Book Description

China is rich in contradictions for U.S. firms. The world’s most populous nation, China covers an area larger than the United States. Yet the China market is small and concentrated in a few areas along the eastern seaboard. China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with thousands of years of history, literature and culture. Yet the People’s Republic is a mere 50 years old and most of the laws and regulations governing business and trade have been written in the past twenty years. Courtesy toward guests is a virtue in Chinese culture, and Chinese people can be extraordinarily hospitable and kind. Yet everyday discourse in China is rude and confrontational and the China market is full of cheats and swindlers. China is a communist country; the first article of the Chinese constitution states that China is a socialist country under the leadership of the proletariat. Yet, over the past twenty years China has moved from a planned to market economy and is now in many ways more capitalist than communist.

Many of the stunning contradictions in China have been nurtured by the unprecedented changes of the past twenty years. Since the beginning of the policy of “reform and opening-up” in 1979, China’s economy has grown more than tenfold. Previously rationed goods such as bicycles, textiles and grains are now in over-supply. Foreign invested firms, practically non-existent in the 1970s, now number over 300,000 and account for almost 50% of China’s exports. Foreign trade has grown from $38 billion in 1980 to over $361 billion in 1999. Although most Chinese firms remain relatively small, under-capitalized and poorly managed, there are pockets of excellence in Chinese industry. Chinese firms have competed successfully with world leaders in the white goods and home electronics markets. Chinese PC manufacturers have won back market share from such firms as Compaq and IBM.

China is a market with vast potential. The trick is realizing that potential. China’s pending accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will make it easier for U.S. firms to do this, but it is false to believe that WTO entry provides an end-all solution. Do your due diligence – twice. Opportunities are available in China, but companies must pay heed to the many obstacles. This report can help identify both. ... Read more

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This study provides a fresh and comprehensive analysis oftheory and empirical evidence on the relationships among trade,employment and wages, and income distribution. It will explore thefull range of options available to policymakers, including slowingthe pace of trade liberalization, providing adjustment assistance totrade-impacted workers, and encouraging investment in humanand physical capital. ... Read more

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The Secretariat report examines the country's trade-related policies and measures, covering tariffs and a wide range of non-tariff barriers, from an economic perspective.The report reviews the impact of these policies and measures on the country's recent overall economic performance, and on the development of major sectors.The government report describes the country's trade-related policies and the basic institutional and legal structure affecting the trade policy decision-making process.It examines these policies against the background of the wider economic and development needs of the country concerned. ... Read more

Book Description

The Secretariat report examines the country's trade-related policies and measures, covering tariffs and a wide range of non-tariff barriers, from an economic perspective.The report reviews the impact of these policies and measures on the country's recent overall economic performance, and on the development of major sectors.The government report describes the country's trade-related policies and the basic institutional and legal structure affecting the trade policy decision-making process.It examines these policies against the background of the wider economic and development needs of the country concerned. ... Read more

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At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a growing struggle has arisen between those who would like to repeal existing environmental policy and those who would like to see greater environmental protection. On both sides, however, many of the arguments remain grounded in ideology. This book attempts to moderate the conflict by exploring methods to accurately measure and assess the effectiveness of environmental policies.

Does Environmental Policy Work? examines our ability to assess the impact of environmental policies on the environment in particular, and on social welfare in general. The distinguished authors explore the theory of assessment, concentrating primarily on a conceptual examination of the evaluation process. They extend existing tools and identify alternative indicators and methods of appraisal. The focus then shifts to the use of these tools in real-world policy situations by applying them to a series of case studies from Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Although the authors base their assessment predominantly on economic efficiency, they also pay due regard to other interdisciplinary approaches and decision-making criteria.

This comprehensive exploration of the theory and practice of environmental assessment will be of great interest to scholars of environmental economics, ecological economics and environmental science. The book will also provide guidance and direction for practitioners in the fields of environmental policy and management on how to effectively measure the outcomes of environmental policies. ... Read more

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Given the increase in large scale mergers throughout the world, this book addresses the growing problem of restricted competition through collusion and the perennial debate surrounding the use of government subsidies for industries to further national interests.

The aims of the book are threefold, firstly, to elucidate the antecedents of competition policy in the US and Europe and to demonstrate how far a convergence of principles has developed. Secondly, to outline the theory of industrial organization as a major tool to devise an appropriate policy, and thirdly, to discuss the practice of competition policy in the US, individual European countries and the EC as a whole, in terms of collusion, mergers and vertical restraints.

Manfred Neumann comprehensively explores the economic arguments that justify the need for competition policy. He considers the historical development of competition policy and the relationship between competition policy and the objectives of governmental policy as a whole. In conclusion, he argues that competition policy should be regarded as a constituent part of economic and social policy. This enlightening and comprehensive book will be of great value to students, researchers and practitioners of law, corporate strategy and industrial and political economics. ... Read more

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Market dominance - encompassing single firm dominance, overt and tacit collusion, mergers and vertical restraints - raises many complex analytical and policy issues, all of which continue to be the subject of theoretical research and policy reform. This second edition of a popular and comprehensive text extends the arguments and combines an analysis of the issues with a discussion of actual policy and case studies.

This new edition addresses the recent fundamental changes in antitrust law, especially in the UK and the EU, and reviews some high profile and controversial cases such as the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger and the Microsoft monopoly. The author moves on to deal with several unresolved questions including the conflicts between trade and antitrust policy, the foreign take-over of domestic assets and extra-territorial claims made by certain countries.

Market Dominance and Antitrust Policy will be of considerable value to students and scholars of economics, law and business, as well as researchers, policymakers and practitioners with an interest in competition policy and international trade. ... Read more

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Economists have long argued that dynamic effects of policy changes are much more important in the real world than static effects, but this is not reflected in the majority of applied trade studies. This book departs from mainstream trade modeling and examines the dynamic aspects of international trade and investment policy by explicitly specifying dynamic mechanisms in a wide range of modeling approaches. With contributions from leading economists Dynamic Issues In Commercial Policy Analysis will become a standard reference in international trade and policy research. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Characters brought back to life!!
New York is dying. There is an underground threat that kills dozens of citizens by the minute. After the resurrection of Frank Castle (the Punisher), he swore to protect someone. Both he and the feral bone-claw Wolverine lose somebody special due to this same underground threat.

So, they team up. And together, they will find the cause of this mystery to put an end to it. But the task at hand appears to be much harder than anticipated.

The story is okay and is mostly about morals and innocence. The writing is very good, especially the monologues. And the colouring by Angelo Tsang and Pat Lee is excellent. They look like still images of some Manga animated fest, but drawn by Marvel. This is one of the few books that really made the images animate in my mind. Logan is drawn kinda weird though, but that didn't spoil the beauty of the colouring.

The characters make this a winner. All characters are given alot of depth. Especially Frank Castle, who seemed very flat and linear before. I especially love the first chapter. Wolverine's narration is great in that one. Highly recommended!

What a revelation!
I do not know much about the Marvel Universe, but this book will appeal to all. It is interesting to see the Punisher as a honest-to goodness hero for once. The heroine, Revelation, is one of the most original characters produced for a limited series. Revelation is a mutant who, after being released from a cyrogenic chamber deep under New York, begins to affect them with a virus which emits from her. Wolverine and the Punisher must try to find a way to stop Revelation before she reaches the surface. It is interesting to see how Wolverine and the Punisher get along as a team. The strange things about the Punisher are the weapons that he uses. I just don't get how angels can make guns in Heaven. When you read this book, you may notice some references to the Bible.

Flat writing and lousy artwork
The Punisher has always been a one dimensional character, here he is turned into a character who looks like somethin borrowed from the Buffy tv show. Anyway, this is a story of the Punisher and Wolverine trying to save a young mutant girl whose powers are slowly destroying her. The plot is right out of the daytime soaps, which doesn't add too much, and the artwork is horrid. Needless to say this new version of the Punisher was changed back when Garth Ennis took over the stories. ... Read more

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The book investigates the issues of Chile and East Aisia since 1974, using original evidence and analyses at the macro, industrial, and microeconomic levels. ... Read more

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This report gives up-to-date information on questions about drafting a contract, giving practical guidance from start to finish. ... Read more

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What role do East Asian states play in the world economy? Can the world-systems model originally designed for studying development in Europe and North America be applied to East Asia? To what extent has the rivalry between the United States and Japan had an impact on the development of East Asia? Examining these and other key questions, the authors offer a clear, comprehensive analysis of the economic development of East Asia. Offering a unique perspective, this book examines the origins and transformation of East Asia from a world-systems analysis. In contrast to the literature's focus on market, culture, state, and dependency, East Asia and the World Economy points to the crucial role of geopolitical and regional factors in East Asian development. The authors provide a cohesive review of the world-systems model as it applies to East Asia, exploring its intellectual heritage, the historical context through which it arose, its basic assumptions, and its policy implications. To illustrate how this model works in East Asia, the authors examine the economies of Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, North Korea, and Japan. The result is a fascinating study that demonstrates how the world-systems model provides a more focused explanation of East Asia's peculiar pattern of development. For scholars and students in the fields of political science, economics, Asian studies, international affairs, and development studies, this book is a must. "This book applies world-systems analysis to explain the peculiar pattern of East Asian development over the past two centuries. . . . It offers a fresh and fascinating approach to the study of economic and political evolution in the East asian nations. The volume is well organized and written for both scholars and students. It will make an excellent text for an undergraduate course in East Asian Economics and politics." --Choice CONTENTS: I. Theoretical Introduction // 1. Current Perspectives on East Asian Development // II. Incorporation // 2. The Decline of the Chinese Empire / 3. The Great Escape of Japan // III. Regionalization // 4. Japan and Its Colonial Empire / 5. The Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Communist Revolution // IV. Ascent // 6. The Social Trajectories of China and North Korea / 7. The "Corization" of Japan / 8. The Semiperipherization of the NIEs (Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan) // V. Centrality // 9. United States - Japan Hegemonic Rivalry / 10. The Chinese Triangle of Mainland - Taiwan - Hong Kong / 11. Conclusion / Index ABRIDGED CONTENTS: I. Theoretical Introduction / II. Incorporation / III. Regionalization / IV. Ascent / V. Centrality ... Read more

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Economic history deals with daily life, but also goes beyond that to interpret the important turning points which made daily life possible. This book demonstrates why Hong Kong was so successful as a commercial, industrial and financial city at different times in its history and how these major changes made an impact on the life of its people. The documents selected for inclusion illustrate vividly problems confronted by entrepreneur and government at every state in these changes. An outline history provided in the general introduction and to every chapter brings coherence to the different themes which emerge throughout the book. ... Read more