Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, American Colonial Heritage, Inc. (ACH) was a top 10 U.S. furniture manufacturer focused on the upper end of the indoor home furniture market. The head of the International Division had just asked Alexandra Jones to join the International Expansion Team. Jones had joined ACH almost a year earlier after graduating from a top business school. She worked in the International Business Division on several projects related to the company's limited sales abroad, primarily to Canada. During those first months at headquarters, she learned the basics of ACH's operations, both in the U.S. and its limited business abroad. She followed the company's initial discussions about international expansion and expressed her interest in getting involved in the project as soon as it started. Details what Jones needed to consider and how she approached her first assignment--to recommend the country into which ACH should expand first. (Note: The company, characters, and quotations, unless otherwise stated, are fictional and were created by its authors. No reference is intended to any person.)

Gives a thorough overview of the furniture market, focusing primarily on the American market; provides a general background, starting with market size, industry organization, and trends; and discusses manufacturers, production and value chain, and sales and distribution. Concludes with a future outlook and small sections on the European and Asian furniture markets.