Global Business Law

This text, completely updated from the Second Edition, provides students and practitioners of international business law with a clear "story line" that addresses key questions facing international lawyers as they advise clients on a broad range of business issues—especially those of a transactional character. The book's first two chapters are aimed at "orienteering", to explain (1) where international business law fits within the larger context of international law, (2) what main legal traditions practitioners will face in working with clients and counsel from other cultures, and (3) what sources of assistance are available to facilitate that work (e.g., local counsel, translators, etc.). Chapters 3 to 6 then march the reader through a variety of critical issues on contract drafting, standard terms (e.g., Incoterms), documentary sales transactions, electronic commerce, and more. Chapters 7 and 8 shift the focus away from sales of goods and toward two related forms of international business that stand partway between commerce and investment—namely, licensing of production abroad and international franchising. Then, in Chapters 9, 10, and 11, the book turns to foreign direct investment. Again, the approach is heavily practice-oriented. The book then closes, in Chapters 12 and 13, with a series of "cross-cutting issues" that apply to all forms of international business—including dispute resolution, corrupt practices, wire transfers, anti-competition rules, and the like.

This structure to the text of Global Business Law reflects the typical progression of interest and involvement by business organizations in the world of commerce, licensing, and investment. That structure, combined with a practice-oriented approach (giving attention to policy and regulatory matters only to the extent that they bear directly on the practice of international business law), yields a text that can be used not only for students wishing to gain a close familiarity with the subject for the first time, but also for practitioners who want clear answers and guidance, not just questions and readings. Consistent with that approach, the text comes with a set of appendices providing key documentary materials, such as the Vienna Sales Convention, the Uniform Customs and Practice, and a range of treaties, model laws, national legislation, and other legal building blocks. In order to help bring these to life, the text provides helpful chapter overviews, study questions to focus attention on principal points, a streamlined narrative, and extensive illustrations and sample forms.