Dun And Bradstreet Guide Doing Business Around World Revised [Hardcover]

Terri Morrison (Author), Wayne A. Conaway (Author), Joseph J. Douress (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dunne & Bradstreet | Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Hailed as an indispensable resource (Booklist), this guide to business success on foreign ground features the latest facts and figures, including the changes in trade status with China and Vietnam Free trade is thriving worldwide--which means good business for American businesses. But when Americans recoil at kisses on the cheek from a Brazilian or invite an Egyptian to lunch during the month of Ramadan, they face an undeniable fact: successful trade abroad demands a firm grasp of not only economic, but political and social forces. Thoroughly revised and updated, this guide gives global deal-makers the insights to avoid cultural gaffes and forge strong alliances. Here are candid snapshots of the USA's top trading partners, including an all-new chapter on Vietnam. Whether their target country is China (including Hong Kong), Germany, or Mexico, readers will get the lowdown on business prospects, including population growth, age breakdown, per capita income, marketing regulations, and overall risk rating. They'll also learn crucial cultural factors, including negotiating style, sanctioned topics of conversation, perceptions of time and punctuality, holidays, and standard work hours. And from business travelers who've been there, they'll get telling notes on dressing and behaving for success, plus notorious faux paus. Complete with passport and visa requirements, samples of key documents, and helpful websites, DUN & BRADSTREET'S GUIDE TO DOING BUSINESS AROUND THE WORLD holds the keys to international trading with skill and confidence.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Providing extensive information, this reference work is designed to help the user enter the global market. Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway (Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, LJ 1/95) and Joseph J. Douress (1993-1994 Exporter's Encyclopedia, Dun & Bradstreet Information Srvc., 1993) have organized their work into 40 chapters, one for each of the top trade partners of the United States. Their up-to-date guidebook presents an array of brief information about the language, government system, population, geography, and natural resources of each country. Topics useful for business include holidays, time treatment and punctuality, work week/hours, religious/society influences, economic conditions, comparative risk ratings and data (country, trade flows with the United States, monetary policy, trade policy), protection of intellectual property rights, foreign investment climate, politics and leaders, useful contacts, passport/visa requirements, and cultural tips. Two appendixes give documents used in international trade and web addresses. A useful tool for travelers and students alike; recommended for executives and professionals doing or planning international business.?Joseph W. Leonard, Miami Univ., Oxford, Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Terri Morrison is president of Getting Through Customs, a Pennsylvania-based firm that produces material to enhance global business and social practices. Wayne A. Conaway is the company's vice president of research. They are the authors of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries. Joseph J. Douress is Director of Global Trade Services for Dun & Bradstreet Information Services and publisher of Dun & Bradstreet's Exporter's Encyclopedia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press; Rev Sub edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735201080
• ISBN-13: 978-0735201088
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,383,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the authors' prior standard, February 28, 2002

By 

Dick Locke (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World (Paperback)

When I saw the authors were the authors of "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" I immediately bought this book. It was disappointing, because the authors have shown they can write good books.

The biggest problem is with keeping current. (The authors allude to this issue in their preface.) This book was based on 1999 material and published in 2001. There's a lot of material that has very limited shelf-life, such as a list of government officials in Italy. They publish a list of national holidays for each country, listing both date and day of the week. (Where was their editor?) Obviously that information is only good for one particular year.

Treatment is superficial in many aspects. Under "currency" they only state the name of the currency, with no reference to pegging or exchange rate volatility. Under "Intellectual Property Rights" they discuss the treaties the country has signed. You would never learn there is an intellectual property issue in China from reading this book, because China has signed all pertinent treaties.

Their treatment of cultural issues is not structured. They list five cultural tips per country. These tend to focus on manners issues such as being (or not being) on time. I'm more attune to the method that Geert Hofstede uses in his books where he defines a cultural trait, discusses its implications, and then states how strong that cultural trait is in the country. For example, Hofstede introduces "power distance" as a measure of hierarchy and respect for authority. He then discusses implications for the decision making and negotiation processes. Finally, he gives the scores for each country, leaving the reader to draw conclusions. The authors of this book do discuss one cultural trait for all countries, defined as "Time." To them it means attitudes toward promptness. There is no discussion of the inverse relationship between attention to promptness and flexibility in scheduling, which is a hugely important issue in buying or selling.

Finally, and this is a personal issue because I am a purchasing consultant and educator, there is a heavy emphasis on selling in other countries but almost no attention to buying there. They could have given GSP-status for imports into the US, for example.

I recommend spending your money elswhere. Buy "Kiss, Bow" to learn about manners issues. Get "Culturegrams" to get annually updated information on history and geography. If you really want to study a country it will take more depth and more current material than this book carries.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incomparable Source of Information and Commentary, November 15, 2000

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dun And Bradstreet Guide Doing Business Around World Revised (Hardcover)

Here is the best single-source I have come across thus far which provides information about trade opportunities, tariffs, risk factors, negotiating styles, investment climate, protocol, and cultural tips. (I refer to the revised and expanded version.) The authors discuss 40 countries (in alphabetical order, from Argentina to Venezuela), then provide five appendices: Contracts and Websites, Documents Used in International Trade, Abbreviations of International Organizations, Corruption & Bribery Index, and Conversion Factors. I am now convinced that almost every company throughout the world will eventually become involved, directly or indirectly, with e-business. Here is a comprehensive guide which contains invaluable information and hard-headed recommendations based on real-world experience. Other volumes are now available which provide more information about a single county (eg Stuttard's superb The New Silk Road whose subject is China) but none, to my knowledge, which is comparable in terms of global coverage.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for U. S. exporters of all sizes., September 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World (Paperback)

This book provides valuable information on the social, political, economic and marketing aspects of the 40 major trading partners (countries) of the United States. It rates the credit worthiness of each country based upon its trade and monetary policies, climate for foreign investment, import duties and taxes, political climate, and attitude towards protection of intellectual property rights. It does an excellent job of addressing the cultural aspects of doing business abroad. Our staff uses it often as a resource for conducting international market research and working with consulting clients. Recommended for purchase by John R. Jagoe, Director, Export Institute