As consumers, suppliers, competitors, and capital users, the 142 developing countries in the world are of major and growing importance to more than 140,000 Western managers who do business with the Third World on a daily basis, often as partners in strategic alliances. Yet, other than theoretical articles in the economic development literature, there are few sources to which these managers, faced with a very different and difficult business environment, can turn. Now, building on 25 years as a teacher, researcher, and advisor to companies, governments, and international agencies in developing nations, James Austin presents the most complete and comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of the Third World business environment available today.

Seemingly insurmountable obstacles confront a Western company setting up operations in a Third World country: governmental controls, rampant inflation and devaluation, cumbersome bureaucratic procedures for obtaining import licenses, skill scarcity, difficulties with training new employees in new technology — and not least, the possibility that the entire venture could go up in the flames of a revolution. Through his lucid Environmental Analysis Framework — a powerful, field-tested analytical tool — Austin first systematically and masterfully examines these economic, political, cultural, and demographic factors at the international, national, industry, and company levels. The second and largest portion of the book comprises Austin’s detailed, brilliantly insightful analysis of the most critical strategic issues and operating problems that managers will encounter in developing countries — in governmental relations, finance, marketing, production, and organization — together with a battery of tested operating techniques illustrated with numerous experiences of multinational companies operating in the Third World, such as Cummins Engine, Mitsubishi, PepsiCo, Ciba-Geigy, ICI, Nestle, and Philips.

In his concluding chapters, Austin returns to his Environmental Analysis Framework to show managers how they should determine the scale and scope — the projected financial investment and the degree of managerial involvement — of their activity in a particular developing country; how they should decide on ownership strategy and the use of joint ventures; and how cultural factors will affect the structure of the projected enterprise. Finally, Austin offers his perspective on the evolving business environment in developing countries.

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“A masterpiece. Its breadth of focus is remarkable, and yet it ties all elements of the business environment together in a most effective way. It delineates the managerial implications of environmental phenomena so as to make the book especially useful to managers. James Austin has rendered a real service to business managers and to academics who have long needed such a comprehensive study.”
—George C. Lodge
Harvard Business School

“Managing in Developing Countries clearly tells us what’s different about the developing world, and what global companies need to know to do business there. It reflects Austin’s unique blend of humanism and competitive know-how.”
—James P. Baughman, Manager
Corporate Management Development
General Electric Company

“It is a magnificent and encyclopedic work; the most complete text on the subject. Extremely valuable for practitioners and scholars alike. An invaluable guide for developed country managers doing business with the LDCs. An excellent window of knowledge into Third World business!’
— Pedro Pick
Vice President
Arthur D. Little International

“If you’re going to do business in a Third World country, let me recommend Jim Austin’s Managing in Developing Countries. It provides much useful data, a great number of practical examples, and above all, a useful framework for seeing, thinking about and adapting your previous knowledge to the new environments you’ll work in!’
— Harry W. Strachan
Executive Vice President
Bain & Company

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About the Author

JAMES E. AUSTIN is Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. Professor Austin’s work in developing countries has brought him international recognition for his contributions which include the creation of the popular course, “Management in Developing Countries", at the Harvard Business School. He is the author of 15 books and 45 articles on the Third World business environment.