Business Without Borders

Product Description

Praise for Business Without Borders

"Don DePalma has provided us with the most comprehensive guide for corporations to compete in the era of globalization. Business Without Borders is an outstanding contribution to managing in the global era, with practical information on the skills and knowledge needed to become an effective player in the global marketplace. This is a must-read for managers who seek to lead their corporations in the knowledge-based economy."
–Abbas J. Ali, PhD, Executive Director of American Society for Competitiveness
Professor and Director
School of International Management
Indiana University of Pennsylvania

"Don goes head-on at one of the most difficult challenges facing large corporations–and comes up with fresh, actionable advice. It’s clear that the next economic war will be fought on the ‘Eighth Continent’–this book reveals the strategies that will win the coming battles."
–George F. Colony, Chairman and CEO
Forrester Research, Inc.

"Now more than ever, managers need to make a strong business case for targeting global markets. Don DePalma writes from first- hand experience with dozens of companies, and he expertly weighs the challenges and the benefits of ‘going global.’ Business Without Borders provides essential insights and analysis that will help any size corporation craft a rewarding international strategy."
–Mary J. Cronin, PhD
Professor of Management, Boston College
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1288176 in Books
* Published on: 2002-05-01
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 256 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
Expertly weighs the challenges and benefits of 'going global'. Provides insights and analysis to craft a rewarding international strategy. -- Mary J. Cronin, Professor of Management, Boston College

Fresh, actionable advice. This book reveals the strategies that will win the next economic war on the 'Eighth Continent'. -- George F. Colony, Chairman and CEO Forrester Research, Inc.

Outstanding contribution to managing in the global era. Practical information to become an effective player in the global marketplace. -- Abbas J. Ali, Professor and Director School of Interantional Management, 2002

From the Inside Flap
"If I’m selling to you, I speak your language. If I’m buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen."
–Willy Brandt

Before the Web, only giants such as Ford, McDonald’s, Volkswagen, and Sony had the resources and infrastructure to serve and market to a global community. Now, thanks to the power of the Internet to transcend space, time, and borders, virtually any company can market its products or services anywhere in the world. However, as global Web-marketing expert Don DePalma explains in this groundbreaking guide, just having a Web site isn’t enough–in order to make your company a global player, you’ve got to think globally and interact locally. In Business Without Borders, he shows you how.

A top international consultant specializing in globalization, DePalma has consulted e-business leaders on the online strategies of some of the most visible e-business successes. In Business Without Borders, he draws upon his experiences and those of practitioners at Travelocity, Ducati, Lands’ End, Procter & Gamble, and others to describe global e-business best practices. He also analyzes several online failures to explain why it takes more than a lot of high-tech bells and whistles to successfully compete online in foreign markets.

Business Without Borders is the definitive how-to guide for marketing professionals ready to take the leap into global Web marketing. The emphasis throughout is on the nuts-and-bolts issues marketers and their support staff must master in order to launch a successful global initiative–from selling ideas to a budgetary committee or board of directors; deciding on which countries or cultures to enter; finding and working with translation and localization specialists; to measuring the ROI of global Web marketing efforts, it covers all the practical bases clearly, succinctly, and thoroughly. Business Without Borders also features a chapter devoted to educating developers and tech-support staff in foreign character sites, currencies, date formats, and other technical details that can compromise even the best-laid globalization plans.

The Internet has given birth to an "Eighth Continent"–a vast virtual landscape without borders, and populated by nearly a billion consumers. Read Business Without Borders and learn how to seize the untold business opportunities awaiting there.

From the Back Cover
Praise for Business Without Borders

"Don DePalma has provided us with the most comprehensive guide for corporations to compete in the era of globalization. Business Without Borders is an outstanding contribution to managing in the global era, with practical information on the skills and knowledge needed to become an effective player in the global marketplace. This is a must-read for managers who seek to lead their corporations in the knowledge-based economy."
–Abbas J. Ali, PhD, Executive Director of American Society for Competitiveness
Professor and Director
School of International Management
Indiana University of Pennsylvania

"Don goes head-on at one of the most difficult challenges facing large corporations–and comes up with fresh, actionable advice. It’s clear that the next economic war will be fought on the ‘Eighth Continent’–this book reveals the strategies that will win the coming battles."
–George F. Colony, Chairman and CEO
Forrester Research, Inc.

"Now more than ever, managers need to make a strong business case for targeting global markets. Don DePalma writes from first- hand experience with dozens of companies, and he expertly weighs the challenges and the benefits of ‘going global.’ Business Without Borders provides essential insights and analysis that will help any size corporation craft a rewarding international strategy."
–Mary J. Cronin, PhD
Professor of Management, Boston College
Customer Reviews

Since resources are scarce - try this one for sure ...2
The Guiding Principle for Going Global Online

A solid piece of work, highly recommended to anyone who must understand how to develop a successful global Internet business. De Palma comes with an ace pedigree, widely respected, coming out with "customers are three times more likely to buy from websites in their own language", an industry standard mantra.

De Palma hits key areas, highlighting best practices of the market leaders and their global websites and systems. For once, we have web-based globalization ("Marketing and Selling on the Eight Continent") analysed within a business context. If only pets.com had read this book ...

Content is extensively researched. Case studies are made; corporate budgets, marketing plans, infrastructure, etc., are dissected. Plenty of practical examples, including the names we're all familiar with for the right reasons (eBay, etc.) and the wrong reasons (boo.com et al) too.

If you're in the business of expanding your markets through the web this is the book for you. Increasingly, "E-Commerce" is less dependent on the US ($600 billion worldwide versus $850 billion in the US estimated for 2003). If you want to grow your business, look outside your own borders.

De Palma shows how a successful web business deals with "big issues": Education about global and local markets; planning for international web business; implementing technology and translating into foreign languages, organizing people and resources and, crucially, measuring the return on investment. Of course, parts of what he says applies to international business in general, so don't think this book is just for the web-literate.

The tone is pragmatism. De Palma is realistic about the planning and management of a global web business (it does NOT mean translating into every language under the sun). Much to his credit, he provides valuable information on areas that competing titles duck to avoid, e.g., international tax, contractual and legal requirements - and provides good advice for staying out of trouble.

A technical foundation is included. This isn't a book for techies, but it does educate the executive and student audience about implementing globalized web technology. Experts will contest his comments on TMX, Machine Translation and Unicode, however, the rest of the technical stuff is sound (no "did you know that they have different shaped mailboxes in England?" nonsense).

De Palma, throughout the book, underpins his thesis with the need for a Chief Globalization Officer (an executive to champion web globalization in a company). You can cringe at Grand Poo-Bah titling redolent of dot coms, but fair enough, it does underline the critical importance of bringing globalization issues to senior management attention. Basically, if you're not getting the message through to board level, your enterprise will remain a beggar at the globalization banquet.

In sum, you can take this book as The Guiding Principle for Going Global Online. Recommended to seasoned executives, students of international commerce and technology, globalization gurus and the plain interested. OK, we know business book sales are down 30% since the end of the 1990's. So, if you're going to buy one, buy this one.

A Must Read for Global Web Marketers5
Hats off to Mr. DePalma! As a long-time marketing professional who has grappled with trying to help upper management "get" the importance of the web as a co-equal channel within the marketing mix-particularly as it relates to drumming up business globally- "Business without Borders" delivers the information and strategic paths that any business thinking of going global needs to know and understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone who already is engaged in doing business overseas or is simply thinking of doing so; "Business without Borders" delivers comprehensive "glocalized" web marketing strategies and important lessons learned for everyone.

Globalization How-to (and How-not-to)5
DePalma has produced a detailed, well-reasoned tour de force for companies who need to act on the globalization imperative. He touches on every aspect of the globalization process, including target market analyses, localization, internal corporate issues, and much more. Even companies who are well along in their efforts to operate globally (in every sense of the word) could learn a thing or two from DePalma's book.

He personalizes what could easily become a dry subject by regularly invoking a fictitious model protagonist named "Mira Vozreniya" - meaning "world view" in Russian (with tongue planted firmly in cheek) - to guide the reader through the intricate and complicated process of taking products global. His approach is hands-on, with many summarizing charts, tips, data points, and tools for would-be globalizers. And he spends significant time on the 8th Continent and web-related issues, in the process dispelling many a myth about the instant globality of a web presence. The book is filled with real-life examples of what to do and what not to do to be successful globally.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is, or soon will be, involved in the massive undertaking that is globalization in a corporate environment. There is a great deal to digest in DePalma's book (dare I say, too much?), but if companies implement even a fraction of what he lays out, they will do well for themselves.