Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

International trade has created a highly interdependent world. Everyday products – such as phones, trainers or cars – are designed, manufactured and assembled across several different countries, by countless different companies, both large and small, involving millions of people of all nationalities, creeds and cultures. We take much of this creativity and competition for granted. But it wouldn’t be possible without the peaceful collaboration of millions of people around the planet – a much-overlooked aspect of globalisation. Yet some politicians – perhaps bound by electoral concerns – often take a narrower view, claiming globalisation leads to job losses, lower standards and threats to security. An introduction to Trade & Globalisation examines the tensions that inevitably arise alongside the many benefits of trade. Author Eamonn Butler looks at the rapid growth of international trade over the past 50 years, and how commerce and international politics have become increasingly entwined. He describes the fundamental and growing importance of trade and globalisation in modern life – whilst also seeking to understand the opposition to it. And, at the same time, he skilfully provides a straightforward, insightful and essential introduction to the principles, economics, and politics of international trade – one of the key developments of the modern era.