Why do you suppose that Citibank has been able to establish itself in so many countries around the world? How important is the first-mover advantage in international banking? A large global bank is considering establishing operations in Lebanon. Should they establish a branch, a rep office, or some other type of operation in Lebanon? What factors does the bank need to evaluate? Describe the ideal employee needed to staff each of the four main types of overseas banking operations. What background would you expect the chief officer of each operation to have? What are the special features associated with syndicated lending? Do you think that syndicated loans will become more or less common in the next decade? Why? What is project finance? How does it differ from ordinary lending? What are the risks associated with project finance? How can lender mitigate these risks? What is a letter of credit? Suppose that your customer, an importer located in Indonesia, asks you to provide a letter of credit to back his purchases from a supplier located in California. What risks and rewards are involved from the bank's point of view? Does your answer change if the importer is located in France? Russia? What are the special challenges of international credit analysis, as opposed to domestic credit analysis? How can bank meet these challenges? .Suppose that you work for a large global bank and that you are responsible for assessing the creditworthiness of a manufacturing client located in Brazil. What factors will you use to make your decision? How does this analysis differ from that used for a manufacturing client located in Louisiana? Belgium? Why do bankers now place such a high priority on the development of noncredit services? Which noncredit services do you think offer growth opportunities for international banks?