Social Dimensions of International Business

What does a Thai or a Latin American mean when he or she says, The report will be done in a few days? What does an American or a Japanese mean when he or she says, Meeting this schedule will be difficult? The cultural and social dimensions of international business became a topic of concern in the 1970s, and there has been a virtual explosion of literature on the subject since 1980. This bibliography provides over 1300 annotated entries on material covering all aspects of the culture of international business. Although the volume includes a few classic works published before 1980, it focuses on the literature published from 1980 to 1991, and is the most up-to-date and comprehensive bibliography on the subject.

The volume opens with chapters covering the literature on Cross-Cultural Communication, Cross-Cultural Training, The Expatriate Experience, and Negotiations. The fifth chapter is devoted to Multicultural Studies. The next chapters are devoted to specific geographical areas, including Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Japan, China and Related Areas, and the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia. The work also includes subject and author indexes. The volume will be a major aid to researchers, teachers, and human resource managers.

JON P. ALSTON is Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University. He has been involved in international research for over a decade and has published, most recently, The Intelligent Businessman's Guide to Japan (1990) and The American Samurai: Blending American And Japanese Managerial Practices (1986).