ABSTRACT
During the writing of this book we have – as both authors and observers of international business – witnessed the seemingly ‘inevitable’ and irreversible process of globalization not only lose momentum but (in some cases) go into decline. Naturally such developments do not erode the value of the preceding analysis but should encourage students to develop a critical approach to the process and to understand the historical forces that have shaped the ebb and flow of globalization throughout the history of humanity’s commercial activities. Thus, the fact that globalization appears to have reached a high point should – in historical terms – come as little surprise.
