The handbook of international trade and finance : the complete guide for international sales, finance, shipping and administration, 4th ed.

Abstract

This handbook was originally published more than 40 years ago, and has since been expanded and updated in new editions. Originally it was published as separate country-specific editions in different European countries where it soon became a reference handbook for companies, banks and other institutions involved in international trade, irrespective of their size or the nature of their business. However, for practical and logistical reasons it was not possible to cover more than a handful of countries in this way, thus the idea for a completely new and country-neutral edition that could be marketed in most countries involved in international trade around the world. The only drawback with this approach is that it is then not feasible to describe the specifics for every country; on the other hand, the basic aspects of international trade, payments and finance are almost the same all over the world, which is also the basis for this handbook. Furthermore, there is great advantage in being able to combine this basic description with detailed references where such country-specific information can be found. This information is nowadays readily available from internet sites from a variety of domestic institutions in most countries. It has then been possible to create a situation where this book provides the foundation but also gives readers the possibility to add whatever detailed and countryspecific information they require from other sources. There is another advantage in such an approach: that the basics of this handbook should be relatively stable over time, whereas detailed information from local and domestic institutions will certainly change over time. All editions published over the years have been based on the same concept, which is their practical nature. They contain no theoretical elements, just information based on the author’s payment and finance experience gained from managerial positions as head of international departments in a number of European banks. In such positions you are necessarily involved in thousands of trade transactions each year, and the advice and comments given in this book are based on that experience. I am very pleased with this fourth international edition now published by Kogan Page which contains considerably more examples and illustrations in a new book format. I thus feel confident that it will continue to be the reference handbook of choice in numerous countries around the world, for many years to come. It will certainly be of significant benefit to international traders in the daily work of expanding their businesses or when entering new markets, but the book will equally be increasingly used in trade education and as a practical tool within international departments of commercial banks and other trade-related institutions. The author would like to thank the companies and institutions that have contributed with support, advice and comments when creating this new edition. This help has been greatly appreciated.