This book is an invitation to the diverse, intriguing, dynamic, global world of consumers. The world of consumers seems both smaller and larger than it did last year or even yesterday. Human societies have always mixed and changed, but people, ideas, and goods move farther and faster today than in previous decades. Cell phones, the Internet, mobile commerce, and global satellite communications bring us together quickly, frequently, and almost effortlessly. In the last decade, Internet communications have more than doubled every year. The global marketplace is a fact of life. The world seems smaller.