Export-management Books

This book is a nice companion to the more comprehensive "International Job Finder: Where the Jobs are Worldwide." While "International Job Finder" provides everything you could want to know about where to find jobs around the globe via the Internet and in print, the value of "International Jobs" rests in the in-depth information it provides about hundreds of international employers. "International Job Finder" is a lot more candid about how to stay safe overseas these days while "International Jobs" pretty much glosses over the risks in overseas work. But between them, the two books cover just about everything you need to know for a successful international job search.

I dont know why amazon forgot to include them here - anyway: the reader's reviews of the 5th ed. of this book speak for themself ...
Check it out yourself.
Also, it is rather interesting that Nina Segal - according to the "editorial" review - never ever worked abroad. (That sounds a little bit like Condi and George W. telling the rest of the world how to fight terrorism and introduce democracy ...)

This book is awful. As said below, see the reviews of the 5. edition if you don't believe me. As an American who has permanently immigrated abroad and has had to work through the cultural hardships and bureaucracy in Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom I can say from personal experience that this book can at best be called naive. They take the typical N. American point of view that you can get on anywhere with english, they assume that the american resume will work in every country (it won't...in the UK the format is different (CV) and in other countries like Germany you have to write in a different format and in german), they give no information about how working in any of these countries is different both culturally and in respect to the working laws, and the jobs that they do list are low level jobs that no one would ever work in for more than a year (teach english abroad, volunteer work, etc.).

If you are looking for a job abroad, first off learn the language of the country you want to work in. Then go to or call the embassy and ask them about the working laws and what you have to do to get a visa. After that start sending out local formatted CVs to companies in the country, but under any circumstances do NOT buy this book.

Nina Segal's update of the late Eric Kocher's work provides a helpful guide for international job-seekers. From a bewildering array of options, Segal breaks career paths down by sector (media, finance, government, international organizations, NGOs and non-profits, law firms) and provides advice on the type of experience and qualifications that can help you get a foot in the door at these complex employers.

This is not a book about finding work abroad! Nor does it try to be a comprehensive index of every employer with international operations or a foreign focus. Rather, it's a starting point for a career path with big employers such as the United Nations, the US State Department, the Associated Press, the World Bank, Citigroup, and Human Rights Watch. The book focuses on the information you'd need to find an entry-level to mid-level job at companies and organizations with strong international components to their work. This latest edition adds a host of web links facilitating further research.

Segal is a human resources consultant at the UN, and previously headed the career services office at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She has spent years studying and guiding successful international careers. "International Jobs" is a succinct distillation of what she's learned. While it could be improved, the book really is in a field of its own, and very useful for anyone seeking a path to a cosmopolitan career and life. "International Jobs" has helped me in my career, and I regularly refer to it when asked for career advice.

This book has little value except as a very elementary introduction to intercultural encounter. As the cover illustration suggests, Axtell points out some of the large number idioms that flavor the speech (and writing) of Americans. For someone who has never tried to bridge a cultural gap, such awareness is an important first step. For everyone else, the book is only a light read, good for stretches of an international flight when the movie isn't interesting and you can't fall asleep. The entire third chapter is devoted to amusing errors made by Americans when speaking English.

The only serious analysis comes near the end of the last chapter when Axtell outlines four levels of language proficiency: 100-word level, courtesy level, survival level, and near fluency (which he sagely suggests requires six months of living in a foreign culture in addition to classroom study).

As several reviewers have stated, this book is far too superficial in its description of other cultures. But there is a bigger problem: the very notion of "taboos" is a holdover from the 19th century attitude that foreign cultures are inherently dangerous -- a misstep might get you eaten by a cannibal, for example. However, TV has made people around the globe aware of other cultures, even if the viewers live in areas so remote that Americans and other foreigners (from their viewpoint) rarely if ever set foot there. This means most of humanity already knows that differences exist and therefore everyone has some degree of tolerance for unfamiliar behaviors.

Even books that focus on a single culture (in contrast to Axtell's scattered attempt to introduce many cultures) usually fail to go deeper that listing a bunch of warnings. Perhaps intercultural communication guides sell better by scaring readers into thinking that a single misstep could blow a billion dollar deal that was about to be clinched. Nevertheless, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and long-time expatriates generally recognize that finding common ground between cultures is at least as essential as respecting differences. Common sense is important, too: don't get angry, listen attentively, etc.

Do's and Taboos of Using English Around the World is primarily written with the international business traveler in mind, but it is also useful for teachers and students of English as a foreign language. Indeed, the book is written in such a simple and entertaining style as to make it appealing to just about anyone remotely interested in language or travel. It is divided into three sections. The first part deals with the idiosyncrasies of American English, the second part with English varieties around the world, and the last part, which makes up over half of the book, with helpful advice on becoming a global communicator. If you are a native English speaker, then the first two sections of this book may not be that interesting, as much of what is said may already be known to you. As an English teacher, I found the latter part of the book to be the most useful because of its coverage of the subtle differences in English communication throughout the world. Of course, this book is not serious reading if you are a linguist or a scholar, but Axtell does a fine job of offering good advice to any newcomer to Japan, my home for the past ten years. If I were to complain about this book, I would say that some of his anecdotes are a little bit contrived and others rather dull. Also, the grocer's apostrophe in the book's title; are we going to get rid of it or quote it in a later edition in the series?

Axtell's capsule treatments of various cultures are too superficial for all but the most oblivious travelers. In his attempt to include a multitude of countries and customs, nothing gets decent coverage. Though it's doubtful anyone would expect a book about using English to serve as a foreign-language phrasebook, the brief appendix tries to do just that, contributing to the book's scattershot feel.

The Church Lady seems to have ghostwritten five pages of Chapter 5, where we are informed of the Canadians' "special heritage," Quebecers' "special pride in their ethnic heritage," and Australians' "special brand of coined and abbreviated words," not to mention their "special brand of lingo."

This book is for you if you're an after-dinner speaker who needs cute anecdotes about language and cultural snafus, or if lists of misstatements like "Our Father who art in heaven, Howard be thy name," send you into convulsions of laughter. But it's not essential travel reading.

This book reads like an electrical engineering nightmare. Author writes in impersonal way which makes the material 10X as hard as to understand as it should be. A very frustrating and non-exciting read.
put some more passion into your writing.
Don't make it more complicated than it should be

is a good text. easy to understand .

I used this book for a global operations class. It contains both text and cases in one book. However, cases in some chapters do not directly relate to the content presenting in those chapters. Moreover, some cases are really difficult to read and understand the context of the case for analysis. However, there are some good HBS cases.

If you import you must have this book. It covers all the aspects and helps you understand the problems you will encounter. It isn't expensive, and it containes all the basic data you must know. It doesn't replace a good customs broker, but read it before you start importing.

A great resource for first time and experienced importers who do not fully understand their responsibilites as an importer.

All of the information in this book is available through the US customs website. Don't waste your money.

The bonus chapter is a shameless plug for you to use the services of a couple Hong Kong firm's who the author apparently is associated with. Skip this book.

Maybe I am not as smart as the reviewer from Texas who gave this book five stars. I profoundly disliked this textbook. At best it is a mediocre piece of work.

Here are my gripes:

a) The authors do not concentrate on the essential. Particularly painful for me were chapters 3 and 4. There were so many long narratives that touched on insignificant things. See page 132: What changed in accounting when Mexico declared independence from Spain? Instead, information of relevance is missing. For example the accounting for pension liabilities in other countries should have been examined closer.

b) Explanations are complicated and long.

c) One is unnecessarily burdened with references to what happened in the past. Who cares what regulation was passed in 1965 when it is no longer in effect today. Such references may be appropriate for a research paper, but not for a textbook. When we get out in the real world, it will be more important to know what rules are in effect at this point.

Overall, it was a drag studying from this book week by week. Isn't there anything better out there on international accounting?

A useful book that provides a good summary comparing differing Accounting Standards and approaches between countries. However, it is not worth the price. It is supposedly written for later year undergraduate and masters accounting students. It is more suitable for general second year accounting students. Plus, as I am working with a multinational European bank in Japan, the book is, rapidly becoming, out of date. There is none of the simply but incisive commentary which can be found in other books about the differences and outcomes of general accounting principals drawn from different countries.

This book, written as a text for accounting/business students, provides an excellent overview of accounting standards around the world. Rather than providing a detailed listing of accounting standards for each country (best left for reference texts and online, easily updatable sources) the authors focus on the key features of accounting standards, disclosures and harmonization efforts worldwide.

This book provides an excellent, basic primer in international accounting. It is easily read by anyone with a basic understanding of business and finance and/or accounting. The authors provide numerous examples of international financial reporting, taken from actual financial statements and annual reports.

A bit boring read, but definitely a good resource if I ever need to refer to the book.

I ordered three books, one is arrived in two weeks, one still not arrived after three weeks, seems lost, and the international logistics seem not even shipped, because you did not charge me and told me this book is out of order, so I got the book from other book store. Regarding this book, I can not rate it. And I lost foreign currency exchange fee because of this book. So I am not planning to order any book from USA web page.

I read this book out of an immediate business need to get a general overview of the international logistics and supply chain industry. And this book certainly accomplished that. It is not a rigorous read as I went through it in its entirety (save for the chapter cases) in about 3 days.

The biggest complaint that I have about the book is its poor organization. Terms and concepts such as Ro/Ro, Customs Broker, Bill of Lading, and Banking are not explained before they are extensively referenced. For those that have some very basic understanding of import/export, some of these terms are not too much of a mystery, but such confusion could have completely been eliminated if only the book was better organized.

Also, perhaps it is a bias result from my specific reading needs, but I thought there were chapters of the book that could have been greatly simplified, combined, or eliminated, such as the first 3 chapters. At a minimum they could be moved to an Appendix section for reference.

There are also numerous spelling and grammatical errors, as well as some sections that are written in "spoken" English. English is not my mother tongue so for me to notice spelling and grammar errors really says something about the proof reading quality of this text.

That is one of the worst books I have ever read. The author, Roland Flamini, lived in Germany for four years but he has absolutely no idea what is behind the German business, etiquette and customs. There are many details wrong. If Passport Germany is your only guide to succeed in the German market or to make business with German companies, you can be sure that you will fail. There are many details about the German economy, companies and business missing. However, the main problem is that many topics a badly investigated. Here are some highlights: Answering the question `How German view themselves', he quoted Goethe and Moser; both lived in the 18th century - who cares. Furthermore, Mr. Flamini, nowadays, it is not forbidden to make any noise between 1:30 and 3:30p.m. throughout Germany. In addition, Germany also has non-smoking regulations and the period of time a German spend his or her entire working career with one company is also past - and not present. It was funny to read that the German lunch time is 12:20 to 1 p.m., how precise. However, Mr. Flamini, the carnival in Germany is in February/early March and not in October and the Oktoberfest is in September and not in October. As a result: This book is boring and useless! It will confuse you and you will just waste your time....

Passport Germany is a bright star among those few books explaining common values and beliefs in Germany. Though the book is intended to serve as a first introduction to foreign businessmen, it actually is a treasure for everybody coming to Germany and trying to understand the German way of living and thinking. Why are Germans that concerned about Ordnung (order)? You will understand why after reading this little book, as well as learning about the right way to shake hands in Germany. Brilliantly did the author describe the step-by-step approach of getting to know each other; this piece of information can avoid too high expectations when it comes to socializing with Germans. The chapter on behaviour at the workplace and in business meetings is covered in an adequate manner; though there are some details which are outdated or not correct, the overall value of this book can not be questioned. But nevertheless some chapters need a thorough looking through, e.g. the opening hours of stores have changed; we have got 176 women in German Parliament instead of 26; carnival in the Rhineland is not in october, but in february; and the most northern winyards of Germany are not in the Rhineland, but in the area of Unstrut/Saale (former GDR). The author recommends that business men should have their German language paper material crosschecked by a German. Perhaps he should stick to his own recommendation and have his Passport Germany crosschecked by a German, too. It certainly would change my rating to the higher end. (reviewed by:Markus Brinker)

This is a great starting point. The subject of import/export can be very complex, but this book is simple right to the core. Yes there are some lame jokes, but the information is solid and the book well researched, and is full of all the information you need to understand this area of business. The book makes for light and entertaining reading while you learn the core fundamentals, from there you are in a great position t move onto more advanced books on the subject. Recommended.

stay away from this book. it tells you nothing helpful. The authors are playing a joke on you.

The authors of this book could not make up their minds "should this be a joke or serious book" their choice was to make serious subjects into a joke and thus made a truly worthless book. It got to the point where I was so upset at having to read 6th grade jokes (sorry 6th graders, you are probably much more clever) that any information was lost. You can learn as more about the import/export business by going to the store and reading shipping labels.

Why isn't there an author attached to this book? Just editors from this quick buck series. Do they have experience starting a import/export business? You can probably find everything in this book from google. Save your money.

I love the Entreprenuer's web site and magazine so I snapped this book up. It's really a fireside reading and doesn't go into detailed action steps. You are better off going on the government's import export web site: http://www.itds.treas.gov/index.html

This book promises to teach you how to "Globalize your business with digital and online technology". Unfortunately the book was first published in 1998, so the information is at least four years old. Furthermore, the author is much too pedantic for my tastes. (He begins chapter 1 : "In the eigth century B.C., when Homer wrote the The Odyssey ...).

If you are interested in expanding to international markets via the Internet, this book is unlikely to help.

I was looking for a book that would help me understand what I needed to both consider and execute in order to sell internationally on the internet.

The book helps somewhat with what to consider - having some good rankings of countries and their relative abilities to accept/use the internet and internet based purchasing. However, the book doesn't really tell me how to sell; fulfill orders, manage exports/imports at the nitty-gritty level that I need.

I know there are many anecdotal accounts of the buying habits of individuals in different countries that might help me avoid some pitfalls in marketing to them. I found very few of those in this text.

The text is at a very high level. It provides a framework for thinking about marketing globally. However, aside from the country rankings, I found the actual content to be somewhat superficial.

Another book that takes a more nuts and bolts approach is "How to build a Successful International Web Site" by ! Mark Bishop. However, that is at a very rudimentary level as well. Another text designed to help you sell on the internet is "Selling on the Internet" by Gonyea and Gonyea. This has a helpful "Storefront Planning Worksheet" that helps organize the development.

I still have not seen an overwhelmingly impressive book on the subject. Most texts just help you get foot on the first rung of a ladder but you still have to climb the rest of the way yourself.

This is the weakest of the seven no-nonsense guides I have perused so far. Unless you already know quite a bit about fair trade (including the specific examples used in the book) the book is very confusing. To be honest, I am surprised this got past the editors at New Internationalist and Verso. The first chapter, on Chiapas, Mexico, is utterly nonsense (in direct violation of the series title!). It does, however, get a little clearer from there on.
My other complaint is that the author portrays fair trade as a something of a panacea solution to the ills of the non-western world, at least right up until the last chapters. Fair trade, at best, will be one small part of a much larger solution to the disparities between the rich and poor of the world. This book gives something of a disingenuous "good news" feel, as for now, while fair trade is creating some opportunities for a lucky few in the Global South, what it's been really effective at is producing a target niche market for guilt-ridden consumers in the North. Don't get me wrong, we should all feel guilty about our complicity in the problems of the South, and buying fair trade is one small thing each of us can do. But my hunch is that there are folks out there who feel like they're "saving" the world through fair trade purchasing, making it for some, no doubt, yet another conscience-tonic for the well-off.

This book is at best a justification (chiefly by means of anecdotes) of why fair trade might be necessary or helpful. The stories it tells about farmers in various parts of the world are interesting and affecting. However, the book lacks a coherent explanation of what "fair trade" is. It also doesn't say anything about about the difference between the "alternative trade organization" (ATO) and certification approaches to fair trade, how fair trade certification organizations do their job, or about the tensions between certification and ATO approaches. So if you're a consumer who's already interested in supporting fair trade, you won't learn much.

The book is also very European, and mainly British, in its attention to the consumer side (which attention is scant, in any case). The US is rarely disussed except as a villain, and Japan and ROW markets are ignored. This myopia is significant especially in the case of bananas (Ch. 4). Some pieces of the US fair trade distribution chain have not been up to the challenges of dealing with a perishable fruit. The US market for fair trade bananas had actually shrunk by 2005, before this book's revision date. Also, the complex logistics of handling bananas forces more reliance on big producers, mainstream retailing and certification, which some people in the fair trade movement regard as a sort of treason to the movement's original intention. You won't hear any of this in the book, which instead focuses on telling a morality tale about the producer side. Its small text box about consumption tells only a sunny story, without any reference to the logistical issues or the related political tensions within the fair trade movement. For a more balanced picture, see Ch. 5 of "Fair Trade: The Challenges of Transforming Globalization," L. Raynolds, D. Murray & J. Wilkinson, eds. (Routledge: 2007).

The book has its origin in some magazine articles from the 1990s. There are at least two drawbacks to this. First, the presentation throughout (aside from the first chapter) is of first-person journalism, rather than systematic explanation. Second, most of the material was rather old even by the 2006 "revised edition" date claimed on the copyright page. (A couple of charts and text boxes have been updated, but the main text and other text boxes have not.) The literary style speaks in the idiom of ideological fellow travelers, rather than in a tone that might persuade the ignorant or undecided. E.g., an African farmer landing at Gatwick Airport is described as "lack[ing] the self-assurance of the globalized robots who run the world economy and pass through immigration like a subway turnstile" (@109). Call me a globalized robot, but IMHO you will miss little if you pass by this book.