Regional Document - MERCOSURRegional integration is the process by which countries agree to reduce or possibly eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote the free flow of goods and services between countries . Global business occurs when organizations conduct business internationally and are not committed to or tied to a single country of origin. Regional integration combined with global business supports organizations conducting business globally in a variety of countries by removing restrictive barriers and other obstacles. A shift towards regional economic integration can provide consumers with new benefits and present organizations with innovative challenges (Hill, 2005). There are different levels of regional economic integration which include: free trade area, customs union, common market, economic and political union. union. Currently, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is part of the free trade area, the European Union (EU) is part of the economic market, and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) is part of the customs union. The integration groups listed above belong to members of the same regional integration union. However, unions can decide what trade policies to implement with non-members of their union. The Southern Common Market, also known as MERCOSUR, is a regional integration development that includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. MERCOSUR was born in 1988 when a free trade pact was signed between Brazil and Argentina. This regional integration has resulted in an 80% increase in trade between the two countries. The success of the pact encouraged Paraguay and Uruguay to become part of the integration. In March 1991, the Treaty of Asuncion……half of the document……referencesConnolly, M. & Gunther, J. (1999, May). Mercosur: implications for growth in member countries. Current problems in economics and finance. Retrieved January 22, 2006, from http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/current_issues/ci5-7.pdf#search='Mercosur%3A%20implications%20for%20growth%20in%20member%20countries'.Hill, C. (2005). International Business: Competing in the Global Market Fifth Edition. Retrieved on January 15, 2006 from rEsource.Ministry of External Relations. (2005). Retrieved January 22, 2006, from http://www.mre.gov.br/ingles/faq/p_mercosur.asp.Paiva, P. & Gazel, R. (2004, January). MERCOSUR economic issues: successes, failures and unfinished business. Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved January 22, 2006, from http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=clas.