Introduction
In the waning years of the twentieth century advances in transportation and communications have supported the emergence of a truly global economy. The scope of that economy has been broadened in theory at least by the demise of the Soviet Union and with it the decline of socialism as a viable alternative on the international scene. The new global climate of free enterprise has brought with it a proliferation of offshore financial centers that presumably have important roles to play in the emergent global economy. With respect to that global economy the most significant role for the centers in question appears to be the facilitation of international business and finance.

It is their interest in the facilitators of international business that has drawn the authors to the current project. This volume builds upon earlier research regarding the role of major international accounting firms (McKee and Garner, 1992 and 1996; McKee, Garner and AbuAmara McKee, 1998 and 1999). The present intent is to continue the study of the role of major international accounting firms and their services in the processes of business facilitation in the locations that host them and beyond. By focusing the investigation upon the role of the accounting firms in offshore financial centers it is hoped to gain a better grasp of the real or potential impacts of the firms in the global economy and, of course, in the jurisdictions that host them. The volume is divided into four parts. Part I beyond the current overview provides the general background or foundation for the specifics to follow. In it the positive functions of offshore financial centers are reviewed with special emphasis upon their hosting of international services. Care is taken to point out what attributes are needed by jurisdictions hoping to succeed as offshore financial centers. Examples of the involvement of the major accounting firms in such centers are also included.

In Part II the focus shifts to a more detailed assessment of what the major accounting firms are actually doing in offshore financial centers. Space does not permit an appraisal of what the firms are about in every identifiable offshore center. Thus a selection of centers from various regions of the world will be considered. The first chapter of the section is focused on selected Caribbean and North Atlantic centers. Included are Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. Following that chapter, the focus switches to Europe where jurisdictions were selected so as to stress the current role and future prospects of accounting services in the types of offshore centers that are emerging today. Centers such as Switzerland, Liechtenstein and various continental jurisdictions were not included, since their business climates and the roles of the service firms that they house are rather well known. Instead, the centers to be studied include the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Malta and Cyprus.

The final chapter of Part II reviews the operations of accounting firms in a selection of jurisdictions located in the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the Far East. In the Persian Gulf the centers selected include Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Mauritius and Seychelles were selected from the Indian Ocean. In the Far East Singapore and Vanuatu are included. In Part III the emphasis switches to a description of the legal and institutional environments facing business operations in general and the accounting firms in particular in offshore financial centers. The centers featured are those that were discussed in Part II. Thus the organizational structure to be found in Part III resembles that of the previous part.