Business Without Borders: A Strategic Guide to Global Marketing

"Business Without Borders" is the first e-business book focused specifically on globalization. Generally, publications dedicate a single chapter to the challenges associated with international marketing, project management and operations campaigns. This book is the first to promise and deliver an in-depth guide to launching and perfecting multi-market business initiatives. An industry specialist, I have been waiting for a follow-up publication to DePalma's seminal White Paper, "Strategies for Global Sites", for years. DePalma authored that often-quoted paper as a Forrester Analyst in the late 90s. This is the follow-up that the industry has been waiting for, and I'm thrilled that it has been written by the same authority that first tackled the issue at Forrester. The book builds upon the author's early work as an industry leader, and takes it a step further through well-selected case studies, stats, and interviews with leading execs. Further, it offers timely advice on financial justification in the current economic climate. In summary, it is a seminal publication from a proven authority - a `must-buy' for any company (large or small) that is interested in optimizing return on their on/off-line program investment.

I finely finished reading Don's book and I think it is excellent. Much said is also directly applicable to software localization and global product planning in general. I have not seen any other books addressing these aspect of globalization!I am a 10 year localization veteran and I teach localization at the Localization Institute and the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Three cheers for DePalma. After 25 years of cloudy blather about the promise (and imperative) of global marketing from slick marketing gurus, Don DePalma takes this subject to task. The notion of the eighth continent sets the stage appropriately. His inviting segmentation of a complex business challenge is complemented by his down-to-earth style. A steady stream of diverse, compelling real-world examples underscores that global marketing must be addressed through broad corporate buy-in and planning. And, there's a load of prescriptive content that provides low hanging fruit for any marketer or manager looking to initiate or refine their organization's global efforts for 3-5 years out.

DePalma's book is much more than the sub-title "A Strategic Guide to Global Marketing" implies. It really addresses the strategic and tactical changes a company must go through internally in order to reap benefits from the world-wide marketplace. The first big "thread" that is important to me in the book is that globalizing a company is a process that needs to be worked through - you can't just mandate it into existence. You can't go into the process with the right answers ahead of time - they have to be discovered by going through the process. The second is that the effort requires corporate commitment: it requires a comprehensive and unified view, high-level corporate buy-in and support, and a person accountable for making it all happen. His concept of the Chief Globalization Officer (CGO) is precisely the answer most companies need. I highly recommend the book to globalization neophytes and experts alike.

This book, in addition to being very entertaining, contains practical answers to the common (and the not so common) questions that businesses that want to expand internationally have. It is a book about marketing, content management, multicultural opportunities in the US, and, most important, tells the reader how much it actually costs to do it!I couldn't stop reading it!