Book excerpt: Did you know that American icon 7-Eleven is controlled by Japanese retail giant Ito-Yokado, Dunkin' Donuts is owned by British conglomerate Allied Domecq & that Fox Broadcasting Company & the New York Post are run by The News Corporation, an Australian company? These & hundreds of other public, private & state-owned companies headquartered outside the U.S. have a profound influence on American business & American life. In Hoover's Handbook of World Business, you'll find indepth profiles of 250 of the most influential firms from Canada, Europe & Japan, as well as companies from the fast-growing economies of such countries as Brazil, China & Taiwan. Hoover's Handbook of World Business includes lists of the top global companies from FORTUNE & other publications, as well as lists of companies on many of the major foreign stock indexes, such as the British FTSE-10 & Japan's Nikkei 225. Indexes are organized by headquarters location & industry, & by the people, companies & brand names mentioned in the profiles.