Book excerpt: The field of international business is dynamic, complex, and challenging, vulnerable to fast-breaking events such as economic shifts, political turmoil, and natural disasters. This concise and affordable textbook will help future international business executives acquire the skills to function effectively under these challenging conditions. "Basics of International Business" incorporates coverage of the ongoing turmoil in the world financial markets. It's designed to familiarize students with the external environments that affect international businesses, to show them how to recognize the processes in identifying potential foreign markets, and to help them understand the functional strategies that can be developed to succeed in this highly competitive environment. The text focuses on 'must-know' core concepts in international business. The concepts, theories, and techniques are organized around seven major topical areas: introduction and overview of international business; environmental variables of culture, politics, and economics; entry strategies for new markets and countries; international trade and foreign direct investments; integration of functional areas; specific functioning areas (marketing, finance, accounting, etc.); global outsourcing and its role in international operations. The text is filled with helpful charts, chapter summaries, exercises, and applied cases. A detailed instructor's manual including course outlines, classroom exercises, and a complete test bank is available to adopters on the MES website.