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International Finance Review is an annual book series in the international finance area (broadly defined). The IFR, will publish theoretical, empirical, institutional or policy-oriented articles on multinational business finance and strategies, global capital markets and investments, global risk management, global corporate finance and institutions, currency markets and international financial economics, emerging market finance, or related regional or country-specific issues. In general, each volume will have a particular theme. Those interested in contributing an article or editing a volume should contact the Series Editor, J. Jay Choi at E-mail: jjchoi@astro.temple.edu

As an introductory chapter, this paper provides a summary of various issues pertaining to economic adjustments after the launching of the euro as a single European currency. Monetary union is viewed as a process of integration of capital markets and real sectors.

In a fundamental sense, creation of value is the purpose of a firm. Values – measured by profits, cash flows, stock prices, or some strategic objectives – are the ultimate reasons why a firm exists. The ongoing and ever-expanding discussion of globalization, whether based on trade flows or financial flows, draws attention to the value of multinational enterprise. Existing empirical work on the impact of multinational firms, however, is inconclusive. Some observers point to the valuation discount with international operations due to the costs of agency and control and the difficulty of coordinating complex organizations and cultures. Others emphasize the value of a multinational network and the operational efficiency of a multinational enterprise (MNE). Thus, issues related to value creation are important and lively areas of business and finance. In fact, value creation is now at the frontier between the functional areas of finance and strategy. In international finance, the topic also interacts with economics in the areas of strategic trade policy and exchange rate behavior, as well as business strategy, as it relates to the management of an MNE. The role of government policy is also part of the debate, because the importance of public policy and the behavior of policymakers are elevated when finance and business become international, as evidenced by consistent attention to political risk.