The intersection of the Internet and global markets has created the "Eighth Continent," a virtual landmass inhabited by almost a billion Web consumers and business users around the planet. This introduction showcases business-to-business and consumer-centric case studies of firms that have successfully used the Internet to reach international buyers. It also introduces domestic ethnic markets as a stepping stone on the way to global success.

This chapter introduces the major issues that business globalization advocates and leaders will face as they leave the comfort of their home markets. It distinguishes between the "bad" globalization typified by planet-girding transnationals and the "good" localized globalization enabled by the Internet. It dissects the global opportunity, suggesting that companies focus their efforts on the dozen or so international markets that truly matter. It emphasizes the importance of linguistic and cultural adaptation to local markets. Finally, it discusses the oft-missed fact that many internal staff members and systems must support the outward-facing Web.

This chapter presents the business case for going global, outlining the seven most effective reasons that drove companies to successful entries in international and domestic ethnic markets. These reasons were to increase revenue and share fropm global markets; to beat competitors to these new markets; to heighten brand awareness; to shorten time to market; to improve collaborative efforts and knowledge management; to lower the cost of doing business; and to focus on customer satisfaction.

This chapter discusses the range of organizational models for global efforts. It begins with the best practice of putting a powerful person with executive backing in charge. It outlines how this individual, called the chief globalization officer (CGO) in some firms, works with local subsidiaries and business units to define service levels for corporate content and interactions. It emphasizes the need for communication across all corporate globalization efforts, the necessity to provide a different capabilities depending on the state of each international market, and the importance of full-context personalization – that is, experiences adapted to linguistic, cultural, psychographic, legal, access, logistical, and geopolitical, realities.

This chapter introduces a methodology for entering new markets, whether they're international or domestic ethnic. It makes the distinction between "country" and "market," thus discussing language as a facet of market entry but not the only element. It introduces three P's to complement the traditional 4 P's of marketing, taking a novel spin on Kotler's notion of place in marketing.

This chapter provides an introduction to the basic issues of taxation and law that will you must consider as you enter each market. It strongly suggests that readers engage the services of competent counsel, but does provide direction, insight, and information that will help managers understand the issues they will face as they enter each new market.

This chapter tackles some core technical obstacles to successful globalization. It educates non-technical funding managers on the basics of the enabling processes and technologies called "internationalization." Then it discusses the more familiar tasks of translating text and localizing business processes. It includes a case study that stresses best practices, including "bred-in-the-bone" internationalization; costing information; and the long-term benefits of a systematic approach to technology globalization.

This chapter focuses on translation, the art of rendering something written in one language into a second language. This chapter argues for letting business goals determine what gets translated, categorizes the levels of translation quality that meet these needs, and discusses the workflow, technologies, and services that enable highly effective marketing sites in other geographies.

This chapter outlines the organizational issues that companies will face as they enter global markets. It reemphasizes the need to align globalization efforts with corporate plans; discusses where to find staff for these heady international projects; and provides a framework for staffing the technology, content, and marketing teams. It places these teams in the corporate, business unit regional, and national context in which they cooperate. Finally, it lays out the basic costs.

This chapter deals with the reality that most companies don't have the resources to undertake the broad range of translation, localization, and technology tasks outlined in this book. It discusses the fundamental question of outsourcing versus insourcing. It describes the need to pick suppliers for strategic consulting, marketing, technology, information architecture, and design work. It also underscores the importance of providing the means for your suppliers to excel in their projects for you. Finally, it discusses the challenges of managing cost and process while ensuring the high degree of quality that each market demands.

This chapter brings together issues from earlier chapters, providing some answers to the question that every C-level executive worries about – "what will we make by investing in globalization?" It introduces a holistic 360 º approach to return on investment and discusses how globally successful companies measure their ROI.