(See related pages)
|
|
|
| Bill S-21 | Otherwise known as the Corruption of Foreign Officials Act that entered into force on February 14, 1999. It is Canadian legislation that makes the bribery, or other business corruption "tool" of a foreign official by a Canadian businessperson, a criminal offence. (See page(s) 52) |
| |
| |
| |
| civil law | A system of law based on a very detailed set of written laws and codes. (See page(s) 48) |
| |
| |
| |
| collectivism | A political system that emphasizes collective goals as opposed to individual goals. (See page(s) 42) |
| |
| |
| |
| command economy | An economic system where the allocation of resources, including determination of what goods and services should be produced, and in what quantity, is planned by the government. (See page(s) 47) |
| |
| |
| |
| common law | A system of law based on tradition, precedent, and custom. When law courts interpret common law, they do so with regard to these characteristics (See page(s) 48) |
| |
| |
| |
| communist totalitarianism | A version of collectivism advocating that socialism can be achieved only through a totalitarian dictatorship. (See page(s) 45) |
| |
| |
| |
| communists | Those who believe socialism can be achieved only through revolution and totalitarian dictatorship. (See page(s) 42) |
| |
| |
| |
| contract | A document that specifies the conditions under which an exchange is to occur and details the rights and obligations of the parties involved. (See page(s) 49) |
| |
| |
| |
| contract law | The body of law that governs contract enforcement. (See page(s) 49) |
| |
| |
| |
| copyrights | Exclusive legal rights of authors, composers, playwrights, artists, and publishers to publish and dispose of their work as they see fit. (See page(s) 54) |
| |
| |
| |
| democracy | Political system in which government is by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. (See page(s) 44) |
| |
| |
| |
| deregulation | Removal of government restrictions concerning the conduct of a business. (See page(s) 70) |
| |
| |
| |
| economic risk | The likelihood that events, including economic mismanagement, will cause drastic changes in a country's business environment that adversely affect the profit and other goals of a particular business enterprise. (See page(s) 76) |
| |
| |
| |
| first-mover advantages | Advantages accruing to the first to enter a market. (See page(s) 75) |
| |
| |
| |
| Foreign Corrupt Practices Act | U.S. law regulating behaviour regarding the conduct of international business in the taking of bribes and other unethical actions. (See page(s) 52) |
| |
| |
| |
| gross national income (GNI) | The total income of all citizens of a county, including the income from factors of production used abroad. Since 2001, the World Bank has used this measure of economic activity instead of the previously used GNP. (See page(s) 59) |
| |
| |
| |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | An attempt by the United Nations to assess the impact of a number of factors on the quality of human life in a country. (See page(s) 60) |
| |
| |
| |
| individualism | An emphasis on the importance of guaranteeing individual freedom and self-expression. (See page(s) 43) |
| |
| |
| |
| innovation | Development of new products, processes, organizations, management practices, and strategies. (See page(s) 62) |
| |
| |
| |
| late-mover disadvantages | Handicap experienced by being a late entrant in a market. (See page(s) 75) |
| |
| |
| |
| legal risk | The likelihood that a trading partner will opportunistically break a contract or expropriate intellectual property rights. (See page(s) 77) |
| |
| |
| |
| legal system | System of rules that regulates behaviour and the processes by which the laws of a country are enforced and through which redress of grievances is obtained. (See page(s) 47) |
| |
| |
| |
| market economy | An economic system in which the interaction of supply and demand determines the quantity in which goods and services are produced. (See page(s) 46) |
| |
| |
| |
| mixed economy | Certain sectors of the economy are left to private ownership and free market mechanisms, while other sectors have significant government ownership and government planning. (See page(s) 47) |
| |
| |
| |
| Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property | International agreement to protect intellectual property; signed by 96 countries. (See page(s) 54) |
| |
| |
| |
| patent | Grants the inventor of a new product or process exclusive rights to the manufacture, use, or sale of that invention. (See page(s) 54) |
| |
| |
| |
| political economy | The political, economic, and legal systems of a country. (See page(s) 41) |
| |
| |
| |
| political risk | The likelihood that political forces will cause drastic changes in a country's business environment that will adversely affect the profit and other goals of a particular business enterprise. (See page(s) 76) |
| |
| |
| |
| political system | System of government in a nation. (See page(s) 42) |
| |
| |
| |
| private action | Theft, piracy, blackmail, and the like by private individuals or groups. (See page(s) 50) |
| |
| |
| |
| privatization | The sale of state-owned enterprises to private investors. (See page(s) 72) |
| |
| |
| |
| product liability | Involves holding a firm and its officers responsible when a product causes injury, death, or damage. (See page(s) 57) |
| |
| |
| |
| product safety laws | Laws that set certain safety standards to which a product must adhere. (See page(s) 57) |
| |
| |
| |
| property rights | Bundle of legal rights over the use to which a resource is put and over the use made of any income that may be derived from the resource. (See page(s) 50) |
| |
| |
| |
| public action | The extortion of income or resources from property holders by public officials, such as politicians and government bureaucrats. (See page(s) 51) |
| |
| |
| |
| purchasing power parity (PPP) | An adjustment in gross domestic product per capita to reflect differences in the cost of living. (See page(s) 59) |
| |
| |
| |
| representative democracy | A political system in which citizens periodically elect individuals to represent them in government. (See page(s) 44) |
| |
| |
| |
| right-wing totalitarianism | A political system in which political power is monopolized by a party, group, or individual that generally permits individual economic freedom but restricts individual political freedom, including free speech, often on the grounds that it would lead to the rise of communism. (See page(s) 46) |
| |
| |
| |
| social democrats | Those committed to achieving socialism by democratic means. (See page(s) 42) |
| |
| |
| |
| theocratic law | A system of law based on religious teachings. (See page(s) 48) |
| |
| |
| |
| theocratic totalitarianism | A political system in which political power is monopolized by a party, group, or individual that governs according to religious principles. (See page(s) 45) |
| |
| |
| |
| totalitarianism | Form of government in which one person or political party exercises absolute control over all spheres of human life and opposing political parties are prohibited. (See page(s) 44) |
| |
| |
| |
| Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) | An agreement among members of the WTO to enforce stricter intellectual property regulations, including granting and enforcing patents lasting at least 20 years and copyrights lasting 50 years. (See page(s) 55) |
| |
| |
| |
| trademarks | Designs and names, often officially registered, by which merchants or manufacturers designate and differentiate their products. (See page(s) 54) |
| |
| |
| |
| tribal totalitarianism | A political system in which a party, group, or individual that represents the interests of a particular tribe (ethnic group) monopolizes political power. (See page(s) 45) |
| |
| |
| |
| United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) | A set of rules governing certain aspects of the making and performance of commercial contracts between sellers and buyers who have their places of business in different nations. (See page(s) 49) |