Final answer:
Companies handle export operations by specializing in areas where they have unique skills, contributing to intra-industry trade. They also deal with complex international regulatory environments and establish global assembly lines to optimize their exporting strategies. Specialization, global production, and navigating regulations are key to how firms manage their exports.
Step-by-step explanation:
When organizing for exporting in the manufacturer's home country, most companies opt to specialize in manufacturing products where they have developed unique and different skills, leading to significant intra-industry trade. For example, a country may export machinery for woodworking while importing machinery for photographic processing. This specialization is based on unique competencies developed within firms in specific industries, rather than on a general level of skills across the country’s workforce. Furthermore, the globalization of production has led to the emergence of global assembly lines. Companies like Apple design products domestically, source components internationally, and assemble them in other countries before providing supports such as outsourced customer service in yet another country.
In terms of regulatory aspects, companies often face challenges such as anti-dumping complaints and must navigate government price controls in different countries, which may influence the cost of production and the export operations management. Firms must account for these factors and establish clear operations strategies that adapt to these various international conditions. This complex interplay of skills specialization, international labor division, and regulatory environment shapes how companies handle their export operations.