The International Business Dictionary and Reference

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager, University of British
Columbia Library.

Doing business in the global marketplace involves coming to grips with a
Babel of terms, treaties, and organizations that are largely unfamiliar
to the domestic trader except for passing references in the business
press. Cultural differences, foreign exchange, and the need to be
mindful of international and foreign laws and regulations add new
dimensions of complexity to the business of buying and selling. Help is
at hand: “The aim of this volume is to present a comprehensive and
accurate cross-disciplinary integration of the vocabulary of
international business.” Its author points out that such an
interdisciplinary resource is so far unique in the English language.
Entries include a thorough explanation of the term, agreement, or
organization, including its origins and its role in international
business. Examples may be provided to illustrate common usage. The
entries appear under the full English form of the name or term. Where
acronyms and foreign equivalents are also in use, they are cited.
However, they are generally not cross-referenced or separately indexed,
and this detracts somewhat from the dictionary’s usefulness as a quick
reference tool. “See also” pointers to related entries are included,
as are references to the appendixes and the “Reference Guides,”
which group the terms and organizations into convenient geographical and
topical configurations. The appendixes also include separate
vocabularies of technical terms in international law, foreign exchange,
and international commerce (both “incoterms” and common
non-incoterms), which supplement the material in the body of the text.
The sources used to compile the volume are listed in a single
bibliography at its conclusion. A good, practical desk reference for
those with an interest in international trade.