International Business Development in Context—History, Trends and Realities

Abstract

International business has existed for as long as humans have been trading goods. This introductory chapter identifies some key factors for international business and outlines reasons for changes in international business activities. Companies planning to develop their international business are well advised to take into consideration emerging trends. These trends are impacting product designs, production and supply chain activities as well as marketing and sales approaches. International business development is important to many companies. Highlighting some examples of companies, the concepts of product-market strategies as well of the international product life cycle, and the interdependency between both concepts are outlined. Further, the overall outline and a brief introduction to the content of the book is provided. The subsequent chapters and their core ideas are briefly introduced.