The greatest dilemma facing the author of a textbook on international business strategy is estimating readers' knowledge of the domain. Should the author assume that the student already comprehends such subjects as international economics, international trade, and international finance? Or should the book deal extensively with these subjects before tackling management issues?
After over fifteen years of teaching, I have come to recognize that the appropriate compromise is to provide a quick refresher on international economics, trade, and finance. For this reason, Global Business Strategy: A Systems Approach builds a good theoretical base before addressing the basic functions, or tasks, of global management. The philosophy underlying this work is that international managers are practitioners of economics and, in particular, its subdiscipline of international economics. Just as a good engineer must learn the science of physics before practicing engineering, and a physician the science of biology before practicing medicine, international managers must learn international economics before they can begin practicing global management.
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