Employee motivation is a topic that has been studied for nearly a century. Beginning with the Hawthorne Studies in the 1920s and continuing to the current day, researchers have explored the elusive phenomenon of employee motivation. Furthermore, researchers have attempted to understand how leaders can effectively lead their employees in a way that motivates them to reach their full potential. While employee motivation has been, and continues to be, the focus of much research among the social and behavioral sciences on an international scale, leaders today are in need of practical tools that can help them motivate employees more effectively. This paper provides a survey of some of the key research on employee motivation and highlights the important role that leaders play in motivating their employees to achieve high performance. Also included are some practical tools that leaders can implement to increase employee motivation.

The 21st century global business environment is more diverse and interconnected than ever before. As organizations continue to expand their global reach, business professionals often find themselves having to navigate challenging cultural and religious terrain, which they may not be prepared for. While it is impossible for someone to learn the intricacies of all cultures and religions throughout the world, one can seek to learn about some of the more prominent cultures and religions of the world – particularly those they have a high likelihood of engaging with at some point in his or her business career. This paper examines Buddhism, a prevalent religion throughout many parts of the world, and discusses how its culture and beliefs are manifested through Buddhist business practices. Particular focus is placed on business in Thailand, the country with the highest percentage of Buddhists. The purpose of this paper is to provide business professionals with a basic understanding of the history of Buddhism, an overview of the major beliefs of Buddhists, and to present information that will assist business professionals in successfully navigating intercultural affairs when doing business with Buddhists in Thailand or around the world.

Today’s global business environment is extremely diverse. With the business tools and resources that are available today, organizations of any size can create a global footprint easier than ever before. Today’s business professionals must be educated and trained in how to effectively interact with multiple cultures in order to successfully navigate the global business environment. Knowledge, acceptance, and appreciation of various cultures along with a fervent understanding of business practices in various cultures is required of the 21st century global business professional. This paper focuses on Jewish culture and how it manifests itself through Jewish business practices. The purpose of this paper is to give the reader a basic understanding of the principal branches of Judaism, a history of Judaism, an explanation of Jewish beliefs, and an introduction to Jewish business practices in hopes that further study will be elicited.

The 21st century global business environment is more diverse and interconnected than ever before. As organizations continue to expand their global reach, business professionals often find themselves having to navigate challenging cultural and religious terrain, which they may not be prepared for. While it is impossible for business professionals to learn the intricacies of all cultures and religions throughout the world, one can seek to learn about some of the more prominent cultures and religions of the world – particularly those they have a high likelihood of engaging with at some point in business. This paper examines Hinduism, a prevalent religion throughout many parts of the world, and discusses how its culture and beliefs are manifested through Hindu business practices. Particular focus is placed on business in India, the country with the largest number of Hindus. The purpose of this paper is to provide business professionals with a basic understanding of the history of Hinduism, an overview of the major beliefs of Hindus, and present information that will assist business professionals in successfully navigating intercultural affairs when doing business with Hindus in India and around the world.

As global markets continue to expand and competition continues to hasten, it is imperative that global business managers explore all potential investment opportunities. A country of potential foreign direct investment that may not be obvious to many global business managers is Kosovo. Kosovo is a small, sovereign nation located in a strategic area of the Balkan Peninsula, bordered by Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Kosovo serves as the gateway from the Balkan Peninsula to central and southern Europe. While securing its independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo has worked to attract foreign direct investment and be a contender in the global economy. This paper explores the cultural and social environment, the economic and political environment, and the business and market environment in Kosovo and provides an overview and evaluation of the foreign direct investment potential of Kosovo.