We might or might not now be living in the global village, but we are certainly operating in the global market. One of the important things about a village is, of course, to know and understand your neighbours. The first point to note about this title is that Euromonitor seems to be aware of the change to a global economy and so has expanded its European directories into world directories, a true reflection of how modern business works. However, it cannot be that cosy: there are so many different business and social cultures throughout the world, therefore so many pitfalls; one way to start is either by consulting somebody one knows, or looking for like‐minded people to give advice when moving into a new area. Also, it is just as likely that businesses will find a very sudden need for advice or information on operations in a new area of the world, and that is where this directory comes into play in a fairly major way. It includes associations in all countries within the consumer and industrial sectors. It has been compiled from desk research and by direct contact with the organizations, as well as with other contacts, to give as comprehensive and accurate a coverage as possible. I have some comments to make on this below, but generally I have to say that this directory seems to achieve its object: certainly, there are some apparently rather esoteric bodies to be found here (the Korean Bakers’ Association, the Greek Canners’ Association, the Egyptian Poultry Producers’ Association, to name just three found at random); but what seems esoteric today can be the answer to tomorrow’s prayer for executives of a business in the same field suddenly needing a contact in a different part of the world. The directory also covers the major employers and business support organizations and coverage generally seems pretty comprehensive with more than 3,500 entries.
The arrangement is by continent, first of all listing pan‐regional organizations, then sub‐arranged alphabetically by countries. Within countries, the arrangement is alphabetical by name, some in the original language and many with no translation, but others (for example, Greek, Hungarian) in English with their original names in brackets; then again, in the section on Finland some of the names are in Finnish, one is translated and others are not. Spanish, Portuguese, French and German names are entered in their own languages and are not translated. Also, many countries use English as their reporting language. As a result, there is rather a mixture of languages used for entry names for the bodies included. The entries themselves give standard directory data and, in addition: year established, activities, chief officers, publications, membership, and aims and objectives. The entries are not, as one might anticipate, consistently comprehensive in the range of data offered, but each entry does usually give enough information to assess whether the particular body is likely to be worth contacting for a particular problem or enquiry. The layout of the work is clear and consistent throughout.
There are two indexes: a comprehensive index of names and an industry sector index. The name index is absolutely necessary, but could be even more comprehensive as it simply repeats the names as used for each entry; I would have preferred it to have included all the vernacular forms and all the translations. The subject index is even more vital in a work such as this; this is arranged by industry sectors rather than by direct subjects and works generally well enough for its purpose. It also raises some questions about the comprehensiveness of the coverage of the directory: looking up the aerospace section, I find only nine entries, and among many possible bodies which could be included but which are missing are the National Aeronautical Industry Associations of Spain, Italy, France and Germany. Other categories show healthier numbers, and the section on food also shows the problem of far too many entries (14 columns of names), which needs further sub‐division either by subject or by country. Otherwise, the categories generally work well enough, but the problem of overload of particular categories will become more widespread if the coverage of this directory expands significantly in future editions.
Given my comments above on the missing aerospace societies, I must express some slightly mixed feelings about the coverage of this directory, wondering how many other categories might lack significant entries. However, overall my impression remains good as a wide range of bodies seems to be included on a truly international scale, and the information is fairly easy to find. Each entry also gives useful enough information to assess if the body referred to is worth following up. Certainly, this directory will be invaluable in businesses and business libraries with any international work; it will also be useful in general or major reference collections which are likely to receive this kind of business enquiry, or which might seek overseas sources to which to refer their enquirers.
