Global Business Today [antikvár]

nretace Global Business Today is intended for the first international business course at either the undergraduate or MBA level. My goal in writing this book has been to set a new standard for international business textbooks. I have attempted to write a book that 1. Is comprehensive and up-to-date. 2. Goes beyond an uncritical presentation and shallow explanation of the body of knowledge. 3. Maintains a tight, integrated flow between chapters. 4. Focuses on managerial implications. 5. Makes important theories accessible and interesting to students. 6. Incorporates ancillary resources that enliven the text and make it easier to teach. Over the years, and through now five editions, I have worked hard to adhere to these goals. It has not always been easy. An enormous amotmt has happened over the last decade, both in the real world of economics, poHtics, and business, and in the academic world of theory and empirical research. Often I have had to significantly rewrite chapters, scrap old examples, bring in new ones, incorporate new theory and evidence into the book, and phase out older theories that are increasingly less relevant to the modem and dynamic world of international business. That process continues in the current edition. As noted below, there have been significant changes in this edition, and that will no doubt continue to be the case in the future. In deciding what changes to make, I have been guided not only by my own reading, teaching, and research, but also by the invaluable feedback I receive from professors and students arotmd the world who use the book, from reviewers, and from the editorial staff at McGraw-HiMrwin. My thanks go out to all of them. Comprehensive and Up-to-Date To be comprehensive, an international business textbook must • Explain how and why the world's countries differ. • Present a thorough review of the economics and politics of international trade and investment. • Explain the functions and form of the global monetary system. • Examine the strategies and structures of international businesses. • Assess the special roles of an international business's various functions. I have always endeavored to do all of these things. Too many other texts have paid insufficient attention to the strategies and structures of international businesses and to the implications of international business for firms' various functions. This omission has been a serious deficiency. Many of the students in these international business courses will soon be working in international businesses, and they will be expected to understand the impUcations of international business for their organization's strategy, structure, and functions. This book pays close attention to these issues.