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International business

This Research Guide will help JMU students find sources to complete assignments on international business topics.

What Transportation Costs Should We Factor In?

Aerial Image Of Container Port And ShipTransportation concerns the movement of products from a source—such as a plant, factory, or workshop—to a destination—such as a warehouse, customer, or retail store, according to the Encyclopedia of Small Business (2007, p. 1125). It includes both getting materials to your facility for production and distributing your finished goods. Transportation may occur by air, water, rail or road. Transportation costs "generally depend upon the distance between the source and the destination, the means of transportation chosen, and the size and quantity of the product to be shipped."

Image source: Storyblocks

Transportation. (2007). In Encyclopedia of Small Business (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1125-1127). Gale. 

Truck traveling on highwayA freight rate is the cost of transporting goods from one point to another. The freight rate is affected by the distance the goods need to travel as well as the nature of the goods, including whether they are breakable or perishable (Mayhew, 2023). 

Search in Google for international freight calculator to see options like Freightos or Freightfinders. Almost all of these sites will require you to sign up for a free account to see your estimated costs. 

Image source: Tiry Nelson Gono on Unsplash

Mayhew, S. "freight rate." In A Dictionary of Geography. Oxford University Press, 2023.

Map Global Logistics Partnership Connection Of Container Cargo Freight ShipThe International Trade Association define a tariff as "a tax levied by governments on the value ... of imported products" (ITA, n.d.). The company buying the product pays this tax to the U.S. Custom and Border Protection agency. Tariff rates differ by product category and export country.

Businesses can determine tariff rates by searching the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS).

For Spring 2025, we are advising COB 300 students who are importing goods to use the U.S.'s trade-weighted average import tariff rate of 2.0 percent on industrial (non-agricultural) goods in their business plan calculations.

Image source: Storyblocks

Exporting Consumer Goods

This website offers guidance for U.S. businesses who are interested in exporting their products.