Managers and executives who work in international trade and foreign direct investment are acutely aware of the importance of the governmental, intergovernmental, and systemic factors that regulate, facilitate, and/or complicate the conduct of international business (IB). But most managers and executives have limited or no expertise in these factors, which are referred to collectively as the IB environment.

Also, because the IB environment is a socio-political-economic construct that is governed by non-business disciplines (which include international relations, international law,...