Book Description

India today is a vibrant free-market democracy, a nation well on its way to overcoming decades of widespread poverty. The nation’s rise is one of the great international stories of the late twentieth century, and in India Unbound the acclaimed columnist Gurcharan Das offers a sweeping economic history of India from independence to the new millennium.

Das shows how India’s policies after 1947 condemned the nation to a hobbled economy until 1991, when the government instituted sweeping reforms that paved the way for extraordinary growth.Das traces these developments and tells the stories of the major players from Nehru through today. As the former CEO of Proctor & Gamble India, Das offers a unique insider’s perspective and he deftly interweaves memoir with history, creating a book that is at once vigorously analytical and vividly written. Impassioned, erudite, and eminently readable, India Unbound is a must for anyone interested in the global economy and its future. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

marvellous
A well written and passionate summary of economic and political changes in India since independence. It was an eye-opener in many ways: readers of Ayn Rand would appreciate parallels to situations described in Atlas Shrugged. Coming from a former CEO of P&G India, the book offers a useful perspective on economic policies and changes over the last few decades. Though often repititive in its ranting against policies of earlier Indian governments, the book is still fairly engrossing.

Understanding Indian political Economics.
Its a wonderful book for all those who are interested in India or for that matter even those who aren't.I'm sure in the last decade or so Indian Economy has shown promising growth, which makes it impossible to undermine importance of India in overall Global trade.
This book throws light on the economic path that India followed after Independence and the influence of Politics in the initial phase and the absence of the same on the Economy in the last few years.
Very good reading with sound analytical observations.

Growth Unlimited - India Unbound
This book has become one of my favourite for two reasons. 1.) The author has written it in such an engrossing way(full of anecdotes) that you crave for more at the end of every chapter.
2.) It talks about present India.
This book does not give a picture (snake charmers, elephants, magicians, poverty...)which has been depicted for years. India Unbound traces meteoric rise of India after liberalisation and explores the reason behind it in Indian culture and tradition. It talks about deep rooted culture of Indian Business Community which has survived everything to see this day. I recommend India Unbound to everybody who wants to understand present Indian scenario. A must read for all.

Das is a thorough Pollyanna
India Unbound presents a thesis which is good to read but might not be as practical as one would like.

Das has definitely written a highly readable commentary and for that he gets the four stars. The material is anecdotal and is highly redundant at times. He keeps repeating themes throughout the book which might be deliberate to drive the point home.

All in all a good read for anyone interested in India economics and a good dose of why capitalism-is-good-for-all rhetoric. Now, if only the Indian youth actually reads this book.

On the slow but steady road to prosperity
As former CEO of Procter & Gamble in India, Gurcharan Das seems eminently qualified to describe how policy reforms in the early 1990s finally broke the stranglehold of the License Raj on Indian's enormous economic potential. His prognosis that half of India could turn middle class by the first quarter of this century, while somewhat optimistic, is not out of line with what many analysts agree is certainly possible.

Much of this book is an indictment of past policy failures and an relatively upbeat assesment of India's future economic prospects. Das delivers this in elegant, readable prose with analysis which is generally well backed by statistics.

There are many quotable extracts from this book, but I will limit myself to one which draws from his comparison of India's economic performance to the faster growing East Asian economies until the onset of the 1997 crisis QUOTE India did not participate in this great adventure. We grew up believing that our mixed economy - the mixture of socialism and the free market that grew out of Jawaharlal Nehru's idealist vision - though not as efficient as capitalism, was better because it cared for the poor. It was better than communism because it preserved political freedoms. But its problem was of performance, not of faith. If it had worked, most of the Third World would be more prosperous today. Indians have learned from painful experience that the state does not work on behalf of the people. More often than not, it works on behalf of itself. UNQUOTE

Not having grown up in India, I am less sure whether readers in India will find many parts of this book as informative as it certainly will be for many, if not most foreign readers. But they will surely share much of Das' view that a profound transformational change is underway in this nation, even if its boat to prosperity has been slower than elsewhere. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Good Economic text which lacks important details.
I would reccomend this textbook for students or someone who is just begining economics. This book is for the most part easy to follow. It gives basic concepts of microeconomics and macroeconomics. However, more pedagogy is needed in some chapters as well as with explanations. ... Read more

Book Description

The primary colors of oil today are money (lots of it), technology (basic but demanding) and people (special ones). The colors of the rainbow can be seen in the 100+ oil producing countries. There are a dozen large petroleum producing and exporting countries. Yet most have little in their history that links them to wealth, technology and management. Corruption among the elite and governments, mismanagement and the squandering of the petroleum wealth are endemic. Culture is everything, and no other human endeavor makes this as pointedly obvious as the world of petroleum. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Best overall view of a powerful industry
Michael Economides and Ron Oligney have taken the world of "big oil" and made all of its components easy to understand and an entertaining read for those with industry knowledge and for those without any oil industry background. From the history to the current politics to technical explanations for exploration and drilling technologies, the entire book brings all of the elements of oil together and logically tells the story of a business that the entire world is dependent upon for survival. A great read considering the current issues with oil prices.

At last! Clear thinking and writing about a murky industry
With a one-two punch of factual data and anecdotal stories, Economides and Oligney peel open the somewhat dark and mysterious ways of petroleum in modern culture and commerce. It was particularly fascinating (and somewhat gratifying) to read how the oil industry's own political self-dealing for the first half of the twentieth-century (always with the more-than-willing assistance of supposedly populist politicians) nearly led to its own demise in the 1970s and 80s... And, the impact of those lessons in the so far relatively laissez faire 90s and 00s and into the next century.

I am somewhat baffled by the assertions of reviewer Stephen Mark, especially about the book's "extremely political" and "ungrammatical" nature. If anything, The Color of Oil exposes the foibles of politics and is an appeal to reason, which of course, is essentially (in the truest sense) apolitical. I found the book well-written and entertaining. Check out the anecdote about Stalin's admonition to his oil minister during WWII: "if Hitler gets one drop of oil, we will shoot you..." I won't give the rest away...

If you're the least bit interested in the oil industry, you are in for a real treat...

Not that interesting
I have been dragging my feet to finish reading this book. It is not well-organized and full of opinions without solid arguments. Therefore, it is dry and hard to read. To the author's credit, a lot is covered in this thin book. If it had been expanded, the reader could have enjoyed it more.

Too Heavy-Handed
Overall this is a decent book about the energy business, but could do with a little more fact and a lot less opinion. The attacks on the environmentalists and other critics of the oil industry are a distraction and add about zero value to ones overall understanding of the business.

A Great Page Turner!
When a colleague suggested I read this book I was expecting a really bland read. Boy, was I surprised! This book is very well written and filled with lots of good and interesting information. A newer book that goes into great detail on oil economics, reserves, etc. and vulnerabilities post-9/11 is Terrorism & Oil by Neal Adams. It's a real eye-opener. ... Read more

Book Description

By the winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Economics,an essential andparadigm-altering framework for understanding economic development--for both rich and poor--in the twenty-first century.

Freedom, Sen argues, is both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world's entire population. Releasing the idea of individual freedom from association with any particular historical, intellectual, political, or religious tradition, Sen clearly demonstrates its current applicability and possibilities. In the new global economy, where, despite unprecedented increases in overall opulence, the contemporary world denies elementary freedoms to vast numbers--perhaps even the majority of people--he concludes, it is still possible to practically and optimistically restain a sense of social accountability. Development as Freedom is essential reading.
... Read more

Reviews (33)

Not just another economics book
The central theme of this book is that national development has to be seen in the context of the freedoms of the individual. These freedoms include, but are not limited to: freedom from hunger and disease, political freedom, and economic solvency. The measure of a nation's development stems from the extent to which its citizens enjoy these freedoms. One of Professor Sen's areas of expertise is the study of famines throughout the world. He demonstrates that famines do not occur because of a lack of food, but because of a lack of economic resources to purchase that food. In addition, he makes a strong case that famines do not occur in democratic countries, no matter how poor they might be. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in pondering a fresh perspective on the meaning of development. The only criticism I have of this book is that the prose is at times convoluted and does not make for particularly smooth reading.

valuable contribution to the dialogue on development
Development is a worldwide, ongoing dialogue, and Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen makes a valuable contribution to it. He argues for the position that development is ideally conceived in terms of building a society that in its social, political, and economic institutions allows the individual to maximize the exercise of "substantive freedoms--the capabilities to choose a life one has reason to value" (p. 74). In this view, individual agency is both the means and end of development. Means, in the sense that "greater freedom enhances the ability of people to help themselves and also to influence the world, and these matters are central to the process of development" (p. 18). End, in the sense that "the success of a society is to be evaluated, in this view, primarily by the substantive freedoms that the members of the society enjoy" (p. 18). He calls this conception "development as freedom."

It is not novel. Indeed, Sen squarely locates in the liberal tradition flowing from the eighteenth-century philosophes. However, Sen makes an eloquent case for his own uniquely nuanced interpretation. He recalls the finest traditions of the classical orator, drawing on his unquestionable economic expertise, broad knowledge, and warm humanity.

The crux of his argument lies in what he believes "substantive freedoms" consist. He defines freedom in a negative way, what he calls "unfreedoms," as "elementary capabilities like being able to avoid such deprivations as starvation, undernourishment, escapable morbidity and premature mortality" (p. 36). He also defines freedom in a positive way, giving examples of "freedoms associated with being literate and numerate, enjoying political participation and uncensored speech" (p. 36).

There is little dispute that "substantive freedoms" generally work together, synergistically, in advancing development, so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Sen cites very poor countries like India, Botswana, or Zimbabwe, in which he believes the establishment of democracy has successfully thwarted famine, while in Maoist China, in sharp contrast, massive famines arose in the fifties despite its superior economic performance vis-à-vis India. He also cites the well-known inverse correlation between higher female literacy rates and lower child mortality rates.

But there is some debate about whether the expansion of political freedoms, specifically, go hand-in-hand with the growth of economic benefits, that is, in Sen's framework, economic freedoms. Here is the real bone of contention. Sen argues against what is known as the "Lee thesis," meaning the claim that authoritarian regimes, with concomitant restriction of civil and political rights, purportedly have some advantage over democratic regimes in promoting economic advancement. He devotes two chapters--"The Importance of Democracy" and "Culture and Human Rights"--to rebutting this position, and in my opinion, they are the most important part of the book. But Sen is never entirely successful in his rebuttal because at one point he concedes:

...Systematic empirical studies give no real support to the claim that there is a general conflict between political freedoms and economic performance. The directional linkage seems to depend on many other circumstances, and while some statistical investigations note a weakly negative relation, others find a strongly positive one (p. 150).

Sen does not adequately account for the unusual success of the East Asian economies--we must include Japan here--as prospective models in the transition toward development. There may indeed be undisclosed factors operating among these cultures, perhaps even a communal ethos working in a manner distinct from the individualistic ethos on which Sen's conception of development is based.

Sen's objective is to contribute to the dialogue on development. In his words, his motivation is "to draw attention to important aspects of the process of development, each of which deserves attention" (p. 33). In this endeavor, he is eminently distinguished.

A brillant and provocative book
Amartya Sen, winner of 1998 Noble Prize in Economic Science, in this book, not only turns decades of economics on its head by arguing that economic development and individual freedom should go hand-in-hand, to counter poverty, but also lambastes Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew's "Asian Values thesis", also known as "the Lee thesis", that promotes economic development at the expense of freedom in the initial stage of development.

In a clear departure from the main stream of economic thoughts that concern with achieving economic well-being for individuals, Sen, however, contends that freedom of individuals - economic and political freedom and civil liberties, should not be divorced from economic well-being. In fact, he believes freedom should be the principal goal of economic development as well as as the principal mean to counter poverty and insecurity. Freedom and development, rather than being hostile to each other, actually reinforce and complement one another to achieve economic prosperity and ultimately freedom for all. Democracy is not a luxury whereby only rich or developed nations can splurge, but should be seen as an end per se as well as a guiding force to foster and promote economic development and individual freedom.

Clearly, Sen is up against most economists who confine themselves to only measuring individual well-being in economic terms like GDP per capita and neglect the non-economic factors like freedom of speech and press freedom. Sen, instead, attaches great importance to freedom. He believes the goal of achieving freedom need no justification and every society should also work towards achieving it regardless of whether it promotes economic development.

The book on the whole provides much insights to what we usually known as economic development and how we should see it in the light of freedom for individuals. Though I may not totally agree with his analysis, I am sure that I will not see the issue of development and freedom the same as before.

Sensible Economics for Everyone
I read this book because Sen had written the preface to one of my favourite books, Paul Farmer's "Pathologies of Power." I had absolutely no knowledge of economics when I went into this book, but a friend assured me that it was very accessible. It was fairly accessible: but perhaps my ignorance was just extreme. There were a few terms that I had to google, but overall it was a good introduction to some economic theories.

As to the economic theories themselves: just plain brilliant. Who says that economists have no common sense? This book just made complete and utter... sense! I just sat there shaking my head, because sentence after sentence was phrased in just a way to make it so obvious that I wondered why I had never thought of it... and why those who have the power to listen to this book don't do something about it.

I recomend this book to anyone who is interested in the state and the future of developing economies. Frankly, this should cover everyone who lives in North America and Western Europe because (as Sen shows) what affects horribly impoverished people on the other side of the globe affects us too. No knowledge of economics is required (though you might find Google helpful ;-) ), but an open mind and a modicum of common sense is necessary.

A Solid Effort!
Nobel Prize-winning economic scientist Amartya Sen attempts to popularize a series of lectures he presented to executives at the World Bank in 1996. He challenges traditional economic theories to justify a more aggressive, humane and generous funding formula to benefit the world's poorest nations. This goal is based on his theory about individual capabilities and functionings, and how they affect opportunity, both person by person and in a society. Even though this is aimed for general discussion rather than Ph.D. course work, it is an extremely daunting book to read, a mental maze land mined with quirky thoughts and a thick lexicon only an academic could love. More thesis than not, the text is 298 pages plus 60 pages of small type footnotes. The short version: the rich get richer and the poor remain deprived of abilities and awaiting enlightened development. We recommend this dense, challenging but, as they say, important book to insomniacs, liberal world bankers, economic policy makers, the Kofi Annan fan club and students of economic science. ... Read more

Book Description

Groundbreaking essays on the new global economy from an "expert observer" (Forecast). Saskia Sassen is an internationally recognized expert on globalization whose writings have appeared in journals and magazines worldwide. Now available in paperback, Globalization and Its Discontents is a collection of Sassen's essays dealing with topics such as the "global city," gender and migration (reconceived as the globalization of labor), information technology, and the new dynamics of inequality.Sassen brings together cultural and literary studies, feminist theory, political economics, sociology, and political science, showing how vast the chasm between metropolitan business centers and low-income inner cities has become. Incisive and original, she takes on common political, cultural, and economic misconceptions of globalization and offers a thoughtful, provocative new look at our increasingly global society. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Warning: Contents Older than Globalization
What purports to be a book on globalization is actually only peripherally about globalization writ large. Sassen is interested in more specific aspects of globalization: its impact on migration (the huge theme of this book), its place-specificity, and its resultant dispersal of powers that used to belong solely to the nation-state. Her points are good, but you don't need this book to get them, since she's made them all elsewhere and ages ago; in brief, the occasional new insights are not worth it.

Sassen's biggest contribution to the theorization of globalization is her attention to the global city, which she posits as a site of the physical infrastructure that enables the more diffuse projections of the world market. In these cities (like New York, L.A., Tokyo, London, Rio, etc.), high-wage, white-collar workers brush against the low-wage, largely immigrant diasporae that keep the global city running; immigrants form blocs that see a certain degree of enfranchisement and force adjustments in transnational immigration law; and globalization marches on. It's interesting stuff, but it's not new. Sassen's own book on "The Global City" scoops these chapters. And that's pretty much true of the rest of the book.

The two chapters on gender and globalization are much more valuable (and more recent) here, as she starts in on what she calls "the unbundling of sovereignty," the appropriation of political punch from nation-states and the relocation of it into the hands of NGOs and the global market. Unfortunately, while she opens up a great area of inquiry, she doesn't take it very far at all, "since the effort here was not to gain closure but to open up an analytic field." As they stand, these chapters are frustratingly suggestive but ultimately not very thorough or useful. Hopefully she'll revisit the theme later.

The stylistic question is a thorny one; several reviewers have already blasted Sassen for the way she writes. She's certainly not the easiest read, and her incessant neologisms are annoying. ("Operationalizing"? Can we not say, "making operational"?) You can fault her for that. But you can't fault her for writing like a sociologist, and that is largely how she writes. It's dry, there are charts and facts and figures, but the prose is economical and fairly clear (fake words aside!).

By and large, though, this isn't a must-read. If you're really interested, check out her books, "The Global City" and "The Mobility of Labor and Capital." They treat the same subjects, but in more useful detail.

Muddled and Confused
This book suffers from the kind of obfuscated language that a growing number of scholars seem to be able to get away with.Don't get me wrong: there are some interesting ideas in here.But their rewards do not outweigh the costs of sifting through the jargon-laden prose.The author should take a basic writing course.

Globalization and Its Disappointments
I had much hope for this book. I was expecting a work which would shift debates about globalization in a new direction.What we get, on the other hand, is poorly written, badly argued, and repetitive work that offers very little in the way of substantive theory or analysis.

The book is a collection of essays that Sassen has published elsewhere between 1984 and 1997.Except for the introduction, there is no new material here.Furthermore, in many cases the content of one article is reproduced in another article in the book.Rather than reinforcing important arguments, it seems clear that Sassen is trying to get as much mileage possible out of her work.It doesn't work.

The book contains hundreds of endnotes (in many cases they contain the most important information) which should have been incorporated into the text. Furthermore, she offers no conclusion to her analysis and the last chapter itself is quite unsatisfactory.

In short, this book is poorly written, tedious, and unoriginal.

Actually 4 and a Half
An excellent overview of the changing conditions of the Global Cities and a fresh look after her excellent book "Global Cities". Especially liked the essays about the concentration of power and wealth in cities likeNew York, London or Tokyo amid the exploitation of cheap immigrantlabor.

Essential fro everybody who's trying to understand the processesthat have lead so many to oppose globablization trends the GATT and NAFTAagreements and others that keep changing the worl we live in ... Read more

Book Description

Back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, it was fairly easy to plan for a secure future.People pickeda career, a spouse, and a place to live, and those basic decisions put them on apredictablecourse for the rest of their lives. Especially if they were lucky enough to landat a bigcorporation with great benefits and smart enough to buy stocks.

In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, technology and global competition transformed theworld. Anincreasingly strong economy masked spiraling instability in the workplace andthe world.A rising stock market lulled people into thinking they were in control of theirlives.

But now we’ve entered a totally new era, which Roger McNamee calls the NewNormal.It’s a time of great uncertainty—about terrorism, corporate scandals, theoutsourcing ofjobs overseas, and much more. The old safety nets aren’t coming back, even whentheeconomy recovers. But the good news is that the New Normal also offerstremendousopportunities.This book—by one of Silicon Valley’s most insightful andsuccessfulinvestors—explains how to make the most of your life, career, and money byembracingthe future.

The New Normal is the era of the individual. In companies large and small, eachpersonnow matters more than ever before. The Internet has finally made it easy tolaunch andgrow a real business. For entrepreneurs and managers, the global economy openspreviously untapped sources of supply and demand, cost savings and innovation.Individual investors now have access to tools and knowledge that were, untilrecently,restricted to professionals.

Roger McNamee has written a sweeping book in the tradition of Megatrendsthatclarifies this new era and gives readers a practical blueprint for success. ... Read more

Book Description

For the past twenty years this book has been distinguished by its relevant coverage, tight organization, multidisciplinary perspective, and timeliness. The ninth edition preserves these qualities while incorporating new reference material. A three=part organization covers the dimensions of poverty and inequality, causes of poverty, and policy options.For social workers, welfare professionals, and job counselors. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Getting Knowlegde
This is a relly good book for students to understand more about poverty and discrimination in the American society. I will recommended to anyine who is intereted about issues such as welfare poverty and so on. I think you wil enjoy this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Should we care that wealth in the United States is unequally distributed--and getting more so every year?

Should we worry that America's most wealthy, in just a generation, have doubled their share of the nation's wealth?

Should we be alarmed that America's richest 1 percent now holds more wealth--over $2 trillion more--than America's entire bottom 90 percent?

Apparently not.Our nation's top elected leaders see absolutely no reason to challenge, or even discomfort, America's remarkably grand concentrations of wealth.

That reluctance, Sam Pizzigati argues in his new "Greed and Good", endangers us all.

Over recent years, academics and activists the world over have generated a broad and often brilliant body of work that exposes just how concentrated wealth is poisoning everything we hold dear, from our health to our happiness, from our professions to our pastimes, from our Earth to our arts.

In "Greed and Good", author Sam Pizzigati brings this critically important body of work together, for the first time ever inside a single book, and builds upon it.His riveting pages make undeniably plain the horrific price we pay for accepting, as an inevitable given, wealth's domination.

Along the way, "Greed and Good" engagingly dissects and demolishes what amounts to the case for greed, the old saws that apologists for inequality regularly trop out to justify the gaps that divide us.

These gaps, Sam Pizzigati counsels, can be narrowed.And what can we do to create a significantly less unequal America?"Greed and Good" explores the most promising options, then offers a practical political guide for moving toward the boldest option of all, a "maximum wage", a national ceiling on annual individual income that would rise if and only if the minimum wage rose first.

A century ago, with wealth concentrating at levels much like today's, Americans arose in anger."Greed and Good" reminds us all, powerfully, and unforgettably, why such concentrations once again need to be feared--and fought. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Of Utmost Importance
This excellent book is a thorough exploration of how unbridled greed is undermining the essential fabric of our society. If we have any hope of renewing and saving our democracy (let alone deal with the issue of terrorism in an unjust world) we must face head-on the greed that is polluting the very soul of our own nation. "Greed and Good" carefully examines the deep roots that greed has planted and offers alternative approaches to how wealth is distributed in our country. Most importantly, the author makes an excellent case for the concept of establishing a maximum wage. President FDR brought this idea to Congress back in 1942- today, in the age of the ENRON scandal, and in the age of modern-day billionaire kings, perhaps the time for a maximum wage has arrived. "Greed and Good" provides much food for thought and is written in an easily readable style. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Provides readers with a solid background in the theories of economic geography, while examining contemporary issues. Updated edition integrates new recent research on industrial geography using information published within the last ten years with an added global emphasis. Features a new chapter on interdependent global economies and improved figures and graphics, including updated tables throughout the text. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gender Equity as Mainstream Economists See it
This book can be read at many levels -- used for a course or read as needed. You can answer questions like: How is unfair discrimination measured? Why do jobs that employ women pay less than those that employ men even if the requirements are similar. Go beyond romantic love to answer questions about whether marriage makes sense. Does welfare make peole work less? These two academics represent mainstream, what is called "institutional labor econmics." Anyone interested in the labor market, gender equity, international comparisons on how women are doing will find this book accessible. You do not have to have formal education in economics. ... Read more

Book Description

Globalization and Diversity is an exciting contemporary approach to World Regional Geography that explicitly acknowledges the geographic changes that accompany today's rapid rate of globalization. Organizes each regional chapter into five thematic sections: Environmental Geography; Population and Settlement; Cultural Coherence and Diversity; Geopolitical Framework; Economic and Social Development. Features approximately 15 standardized maps in each regional chapter, including a chapter-opening map with countries and place names; a physical map, showing landforms hydrology, and tectonic boundaries; a climate map, with climograph call-outs giving temperature and precipitation data for specific cities; a "transformation of the Earth" map with call-outs to environmental issues and solutions within the region; a population map for the region; a map of regional languages; a geopolitical map with call-outs to current issues and tensions. For anyone interested in learning more about world geography.

Book Description

In today's telecom business environment, a thorough and accurate understanding of past mistakes goes a long way in ensuring future success. Providing an authoritative account of what contributed to the failure of so many telecom firms between 2000 and 2002, this insightful resource explores the roots of the perfect storm that buffeted telecom and Internet companies and investors. You find a detailed insider's look at how the crash was caused by a complex combination of risk and regulatory factors in an increasingly competitive environment, much of it originally fueled by the break up of AT&T.

The Great Telecom Meltdown offers you a solid understanding of the evolving structure of the information, communications and telecom industries, and how companies and sectors within these industries relate to each other. You gain insight into identifying sound long-term investment strategies and avoiding fads with unsound fundamentals. The book helps you make sense of the regulatory framework that has been evolving, as competition gradually replaces regulation among different industry sectors. Moreover, you gain an appreciation for the context of the modern telecom industry, leading up to and beyond the Telecom Act of 1996, which, as the book explains, has been given more credit and more blame for the events of the era than it deserves. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An informative analysis on just what went wrong
In The Great Telecom Meltdown, author and telecommunications expert Fred R. Goldstein offers an informed and informative analysis on just what went wrong with the telecom industry when the telecom stock market bubble burst. Moreover, Goldstein offers invaluable and practical advice for keeping this economic disaster from reoccurring, and even how to profit from such an event in the future. Of special note is Goldstein's analysis revealing that the dysfunctional elements that would lead to the boom-bust cycle crash of the telecommunications industry began long before the Telecom Act of 1996 (itself a belated, overly compromised reaction to an obsolete regulatory model). Highly recommended and essential reading for anyone working, regulating, or investing in the telecommunications industry, The Great Telecom Meltdown is completely accessible for non-specialist general readers with an interest in how the telecom bubble came to burst.
... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great read!
I had to read this book in my Public Policy economics class (although i really enjoyed it, which is rare in economics classes). It was a very easy read: a bunch of short articles on public policy issues. It reminds me of the Economist magazine; mostly case studies backed up by economics. This book focuses onpublic policy blunders, i.e. health care costs, why SUVs are so popular, the costs of terrorism, the costs of illegalizing drugs, various monopolies, the California energy crisis, etc.

That said, this book is clearly written from a strict 'laisser-faire' perspective, so keep that in mind while reading it. What else would you expect from economists??

A Fun, Excellent Exploration of Real-World Economics Issues
This is a great little book to use as a companion to a textbook in any intro to economics class. Accessible even to people with no econ background at all, it shows how the principles of economics can be useful to understand a variety of different issues. The readings are short and clear, and they cover real-world, current issues. I would also recommend this to any reader who wants to learn more about the practical applications of economics.

Perfect for college students
The Economics of Public Issues is an enjoyable textbook for the collegestudent.It is perfect for its compact size, yet concise in detail.Thetopics are very illustrative, and students will find them relevant totoday's world.

Decent but Limited
This is a must read for the layman who doesn't want to read Economics 101. Many politicians and well-intentioned citizens should realize what they're up against when they try to thwart the laws of economics, whether it's theminimum wage, ticket scalping, drugs or abortions. This book explains inclear terms why many laws to regulate these issues are doomed from thestart.In addition, this book is a great companion for amacroeconomics course to promote class discussions.However, if youalready fully understand the laws of supply and demand, then this book islittle more than light reading on a plane, and probably not worth theprice.Paul Krugman's, The Accidental Theorist, addresses many of thesame issues, is a lot cheaper, and more fun to read.

Concise and entertaining intro to Economics
This book covered a wide range of topics with articles pertaining toeconomic issues. The articles were short and entertaining. The questions atthe end of the articles were useful and thought provoking. Difficult topicsare covered (e.g., rent control, airline safety, drug usage) in a fashionthat allowed the reader develop their own opinion of the role economicsplays on the issue. ... Read more

Book Description

Today's most exciting trend in the shopping center industry is the creation of retail entertainment destinations. This book describes how the industry has evolved, best practices in development, and how this concept has been incorporated into mixed-use, town center, and shopping center projects in the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and the Philippines. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Senior managers know that the Internet demands new business strategies. But for many of these executives, much about the Internet and e-commerce remains enigmatic. This important new book by strategy guru Michel Robert demystifies the Internet for executives and provides a comprehensive framework for developing Internet strategies that dovetail with an organization's overall business strategy.

Based on Robert's two decades of research and international consulting experience at more than 400 companies, the e-strategy model described comprises 10 e-drivers, corresponding to 10 key business strategies. These include: demand aggregation for obtaining better prices; build-to-order services that allow customers to configure products to their specifications; customer self-service; direct customer access for manufacturers; dynamic pricing; and others. Using many real-life examples, Robert describes how each e-driver works and how to combine them in a coherent strategy for making optimal use of today's most powerful strategic tool, the Internet. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Valuable reading (if you are objective)
I am always amused by "reviewers" who trash another consultant's book. Every guy with a phone and fax who thinks he is a consultant finds it in their interest to degrade other concepts.

This book is filled with valuable and memorable information that will help any senior executive get a grip on the Internet and it's future implications.

I don't think the author ever intented for "E-Strategy" to be the encyclopedia of the Internet - I think he did a marvelous job of taking a complex topic that most managers don't understand and putting it in our language and context. I wish more authors took that approach.

A classic
"A portal is a web capability developed by an organization in which a company offers its own products as well as products from competitors." (Page 85) This definition shows a basic lack of understanding of what a portal is. "The client is the architect." (Page 103) Try telling that to the IT people. The illustrations on pages 98 - 99 are simplistic beyond belief. I've read many IT books in my time, but this one takes the cake!

Basic business strategy with some interesting nuances
There is nothing new or Earth-shattering in this book - it's about employing strategy within the context of e-commerce. The authors' agenda, from the preface, is to "... demystify the Internet ... which then empowers CEOs and their key executives to design their own Internet strategy and control their own destiny."

The central theme of the book is wrapped in three imperatives: (1) clarify your business strategy, (2) construct an "e-strategy", and (3) integrate the business and e-strategy.

While the ideas and approach are straightforward and basic, the real gems are contained in the interviews with key executives who have creatively conceived of viable (and innovative) e-strategies and have successfully integrated them into their overall business strategy. In my opinion the most interesting interview was with Philip C. Kantz (CEO, TAB Products). TAB Products makes folders, labels and other commodity items. Not the sexy stuff of e-strategies, but that's exactly what this executive crafted and it transformed his entire business. Not surprisingly the creative part of the strategy was minor compared to the leadership abilities that were required to transform a vision into action and results. This interview alone summarizes the entire message of the book. Each of the other four interviews provides insights about the creative, leadership and technical challenges of devising and implementing an e-strategy.

As you read this book don't be so quick to conclude that it is only stating the obvious. There are some wonderful ideas to be gleaned, inspiration and encouragement from executive interviews, and some subtle nuances in the authors' approach. The structure and message of the book puts e-strategy and the Internet into the familiar framework of business strategy 101. You'll benefit from the interviews, and will have a path marked with familiar landmarks towards implementing an e-strategy.

What's your business strategy?
A concise and easily read book on how to watch for the micro, macro, and mega changes that are coming our way. 

The obvious goal is to get you to use the consulting services, but still, there is solid information about re-thinking business models to accommodate the internet world.

Perhaps the most important advice given is to make sure you have a clear business strategy to begin with, update that strategy to be pertinent in this information age, and formulate your Internet strategy to further your business goals. "The Internet is another vehicle to help a company deploy its business strategy. Unfortunately, because of its pervasiveness, the Internet cannot be ignored."

There are several good pieces of information to use as you're thinking about your IT investment, such as: "Eighty-four percent of IT projects are late, over budget, or canceled. The cost to U.S. corporations is over $184 billion per year. Completed projects achieve only 60 percent of their objectives.

Charts, drawings, and lists help to make clear the authors' intent. Plenty of white space makes the book easy to read (even on a bouncing aircraft!).

False Advertising
If you read Robert's other book, The Power of Strategic Thinking, there is absolutely no reason to read this one. He (and McGraw Hill) put out the same book under two separate titles. Based upon its title, I was expecting the book to focus entirely on e-strategy and provide some innovative, insightful and applicable information. Instead, there was little or nothing "new under the sun" imparted in this book that he didn't already tell us in The Power of Strategic Thinking - which by the way is the much better book of the two. If you want information on e-strategy, save your money and look elsewhere. Jim Altfeld, Altfeld, Inc. Strategic Corporate, Marketing & Sales Planning. ... Read more

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