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A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about International Business
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A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about International Business

Second Edition


May 2017 | 176 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

The Second Edition of International Business includes recent impacts on international business such as the financial crisis, Brexit and the changing political landscape, Chinese steel prices and the Panama Papers revelations. It includes two new chapters on understanding people and organizations in International Business as well as coverage of recent international reports from Amnesty, Oxfam and the World Bank.

Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on its head by providing a critical and sophisticated overview of the key issues and debates in an informal, conversational and often humorous way.

Suitable for students of International Business, professionals working in global organizations and anyone curious about the workings of the international business world.

 
Introduction: Why We Feel the Need to Write This Particular Book on International Business
 
Chapter 1: Classical and Neo-classical Theories of International Trade
 
Chapter 2: Twentieth-Century Developments in Trade and Investment Theories
 
Chapter 3: Institutions of International Business
 
Chapter 4: The International Business Organization
 
Chapter 5: The Dynamic Landscape of International Business
 
Chapter 6: People in International Business
 
Chapter 7: Understanding Organizations in the IB Environment
 
Concluding remarks
 
References

This book is delightfully written and a pleasure to read. But more than that, it inspires reflection, invites reaction, ignites the imagination and summons the reader to take responsibility for our global world. After all, any book about international business is also a book about us.

Professor Monika Kostera
Durham University Business School, UK

The shipping containers that endlessly circulate the globe are propelled by theories, as well as desire and fuel oil. In this excellent little book, Cairns and Sliwa show us why these theories matter, and why everyone needs to understand international business. The future of our planet depends upon it.

Professor Martin Parker
School of Business, University of Leicester, UK

This book contains a solid critique of key approaches in the field and a rich pool of alternative ideas for scholars who are interested in critical perspectives on international business. It provides a good read for the scholars, who are tired of the contents of leading international business textbooks that hardly capture the real life challenges which international managers and especially employees are dealing with in our 'brave new world' of globalized capitalism.

Professor Mike Geppert
Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

This is not just a “fairly” interesting read. By unearthing the underlying (and often hidden) assumptions of International Business and also providing a grounding in the realities of “practical wisdom”, the authors provide a fascinating way to introduce a complex and important topic.

Professor Alfonso Montuori
California Institute of Integral Studies, USA

International business, global trade and multinational companies are challenged more than ever. While proponents celebrate their contribution to the world’s economic prosperity, social progress and environmental integrity, critics point to malpractices, such as sweatshops, workers’ exploitation, modern slavery, unequal distribution of value, elites’ power, environmental degradation and social inequalities, all of which have been attributed to the rise of international business. George Cairns’ and Martyna Sliwa’s book is not only short and interesting, but offers an invaluable steer through the debates and controversies of the international business world.

Steffen Böhm
Professor in Organisation & Sustainability, University of Exeter Business School, UK