East-West Business Relations

Book excerpt: As the political and ideological atmospheres in Central and Eastern Europe have recently changed and entered a transition period, a need has arisen for new models for the formation, development, and establishment of East-West business relationships. East-West Business Relationships is a dynamic work offering a two-dimensional sample--of both the companies and their countries--of East-West Business relations. The book covers topics including joint ventures, relationship marketing, networks, and export behavior. It offers new insights into East-West business relations by: basing its contents upon research conducted by teams from the Unites States, Japan, Sweden, and Finland which allows comparisons between multinationals of different origins. providing a testing ground for new ways of doing business, adjusted to the environments of individual countries. increasing knowledge of critical issues in the business relationship from both the Western and Eastern partner's viewpoint. focusing on the formation and development of East-West business relationships specifically during the transition period. Most chapters in East-West Business Relationships apply a qualitative approach using case study methods. This methodology is unique in the present context of East-West business as it allows an examination of the whole management process of the formation and development of business relationships, providing a rich, in-depth analysis of the why’s and how’s of these relationships. It suggests that more understanding of the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes of East European firms must be gained in order to diminish the problems, a huge number of which are simply a result of the misunderstanding of the Eastern counterpart, faced by Western firms in Eastern Europe. This volume serves as a superior reference for academics and business managers interested in advancing their understanding of East-West business relations. It may also serve as valuable reading material for advanced courses in international marketing or business operations in Eastern Europe.