Globalization has been under extreme pressure in the wake of the financial crisis. Multinational firms are weighing the costs and benefits of international scale and scope, and are increasingly under pressure to hire local, to source local, and to pay taxes domestically. At the same time global competitive pressures have intensified. This book reviews international business practices from the multinational firm perspective, and provides pathways forward concerning competitiveness and sustainability in global markets. What sets this book apart from others is that the benefits and pitfalls of globalization are addressed. Chapter coverage focuses on the functional areas of the business and how they are impacted by international expansion. Practical case studies supplement chapter coverage and highlight both positive and negative developments in the global business arena. Readers should expect to be challenged on what will be the limits of the multinational firm in the future, and how multinational firms can continue to prosper while at the same time adhere to sustainable business initiatives. Equally useful to both undergraduate and graduate students of international business as well as professional development programs, Global Business: Competitiveness and Sustainability provides a necessary tonic for dealing with today's troubled seas of globalization.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) introduces the management philosophy of CRM. This is the first book to explore the benefits to the firm of a globally integrated approach to customer relationship management. The authors contend that the best hope for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in a global marketplace is by means of better understanding which customers are in the best position to experience long-term, profitable relationships for the globally-oriented firm. The book offers both an academic and practical viewpoint of the importance of CRM in a global framework. It integrates the topics of knowledge management, total quality management, and relationship marketing with the goal of explaining the benefits of CRM for internationally active firms. The authors have included six case studies which allow the reader to undertake the role of CRM consultant in a 'learning by doing' approach.The book should be required reading for all business executives who desire a customer oriented approach to success, and for all students of business who desire to gain insight into a relationship management approach which will become ever-more important in the years ahead.

Globalization has been under extreme pressure in the wake of the financial crisis. Multinational firms are weighing the costs and benefits of international scale and scope, and are increasingly under pressure to hire local, to source local, and to pay taxes domestically. At the same time global competitive pressures have intensified. This book reviews international business practices from the multinational firm perspective, and provides pathways forward concerning competitiveness and sustainability in global markets. What sets this book apart from others is that the benefits and pitfalls of globalization are addressed. Chapter coverage focuses on the functional areas of the business and how they are impacted by international expansion. Practical case studies supplement chapter coverage and highlight both positive and negative developments in the global business arena. Readers should expect to be challenged on what will be the limits of the multinational firm in the future, and how multinational firms can continue to prosper while at the same time adhere to sustainable business initiatives. Equally useful to both undergraduate and graduate students of international business as well as professional development programs, Global Business: Competitiveness and Sustainability provides a necessary tonic for dealing with today's troubled seas of globalization.