---

The business environment is becoming increasingly global and competitive which in turn makes the role of a business manager more challenging and diverse. For this reason and others companies are growing through cross border mergers, joint ventures, direct investments and others strategic alliances. Similarly markets are getting closer to each other by virtue of a variety of integration from a simple trade level integration to political unification. Because of these changes, markets followed by product and customer integration, both product and customers are becoming increasingly global. In return, all these changes have posed challenges for companies and managers involved in international business. These changes and challenges are not merely technical ones but more importantly they are socio-cultural. Today´s business leaders, therefore, should possess not only technical competencies but also and most importantly have an in-depth understanding of different socio-political systems existing in the world. Considering the fact that this globalization process is taking place everywhere in the world.

---