International Business

We live in a global economy in which over one quarter of the world's recorded output is exported, where a change in business practice in Beijing can have a direct impact on a workforce in Birmingham, and where support to a customer in Detroit can be provided from Delhi. This book provides a clear and concise introduction to this most interdisciplinary of subjects, explaining in straightforward language the economic and financial underpinnings of international business, and the more subtle organisational and cultural issues increasingly crucial to business success. The managerial challenges which face organisations of all types and sizes, no matter where they are located, are reviewed and explored.Preface: using this book xv Acknowledgements xvii Abbreviations xix 1 Introduction to international business 1 2 Internationalisation process 37 3 International business: theory and practice 73 4 The political, legal, economic and technological environment 121 5 International sociocultural environment 159 6 International ethical and ecological environment 189 7 International strategic issues 221 8 International human resource management 278 9 International marketing 303 10 International finance: theory and practice 340 References 370 Index 375