How did the conduct of business come to be so different in different countries? Why are some less developed countries in the process of rapid industrialization while so many others remain poor? This volume suggests some answers. Author David Hanson develops an analysis that focuses on governing elites, the need for security, and the search for status. His analysis rests on considerations of social structure, conflict, and psychology rather than on resources, markets and economics. The result is a book to offer international managers an understanding of history's critical role in fully understanding the societies in which they operate.

1. On National Differences in Managerial Culture 2. Other Approaches to the Analysis of Culture 3. Leaders in France and China: Agents for Departed Monarchs 4. Germany and Japan: Military Leadership and Development 5. The US and the UK: Merchants and an Aristocracy 6. Italy and Mexico; Networks of Partisans 7. Brazil and India: Different Paths to Similar Goals 8. On the Virtues of Necessity: Belgium and Netherlands 9. Korea and Thailand: Conflict and Inclusion 10. Ghana and Nigeria; Corruption and Inclusion 11. Lord Buddha and Master Kong, the Pope and Martin Luther 12. Discussions, Comparisons and Conclusions

David P. Hanson is Associate Professor of Global Business in the Donahue School of Business, Duquesne University, USA.