 7130 Module 1 instructions ask for
TGF-7130 grades four written assignments, which make up 30 percent of the total, alongside four discussions and a four-part final project built on cases from the textbook. The text is Griffin and Pustay's International Business, eighth edition. This first assignment covers the world's marketplace. Expect to explain globalization and its drivers, apply theories of trade and national advantage to a firm, and assess the opportunities and threats international markets present. Use a firm you know, and connect each theory to its actual situation rather than describing theories in general. Describe the firm's current international ties, such as suppliers, customers or competitors abroad, before explaining why it should grow internationally. Apply each theory to a specific feature of the firm. Keep the paper focused on one firm throughout.
How this TGF 7130 Module 1 example is built
The paper introduces a firm already tied to global trade through suppliers and a distributor. A section defines globalization and links each driver to the firm. A section applies comparative advantage and Porter's diamond, with a table showing the firm's home-region conditions. A table lists opportunities and threats, and research on exporters supports the case for growth. The conclusion argues international growth is now necessary. The diamond analysis explains why the firm sources plastic housings abroad while keeping filter media at home, linking theory to an actual sourcing decision. A short table sets opportunities beside threats, and the conclusion argues growth is now necessary. Research on exporters supports the case.
Where the marks sit in the TGF 7130 Module 1 rubric
Marks reward correct international business concepts, close application to one firm, analysis anchored in Griffin and Pustay and in published studies, and readable prose. Papers that apply trade theory and the diamond to explain a firm's real sourcing and sales show understanding. Balancing opportunities with threats, such as supplier dependence and currency risk, demonstrates judgment. Research evidence on exporters gives the argument an empirical base. Linking a theory to a real decision, such as where housings and media are made, shows understanding beyond definitions. A balanced view of opportunities and threats shows judgment about growth. Evidence that exporters outperform gives the argument support beyond opinion. A short, specific table keeps the analysis tight.
TGF 7130 Module 1 help from the desk
Students lose points by describing globalization in general terms, by defining trade theories without applying them or by listing opportunities without threats. Others choose firms with no international dimension. Choose a firm with real international ties. Apply each theory to its situation. Weigh opportunities against threats. Support claims with research. Explain how each theory accounts for something the firm actually does, and weigh threats as seriously as opportunities. Use evidence, not only reasoning, to argue for growth abroad. A free first sample on your own TGF-7130 written assignment is available on request.
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TGF 7130 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free TGF 7130 Module 1 sample paper?
In the assignment above, a water filter maker's position in the world's marketplace is analyzed.
What drives globalization?
Falling trade barriers, cheaper transport and communication, and firms' need to reach new markets and resources.
What is Porter's diamond?
Four linked conditions that create national competitive advantage: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure and rivalry.
What is comparative advantage?
The principle that a country does best by producing what costs it the least to give up and importing the rest.
What textbook does TGF-7130 use?
Griffin and Pustay's International Business, eighth edition, from Pearson.