The Global Business Environment: An Introduction

Comprehensive and highly readable, The Global Business Environment examines key political, economic, and cultural developments and institutions that constitute the global business environment. Issues addressed include why companies--and nations--engage in international trade; the challenges they face, such as foreign government intervention, protectionism through tariff and non-tariff barriers, and widely divergent international accounting, taxation, and legal practices; the role of such institutions as the IMF, World Bank, OECD, European Community and OPEC, and of trade agreements such as GATT; the significance of the International Debt Crisis; the impact of less developed and newly industrialized countries in international trade, and the shift throughout Eastern Europe towards capitalist economies; and, the implications of cultural differences in international business. A tour-de-force, this timely analysis concludes with an overview of the global opportunities--and threats--facing international organizations and the implications for strategic planning, interface management, and internal organization. Clear and comprehensible, The Global Business Environment will be essential reading for managers and all students of international business.