Book Description

A comprehensive, balanced text, International Trade: Theory and Evidence is the perfect book for International Trade courses at the undergraduate level. It is appropriate either as part of a two-term International sequence (trade and finance) or in advanced courses in Trade that follow a one-term International Economics course. It can also be used as a background text for beginning graduate courses.Intermediate Microeconomics is an assumed pre-requisite for students using this text. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great text!
We used this as a textbook for a one semester course in international trade relations. The writing is clear and the book is well-organized, making it very readable. It has very few errors, perhaps that's why a new edition hasn't come out lately. Most of the analyses of the models are done graphically and using only algebra, so it is suited for beginners of international trade theory/international economics. The questions at the end of each chapter vary from very easy to difficult, but the difficult ones can be answered after reading the text about two or three times and digesting its contents. This book is aimed primarily for undergraduates but first year graduate students can use this book as a review for more advanced texts in international trade such as "Lectures in International Trade",(1998) by Bhagwati et al. This textbook is highly-recommended and could be a better alternative than Krugman and Obstfeld's popular text ("International Economics: Theory and Policy").

Clear exposition - a good text
This book can be used in the international trade component of a two-semester ug course in international trade and finance (as the editorial review points).

The book uses - at least for me - an extremely useful approach to studying the rudiments of trade theory: after reviewing the standard concepts from consumer and producer theory, it provides a set of sufficient conditions that jointly determine the no-trade world. The core of the text then relaxes each of the mentioned conditions while keeping the others valid, showing why trade arises and at the same time providing a very clear overall picture. All models are discussed in a non-technical way but still with a fair amount of rigour, clearly stating the assumptions and proving the propositions.

The idea of using the revealed preference to show the existence of gains from trade in various settings is defenitely sth worth examining.

The trade policy part offers a chapter on strategic trade policy to shake the validity of the standard "trade barriers are harmful" belief from a perpective that is usually not presented by competitive texts.

Still, two elements could be improved: the part on the link between trade and economic growth is not very readable. Maybe the authors could do sth more about it by using algebra. Secondly, although the concept of intra-industry trade is discussed on many occasions, the authors could consider devoting an additional chapter to it just to summarise the already mentioned ideas.

To conclude: I consider the book as being better than, say, Krugman's or Salvatore's probably more popular texts. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Cutting-edge corporations are talking more and more about the emergence of a true worldwide marketplace, and about how it is dramatically reshaping the way they do business. Global Literacies, by psychologist and businessman Robert Rosen, takes this conversation one thought-provoking yet practical step further by comparing the process to a child's gradual mastery of words and ideas. Accordingly, he suggests, businesses venturing onto the global stage first "must learn to read the world's new language" if they really hope to succeed. He combines a worldwide survey of more than 1,000 corporate leaders, in-depth studies of 28 national cultures, and one-on-one interviews with 75 multinational CEOs (such as Leo van Wijk of Royal Dutch Airlines, Canon's Ryuzaburo Kaku, Sir Peter Bonfield of British Telecommunications, and Coca-Cola's M. Douglas Ivester) to show how pacesetters "see global challenges, think with an international mindset, create fresh leadership behaviors and mobilize people in culturally mindful ways." The road to success via literacy that he subsequently develops and explains in this book includes "unlearning our past assumptions," cultivating a "flexible mind" that is comfortable with chaos and change, and discovering how differences among people, companies, and countries affect the institutions we build and the strategies we employ. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
This book fails on its ambitious agenda of surveying and mapping out the new landscape the authors refer to as "global literacies", and delivers little at the end.

Boasting a "landmark study of CEOs from 28 countries" on its cover, the book contains less than 10 survey questions from the study, all of which are freebies which offer no additional insight to the quest at hand. For example, one survey question asks, "do your cultural roots influence your thinking?" The question is so poorly designed from a research point of view, the answer doesn't really matter.

The rest of whatever study of CEOs the authors compiled was reduced to regurgitation of current buzz words, "understanding and valuing yourself", "engaging and challenging others", "focusing and mobilizing your organization", "valuing and leveraging cultural differences".

The remaining pages are filled with trivia-type facts on who's who around the world, such as a generic list of major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

At the end, you should expect to get out of this book what R.R. got out of his visiting 30 countries over a two-year period, traveling 250,000 miles, as he explained to the readers in the intro. That's nearly 350 miles of traveling a day, everyday of the year, and less than a month for every country. You tell me how much cultural immersion and interaction a person can experience out of it.

A Welcomed Global Leadership Primer
I happened upon this book and I'm so glad I did! It is a well-written, easy-reference global tool--- much more than just another business book for the shelf. The first-hand stories, study data and format makes it a keeper. Although the study was relatively small, it was globally broad and big enough, with its weighty contributors, to give any leader a good dose of global nourishment to help you forge your own new path. What I like about it most is the straightforward presentation that is free of gobbledegook, so common to many business books. Many leaders across geographies, industries and sectors are trying to find their bearings in the marketplaces, workplaces and communities of the world at this turbulant time of opportunity. This book not only provides stimulating information, but it helps one remember that the solutions we seek are not so complicated. No big surprises. Instead, these times just ask little more of us. Working across cultures and geographies ultimately means working with a new consciousness about others---learning from and thinking more about each other --- and realizing that it is by putting our differences to work that we will open the way for new levels of innovation and a world that benefits all. The book serves as a reminder of how much you already know as a leader that can now be applied to a new set of global problems---as well as, how much you need to learn. I plan to share it with my customers and fellow leaders of change. Thank you for this work!

A Frenchman, an Indian, and a Brazilian Walk into a Bar ¿
Alvy: "You're, like, New York Jewish Left-Wing Liberal Intellectual Central Park West Brandeis University ... the Socialist Summer Camps and the father with the Ben Shahn drawings, right? And you really, you know, strike-oriented kind of - uh, stop me before I make a complete imbecile of myself."

Allison: "No, that was wonderful. I love being reduced to a cultural stereotype."

[Annie Hall, 1977]

------------------------------

Everyone talks about globalization, but few do anything about it. As the world contracts, many once-arrogant executives find themselves humbled by their ignorance of the manners, modes, and mores of other nations and cultures. At the same time, accelerated communication has built self-confidence among those leaders who might once have aped the methods of Western business superpowers. Americans, British, French, and a host of the traditionally smug are discovering that they can't just talk at their counterparts to the east and south. They need to understand them, speak their language (figuratively and literally), and learn how to make the borderless economy work.

So argues Robert Rosen and his colleagues in Global Literacies. Using a 1,000-person survey, combined with interviews with 75 CEOs in 28 countries, the authors have developed a model of twenty behaviors and roles for the twenty-first century leader. These competencies - "Chaos Navigator", "authentic flexibility", "Respectful Modernizer", etc. - are here elucidated by example, using extended interview excerpts and admiring descriptions of leaders chosen as competency archetypes. It's a reasonable approach, particularly when complemented by capsule summaries of their leaders' countries and their cultures. If your knowledge of world history, geopolitics, and comparative religions is limited, and if you don't have a World Fact Book near at hand, then you'll find convenient answers in these reports.

But every reporter wants to write editorials, and it's in the oration and polemics that Global Literacies stumbles. As a business topic, literacy is not lite and racy, so the authors try to spice up their book with fortune-cookie truisms....

"Leaders are people, too."

Global Literacies is clearly the work of a motivational speaker, full of sound bites and fury. It also tends towards proof by sweeping assertion. Discussing China's $30 billion Ping An Insurance, for example, the authors state that "the secret of [its] success is its ability to keep one foot in traditional Chinese culture and one foot in the world, constantly learning and modernizing Chinese culture." This may be true, but how could it be proved? How does one measure "learning and modernizing" as a competitive advantage? Must great leaders always have strong cultural roots?

How you respond to Global Literacies will depend in part on where you stand in the classic argument of nature vs. nurture. By overemphasizing "national traits" that predetermine behavior, Rosen and his colleagues have fallen into the classic trap of cultural stereotyping. They argue for example that "we need to combine the egalitarian nature of the Dutch, the change orientation of Americans, the achievement orientation of the Overseas Chinese, and the humility of the Scandinavians." All Scandinavians? Aren't there any supercilious Swedes out there?...

Ultimately Global Literacies informs more than it persuades. Some segments are merely unfortunate; Douglas Ivester, held up as the epitome of communication and "urgent listening", has since been fired as CEO of Coca-Cola for a series of gaffes and mishandled controversies. And it is true that the interweaving of interviews and facts can be instructive, even enlightening. But eventually you begin to wonder whether these cultural depictions are portraits or cartoons. If you're going to travel around the world in 400 pages, be warned that travel may narrow the mind.

Business Book that average people can understand
This book is well written and indicates that the author did lots of research and is really interested in our global society. Very well written and stories of CEO's are given in entertaining manner. Very helpful to business people interested in developing global contacts.

Informative and Elegant
A close reading of this book reveals an impressive insight in the subject matter and an elegant and crisp style of presentation. I found the book informative, deftly written and useful. It is a must read book for any person wishing to come to some understanding on the gloal economy, for any person engaged in commerce, and for any person who is curious about global cultures. ... Read more

Book Description

An enclyclopedic view of doing business with China. Contains the how-to, where-to and who-with information needed to operate internationally. ... Read more

Book Description

This book addresses the process of global operations management-from strategic thinking all the way through planning and execution. It demonstrates the implications for the different functional areas involved like operations, marketing, and information systems and contains numerous cases from Europe, the U.S., Latin America, and Asia. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a good book in operations and logistics
is a good text. easy to understand .

Not a bad global operations textbook
I used this book for a global operations class. It contains both text and cases in one book. However, cases in some chapters do not directly relate to the content presenting in those chapters. Moreover, some cases are really difficult to read and understand the context of the case for analysis. However, there are some good HBS cases. ... Read more

Book Description

Once considered a rare and exotic sweetener, sugar was not always as widely available or important as it is today. As part of the human diet for nearly all of recorded history, sugar has evolved over time, becoming quite a common commodity. Yet the very simplicity of this common sweetener masks the highly complex and elaborate global trade that has developed around it. Now, The International Sugar Trade offers the only comprehensive reference guide to the worldwide market. A sweeping analysis of the entire sugar industry, it covers everything from the product's historical beginnings to the complex geopolitical and financial forces that have dominated the worldwide sugar trade during recent decades.

Over the past fifty years, especially, the international trade in sugar has changed dramatically. Since it is either imported or exported by every country on earth, sugar has become an integral component of the economic relationships among nations. Because of that unique position, the trade in sugar has both reflected—and been affected by—a wide range of divergent forces, including global politics, health consciousness, the emergence of developing nations as suppliers and consumers, and many others.

Perhaps the greatest change in the international sugar trade has been the trend toward price stabilization. Historically at the mercy of everything from war to weather, the price of sugar has always been extremely volatile. But, following such trends as the development of sugar substitutes, an overall decline in per capita consumption, and an increase in the overall amount of sugar on the open market, the price of sugar has leveled off considerably. This comparatively recent stability has profoundly altered the manner in which sugar is traded on the world market, and while this has created new opportunities to profit in sugar, it has also made trading in sugar commodities more complex than ever before.

In this important new reference, A. C. Hannah and Donald Spence explore the broad scope of the entire sugar market, providing an essential global tour of the international sugar trade in all its intricacy. Everything is here, from cultivation and refinement to importing and exporting, from commodity trading and tariffs to substitutes and consumption. The International Sugar Trade provides comprehensive coverage of:

• The history of sugar—from cultivation and refining to end use
• Trends in world production, consumption, and international trade
• Crucial information on export marketing, contracts, trade, and prices
• The policies of the world's major sugar producers—with particular attention focused on likely developments in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Cuba
• The impact of existing sugar substitutes and those under development
• The sugar trade cycle and marketing chain, descriptions of key players, and detailed coverage of the sugar futures markets.

The International Sugar Trade contains the most essential and up-to-date information currently available. It includes numerous tables and graphs describing production, consumption, and trade for nearly every country. It also includes five complete appendices exploring sugar and the environment; sugar and health; the Brazilian Alcohol Programme; international sugar agreements; and historical statistics covering the period from 1955 to 1994. It is a vital resource for anyone involved in the international sugar trade.

"[The International Sugar Trade] is a comprehensive account of sugar, the commodity. [It] is aimed at a wide audience, from specialists looking for more background to traders coming to sugar for the first time, students, nonspecialists, and laymen in search of an introduction to the fascinating world of sugar."—from the Preface.

The only complete guide to sugar, one of the world's most important and heavily traded soft commodities, this authoritative overview provides in-depth coverage of a wide range of essential topics, including:

• Origins, background, and production
• The world sugar economy today
• The sugar futures markets
• International sugar agreements
• Consumption trends of substitute products
• Key issues for the future

Book Description

Offering a fourteen-chapter format, this brief book provides readers with a “quick read” integration of the most pertinent issues in international business. A micro and macro focus appeals to readers' separate roles as managers and as citizens.Chapter-opening vignettes illustrate the importance of chapter material.For anyone with international business responsibility. ... Read more

Book Description

In a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal, Pat Buchanan named The Myth of Free Trades as one of the cornerstones of his protectionist economic policy. Written by Dr. Ravi Batra, bestselling economist and author of The Great Depression of 1990, The Myth of Free Trade throws down the gauntlet to economic orthodoxy and challenges the gospel of free trade. Dr. Batra states that "laissez-faire has wrecked U.S. industry and shattered the American dream."

As an anecdote to our economic ills -- the federal deficit, our reliance on foreign imports, widespread downsizing, environmental destruction -- Dr. Batra sets out a five-year plan for economic revival that includes raising tariffs on imports, banning mergers among giant firms, and encouraging domestic competition by splitting huge corporations into smaller units. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Myth of "Free" Trade now needs a follow-up
Batra has done a fine job of pointing out the problem. Some want more figures, but the key here is the concept of "averaging". For that, I wish Batra had given us a simple example like the one below:

With some 6 Billion People on the planet, 5 Billion earn less than $1,000 per year (say $5 Trillion) - only about 1 Billion earn around $25,000 or more ($25 Trillion) - with 300 Million those in the USA. So, if 6 Billion people "share" the $30 Trillion total World GDP, that means an "average" of $5,000 for each person.

While a peasant in China might be temporarily better off, it would mean the economic end of the USA, Japan and Europe, then total collapse for the West. If China's current goal is to conquer the West, they can do it without a shot fired - just keep exporting while we keep importing and closing factories.

I only hope that Batra writes a follow-up book quite soon and offers up an overview that all of us can internalize. My further hope is that he can present his comments on CSPAN, CNET and CNN before the US election in November.

the myth of real wages
First let me say that this is a well-written book and does a fairly good job of representing the popular perception that trade can be harmful. Batra gets only two stars from me because of how vague he is on his real wages data. This is an artificial construction that removes skilled labor from calculating wages and then shows a drop in real wages. There is no questioning that a drop in US unskilled labor's wages is happening. This, however, is a meaningless construction because the skilled labor pool is growing, as is its wages. Those are real wages too. The other form of income that Batra ignores is investment income which is available to all Americans who choose to consume less than they earn. Batra knows that the worst consequence of limiting trade is inflation. He tries to present a competition policy that will compensate for the monopolies that a government will create by restricting trade. He presents this as a way to solve the inflation problem, but he ignores the need for greater economies of scale to keep unit costs down. If the coercive power of the state creates artificial competition with firms that are too small to keep costs down, then inflation will still be a problem. It is trade that keeps SKILLED labor's wages rising and trade that keeps inflation at bay.

Well thought out
Well done. It's a shame however that Batra doesn't follow through on this topic in his later books, and gets side-tracked instead by other factors which at best have secondary impact on global economy and ecology. After suffering an entire generation (30 years) of decoupling of per capita productivity and per capita real wage, one wonders how much more stress the US economy can take before it collapses. Then again, what are the limits of human ingenuity and resiliency? Can these factors reverse the damage done by the Free Trade policy? Batra's addressing this factor would have been extremely helpful. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

NEWER EDITION AVAILABLE
Be sure to know that there is a third edition (2001) available from the Foundation Center

The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing
This book by 'The Foundation Center' is indespensible for those interested in forming a nonprofit as well as current Directors who wish to have a reference guide on current developments in the structure and dynamics of modern nonprofits. There is a wealth of information in this book, and I rate it a 'Must Read.' ... Read more

Book Description

The key to successful business and travel in today’s Mexico In Mexico, as everywhere, details of etiquette, culture, and protocol can make or break any business or social interaction. This fascinating and informative guide provides everything you need to develop a solid working knowledge of the Mexican people, their unique customs and values, and their distinct world view. You’ll learn:

• How to talk to superiors and subordinates in the work-place, work with bureaucrats and officials, and schedule meetings
• Crucial information on family, gender roles, bureaucracy, religion, time, manners, dress and appearance, meals, work, and leisure
• Distinctions between rural and city life
• The fine points of body language, socializing, conversing, making friends, dining out, romance, and Mexican humor
• Insights into traditional Mexican mores and how they are changing in response to rapid modernization

Reviews (3)

Inside Mexico
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED--should be required reading for every American so they have a better understanding of our neighbors to the south. I bought this when I first met my wife who is from Mexico. I found it very enlightening and worth every cent. It's easy to read since it is not in-depth, however, it is still very enlightening. It talks about real Mexico and real Mexicans--not the life and culture that surrounds resorts. It may need to be updated (10 years old) cause the youth in Mexico are greatly influenced by media (TV, movies, etc) today just as American youth are--however, it still provides great insight of where Mexicans are coming from.

OK if you've never been to Mexico...
...but if you know anything at all about the culture or have visited non-tourist spots you probably know a lot of this stuff already. I'm looking for something more in-depth, so I didn't find this book very helpful.

There'd be less misunderstanding if more of us read this gem
I've read and re-read this short book, and it has helped me tremendously to understand Mexico and Mexicans. Their culture is different enough from ours that our habits don't always work.For example, in the chapter on manners, the author points out that people often thank shop clerks when leaving a store. I tried this on a recent trip and discovered that it could lead to enjoyable short conversations.

Published in 1994, I found it very timely in 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Handy for college students
This book was quite a handy reference manual while I was attending Ming Chuan Univeristy...quite a different culture than Austrailia!

passport taiwan
please send this article to me as soon as possible, i need this information to do my assignment. thank you

a great book for future visitors to taiwan
being an american, i find the book extremely useful while i was visiting a friend in taipei ... Read more

Amazon.com

Despite their shared preference for keeping a low profile, Vice President Dick Cheney and Halliburton, his former employer, gained notoriety in the aftermath of the war in Iraq thanks to a series of lucrative government contracts awarded to Halliburton, for which they never had to bid. Business journalist Dan Briody sheds light on the history of the company and demonstrates how its present-day relationship with influential politicians is not anomalous but part of a time-honored yet ethically suspect tradition of doing business. Briody introduces Erle Halliburton, who was born into poverty but found great financial success with innovative oil well technology. And while Halliburton avoided getting close to elected officials or pursuing government contracts, the Brown brothers of Texas-based Brown & Root made the nurturing of "pet politicians" a top priority as they grew their construction business into one of the most powerful in the nation. The Halliburton Agenda details the mutually beneficial relationship the Browns shared with an up and coming Lyndon Johnson as money and influence flowed freely between the two. Halliburton acquired Brown & Root in 1962 and with it, Briody contends, plenty of questionable business practices that continue to this day. Dick Cheney looms ominously on the book's cover but he doesn't appear much in the book until fairly late in the Halliburton story. Still, because Cheney's early-1990s' appointment to the job of CEO (after no private sector experience) and departure to be Vice President in 2000 coincided with an upsurge in Halliburton revenues and controversies, there's plenty of material to examine. While many have questioned what sway corporations have in the George W. Bush administration, Briody's extended look at Halliburton's corporate culture and history provides enlightening perspective. --John Moe ... Read more

Reviews (9)

False advertising
I feel suckered by the publisher for buying this book. The title and the Dick Cheney cover suggest this is a book about Cheney and his tenure at the company. This book is told chronologically and runs 237 pages. Cheney becomes CEO on page 198 and leaves on page 215. This book should have been titled "Lyndon Johnson - The Senator from Brown & Root" as the bulk of the book is about Herman Brown bribing Texas Democrats to get New Deal era construction contracts.
The book sheds little information about Halliburton under Cheney's leadership as CEO or his relationship with the company as VP. What comments the book does provide about Cheney are mostly not researched data, but the author's rather paranoid assertions. I found the writing to lack credibility as the author seems torn between being a reporter and being a columnist. This conflict is evident in the poor job he does of distinguishing his assumptions from actual events.
Reading the WSJ coverage of the Halliburton investigation, one suspects that there is evidence somewhere that Cheney has abused his office to benefit his friends at Halliburton. There is a book there for a good journalist to write, but this not that book and the author does not appear to have hope of being that journalist.

Mostly very good
This is an interesting book and mostly correct. Near the end is a comment by the author that Dick Cheney is greatly admired almost as a father figure by today's Halliburton leaders. In fact, most thought his personnel management and business decisions were flawed and that he was just keeping a chair warm while getting rich and waiting for the opportunity to return to Washington, D.C.

Mixed Emotions: Too Short, and Surprisingly It Features LBJ
Did I get the wrong book from Amazon.com? The book is advertised to be a book about Cheney and Halliburton - it is about Halliburton but not Cheney. For example, pictures of Cheney appear on both the front and back covers of the book jacket. But that is very misleading. The book is not about Cheney per se; there are in fact only a dozen or so pages dealing with Cheney near the end of the book and he plays only a minor role; he finally appears on page 191 of the 237 added seemingly as an afterthought. Surprisingly, the dominant politician in the book is the former president and Texas native Lyndon Baines Johnson or LBJ. By my estimate and it is confirmed by looking at the index, LBJ takes up three times as much space in the book as Cheney, and furthermore he plays a much more important role in setting any "agenda" at Brown & Root - a subsidiary of Halliburton. Even though the book even if falsely promoted it is still an interesting read about two old US companies and their eventual merger; but at just 237 pages long in medium font is not a 5 star effort, just 3.5 stars, maybe only 3 stars at best.

The first company described is the oil well services company Halliburton started in approximately 1920 by Erle Halliburton in Oklahoma. Erle Halliburton died in 1957 leaving a successful and financially strong and independent business enterprise as his legacy. The second company is Brown & Root (B & R) that developed from being a Texas road construction company that was started around 1917 to become a major defense contractor. The business grew through political connections and after many decades B & R had become the largest engineering and construction company in the USA, boosted by the Vietnam war effort, and fed by a series of domestic and foreign construction and defense contracts stretching around the globe.

The book tells (very briefly) how these companies developed, merged in 1962 with R & B being bought by Halliburton, and how they became a major defense contractor. It also contains many side stories such as the influence of the rising political star LBJ in Texas, dam construction, back room operators such as A.J.Wirtz, political intrigue, the milking of Roosevelt's New Deal money, navy boat building, the fall of Leland Olds who was a bureaucrat blocking their expansion, the Johnson Space Center contract, Vietnam contracts, the LOGCAP contract, the Dresser merger, Henry Waxman's congressional charges against Halliburton and the sole sourcing, etc. Cheney appears near the end of the book and I did learn that Cheney flunked out of Yale and was arrested twice for DWI in his youth. There are a number of insights and comments on the current contracts to Halliburton. But since Halliburton had the LOGCAP contract before Cheney, it seems to me that Cheney played no more a dramatic role - I suspect - than any other good CEO or "rainmaker" might have played at Halliburton to boost its revenues.

As a book I would say it rates just 3 or 4 stars since as the author acknowledges that he uses and number of existing books such as "Erle P. Halliburton: Genius with Cement" and other publications, and most of the book is about the older history - as I said Cheney does not even appear until page 191 out of 237. So even when he appears the information is scant. Having said that it is clear the author has done extensive research, he has a nice reference section for further reading, he brings the story together, but overall it seems like a short collection of historical facts and tidbits. As it stands, it is more of a "gateway" book or introduction and it would have been a 5 star book if it was about 400-500 pages long and was more complete. But some of the references and 40 pages of notes at the back are worth a follow up read.

So surprisingly just 3 to 4 stars.

Jack In Toronto

It's who you know?
Regardless of your political persuasion, I recommend The Halliburton Agenda. Author Dan Briody follows Erle Halliburton's career from the oil fields as a driver in the early 1900's to the boardrooms where in the 1920's Halliburton was already a millionaire. During the same era brothers, Herman and George, founders of Brown & Root, the predecessor of the modern day Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) that is now a subsidiary of Halliburton, began as road builders and garbage haulers in Texas and graduated to dam builders and became a major government contractor as they learned to work the political system.

The ties between the Brown brothers and politicians, most notably Lyndon Johnson, are revealed in some detail. It is a fascinating view. The ups and downs of KBR are followed through the decades as the construction firm lands contract after contract.

Early on, author Briody makes a strong effort to keep his opinions - if not his perspective - off the pages. Unfortunately later in the book, he does not stick to the facts, but occasionally opines. An example of this editorializing is found on page 211 when discussing Dick Cheney Briody states "Either way, he's not the man I want bending the president's ear on a daily basis." I would have preferred coming to that conclusion on my own.

Overall, the book has a good deal of balance with Briody giving space to others praising Halliburton's while raising questions about the LOGCAP (Logistics Civil Augmentation Program) design and bidding process.

I like timelines, charts and pictures. Unfortunately, this book has none. A timeline of the successes and failures with a listing of the contracts would be a nice addition to the book. Also, photographs of the major players and construction projects would add flavor.

Thank you, Mr. Briody
Thanks are needed to Dan Briody for writing this insightful, compelling, and truthful tale about the long and fascinating history of Halliburton. Voters need to read this book before the election in November. It is a moral imperative. ... Read more

Book Description

A one-stop resource on every dimension of international exporting

"Frank Reynolds gives the reader a tour de force of international trade issues–a treatise presented in a lucid yet highly analytical manner that both the novice and experienced business person will find informative and useful in their daily operations.Mr. Reynolds is more than a highly respected author.He is an international trader with over thirty years of experience and success."
– Michael E. Miller, Director
U.S. Export Assistance Center Network, Cleveland, Ohio
U.S. Department of Commerce

"In typical Frank Reynolds style, this book has practical how-to instructions for anyone involved in international trade.The information is timeless and easy to read and understand."
– Roy Becker
Author, A Banker’s Insights on International Trade

"As a licensed customs broker and an experienced international exporter, Frank Reynolds brings much more to the table than international trade theory.His vast knowledge and understanding of international trade issues make him an invaluable resource.How fortunate for the international trade community that Frank Reynolds has shared his in-depth comprehension of international trade matters!"
– Margaret Gatti, Esq.
Principal, Gatti and Associates

Exporters face a daily agenda of international regulations and cultural differences that hinder the flow of international trade. Managing Exports: Navigating the Complex Rules, Controls, Barriers, and Laws provides export managers with an accessible, authoritative resource for conducting efficient and profitable trading relationships.

Frank Reynolds shows exporters how to expand international sales, automate export operations, reduce costs, streamline operations, and manage an export department.Chapters include:

• Export Marketing
• Documentation
• Terms of Sale
• Workable Sales Contracts
• Insurance
• Keeping Current

By relying upon Managing Exports for a variety of best practices, export managers can not only avoid government fines for violation of regulations, but also reduce risk exposure and ensure their business’s sustained profitability. ... Read more

Book Description

Just like the companies in which they function, teams are going global. In every corner of the world, organizations are calling upon people to communicate and cooperate across different cultures, to manage widely dispersed work groups and corporate subsidiaries, and to hurdle multiple time zones. From Singapore to Zurich, Sao Paulo to Detroit, Michael Marquardt and Lisa Horvath have culled the best practices and lessons learned from such global leaders as Glaxo-Wellcome, General Motors University, Marriott, and Colgate-Palmolive to show how any organization can create and sustain teams that will work well across the boundaries and barriers of diversity and distance.

Marquardt and Horvath bring together detailed case studies, many written by global team members themselves, and Marquardt's 30 years of frontline experience to examine the foundation of global teams--culture and technology--and to present practical advice on how to build trust, develop effective leaders, and motivate team members, develop and maintain a sense of team, build teams with common vision and purpose while encouraging diversity of thinking and action, and tap the power of informational and learning technologies to maximize support of global teams.

With worksheets, checklists, sample agendas, and a 12-step strategic guide, GLOBAL TEAMS offers the essential tools organizations need to convert the richness created by cultural diversity into innovative thinking and action. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Solid Read!
Some of the challenges of managing global teams are obvious. For example, team members will probably speak different languages and come from different cultures. So how do you function in the Tower of Babel? Authors Michael J. Marquardt and Lisa Horvath recommend designating a common language, usually English for American companies. On the other hand, some of the challenges global team managers confront are not so obvious. For instance, what reward system do you use when everyone values different things? Can you just give everyone a pat on the back and a bonus, or must you individualize feedback mechanisms? What etiquette do you follow if everyone has a different sense of what is polite? If these issues haven't occurred to you already, you need this book. If they have, well, We still suggests this rundown on the very basics. As you may have guessed, all the issues you have already confronted with international employees get magnified with global teams.

A Solid Effort!
Some of the challenges of managing global teams are obvious. For example, team members will probably speak different languages and come from different cultures. So how do you function in the Tower of Babel? Authors Michael J. Marquardt and Lisa Horvath recommend designating a common language, usually English for American companies. On the other hand, some of the challenges global team managers confront are not so obvious. For instance, what reward system do you use when everyone values different things? Can you just give everyone a pat on the back and a bonus, or must you individualize feedback mechanisms? What etiquette do you follow if everyone has a different sense of what is polite? If these issues haven't occurred to you already, you need this book. If they have, well, We still suggests this rundown on the very basics. As you may have guessed, all the issues you have already confronted with international employees get magnified with global teams.

First book to show the real power of global teams!
Presents the key challenges facing global teams with specific recommendations and case studies on how to overcome those challenges.

Wonderful Treatment of What's Known
Marquardt and Horvath have done a very competent job bringing together good practices for people and organizations working in different places and cultures. Examples from Pfizer and other global corporations make the clear, simply written prose real to the reader, whether a newcomer to this interesting and pertinent field or someone who, like me, has seen a lot of the literature and done a lot of this work already. For my taste, I would have preferred to see more about technology, but the coverage was good and comprehensive enough to whet the appetite or confirm in business language what the practitioner would need to say to a business leader or a manager who was having trouble or starting out. The layout of the book is pleasant. What did worry me about the work, which I still rate highly, is suspicion that the research and scholarship were not up to a high standard, e.g., the consistently incorrect citation of the 1994 classic in the field "Globalwork" by Mary O'Hara-Devereaux and Robert Johansen, from which many of the authors' points are drawn, and an index that was generally wrong in its pagination. ... Read more

Book Description

Escape from common coding pitfalls with this detailed book of proven Jakarta missteps and solutions

The dangers of Jakarta pitfalls are everywhere and countless developers have already been trapped. These mistakes have delayed schedules, allowed major bugs to get into the users’ hands, or led to numerous rewrites in maintenance. Luckily, you don’t have to be the next victim. This comprehensive book captures some of the most common pitfalls that occur with Jakarta and provides you with the solutions to escape them. Focusing on Struts, Ant, Cactus, and JUnit, the authors describe each pitfall in detail, explain how developers have walked into the trap, and discuss the common symptoms and consequences.

They then arm you with a proven solution for each pitfall and take you step-by-step through the process of converting from error-ridden to pitfall-free code. In the end, the pitfalls and solutions presented inside will help you build superior applications that are easier to maintain.

This book will save you from the frustration of having to spend hours working your way out of pitfalls such as:

• Failing to isolate tests or subjects in Cactus and JUnit
• Overloading Struts ActionMappings
• Calculating derived values in JSPs
• Duplicating formatting and type conversion code in Struts Action Forms
• Building subprojects
• Performing business logic in Struts ActionForms

The companion Web site contains all the code examples and solutions in the book. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The best book on the architectural problems of Struts
If you are designing a large-scaled web application based on Struts, you should read this book first. Reading this book will help you avoid Struts architectural pitfalls and get a better idea what the Struts framework really offers. The pitfalls discussed in this book are all really insightful ,and the solutions suggested by the authors are well-designed and practical. An excellent pitfalls book!

The synopsis in the back is the entire book
The book is fine, but it in the back is a boiled down synopsis, about 5 pages, that suffices for the entire book. The rest of the book doesn't really add that much. The material here is good, but is available by reading a few white papers and faq's on the web. I didn't dislike the book, I just wish I hadn't spent the money.

must have reference!
Whether you're a beginner or an expert on Struts, Ant or JUnit, this book will provide you all the items you should watch out for. And if you're already in trouble with any of these technologies, its very likely that this book has it.

Where was this book when I was cutting my teeth on Cactus
This is an important book. If you're new to any of these tools, don't waste your time hitting the same potholes that everyone else has. The authors took some good notes in trenches, and they present their pitfalls in a structure way that builds one upon another.

I just wish this book was available when I was first getting started with Cactus!? It will be at my elbow as I start my upcoming Struts project.

(The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that I ran across a few typos.)

Using Struts? Buy this book!
I have to admit that I am a big fan of antipattern books. There are many ways to code an application but a few of those ways will cause problems in the long run both in debugging and maintenance. This book looks at four of the most popular Jakarta applications, JUnit, Cactus, Struts, and Ant, and shows the most common problems that you encounter when using these applications. The book gives a chapter each to Ant and the two testing applications JUnit and Cactus but the majority of the book is dedicated to Struts.

Each chapter looks at several programming mistakes and then discusses ways to revise your code to fix these mistakes and make your code more robust. The problems with certain coding styles are well explained with clear reasoning as to why you don't want to code a particular way. Corrective solutions are well documented with plenty of code samples to show both before and after images.

Although the chapters on testing and Ant are good, the heart of the book is the chapters on Struts. The authors discuss potential problems using Actions, ActionForms, and the Struts tag library. Some problems can just make your code more difficult to maintain while others can introduce intermittent bugs that are very difficult to diagnose. Anyone who is using Struts should absolutely read these chapters, as it will save you from making some simple mistakes that could cause a lot of long-term pain in your development. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is helpful for importers as well as exporters of apparel and textiles to the USA. Exporters from different countries will hopefully make use of the information I share in this book. The book targets importers, exporters, business executives, textile industry professionals, students, etc.

Before I mention what this book is all about, let me remark on how the idea of writing first came about. I have been associated with international trade for over 20 years. Having lived in both Pakistan and the US, I have been able to obtain a vast knowledge on importing and exporting. I have also traveled extensively throughout the world, which has enabled me to gain a great deal of exposure, knowledge, and information on global trade. Over time, the idea of putting all my experiences together began to develop in my mind. I am not aware of any other book that serves as a complete guide for importers and exporters of apparel and textiles to the USA.

In the book, I have tried to pass on my knowledge of business to both importers and exporters. The book discusses different steps one needs to take in setting up a business. It explains everything from the advantages of the export business and the production of apparel to making a practical entry into the US apparel and textile market. It also provides valuable information to entrepreneurs in the US and elsewhere, who might be interested in importing apparel and textiles from Pakistan. This information will save a tremendous amount of time for any importer or exporter, especially beginners. It is designed to give a head start to any entrepreneur.

I have tried to keep this book error free to the best of my ability, but I apologize if any mistakes or inaccuracies are found or if there is a disagreement on an opinion.

The book is divided into two parts.

Part 1: Export to the USA This part provides a wealth of information for exporters around the world who want to sell their products to the US. It covers topics in depth, including methods of finding US buyers, market research, important trade shows, options of selling, web sites of designers and large US chain stores, garment production, apparel machinery, fashion and color forecasting information, and much more!

Part 2: Import from Pakistan This part serves as a guide for importers on how to acquire apparel and textiles from Pakistan. It provides information on how to reach Pakistani manufacturers, exporters, and more. ... Read more

Book Description

This new edition has been rewritten to provide an up-to-date, clear and comprehensive account of the most important developments currently taking place in the world economy.The text introduces the major economic theories and models with an emphasis on changes within the world trading system and how governments respond. ... Read more

Book Description

A consistent presentation style helps readers understand the connections among concepts.
Extensive additional material is available on the Web, and chapters in the book include links to important Internet sites and data sources.
Identifies the major international economic (trade and financial) problems facing the United States and the world today, and how they can be resolved. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

good for undergrad...
This provides different kinds of examples as well as theories. It no doubt helps students learn about the real world. Particularly,the chapter on tariff policy is good enough to have a good grasp of the field.

Best Book in the field
The book really brings an in depth analysis of the modern financial world, through a very simple and easy to access method of presentation. Good for students, interesting for any other reader...

A good book to study
I've found this book easy to follow, even if I'm not very good at Economics. Simple, with many examples and graphs. Case studies and good bibliography at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

A practical and well-balanced look at the opportunities and pitfalls ahead in emerging markets

"Jeffrey Hooke has taken his years of experience in the field and produced a thoughtful and realistic guide to the business challenges of emerging markets. It is valuable reading for all who seek to do business in these economies."–James A. Harmon, former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States

"Besides its insightful anecdotes about what it takes to do business and invest in the emerging markets, this book provides the reader with a solid foundation and practical guidelines to approach these markets with the requisite understanding of its hidden risks and opportunities. It is a must-read for neophytes and all those investors and decision-makers who intend to make these markets an integral part of their professional surroundings."–Andre J. Cracco, Director, Corporate Finance Services, World Bank Group

"Eureka! A hard-biting account of many business realities in emerging markets. A must-read before you cross the border."–Andrea M. Esposito, Director, Standard & Poor’s

"An integral guide to the emerging markets. This book provides the reader with essential insights into the risks and opportunities of new economies."–James J. Wallace Jr., Executive Vice President, Bank of Tokyo—Mitsubishi ... Read more

Reviews (2)

realistic guide to the developing world
The book provides a hard hitting summary of both the risks and opportunities of the developing countirs. It also included a lot of solutions to the problems one faces. I liked the way in which it addressed issues from an operating company, equity investor's, and lender's perspectives. Nobody else does that. The anecdotes on various regions were entertaining.

Highly Recommended!
Former investment banker Jeffrey C. Hooke now carries out financial deals in the developing world. He describes the potential for doing business or investing in the world's 156 emerging markets. Hooke is realistic about the great risks - such as unstable governments in impoverished countries - but he highlights future potential. His book is a solidly researched and clearly written guide to assessing the business climate and deciding what types of products make the most sense in different developing countries. After an overview of the nature of emerging markets, why companies want to participate in or avoid these markets, and how to invest and make loans there, he looks at particular markets in Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. We [...] recommend this worthy book to those considering working or investing in emerging markets, but academics or readers interested in how business is conducted in foreign places may also be intrigued.
... Read more

Book Description

The book describes the marketing mix from an international perspective. What distinguishes international marketing is not the activities performed, but the way they are performed. The text discusses, in detail, the determinants of international marketing, and how they differ from those factors influencing domestic marketing. The book discusses three dimensions of international marketing: international marketing, foreign marketing, and multinational marketing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Internet examples using this textbook in a classroom
A short but good book on International Marketing. Many of the paragraphs in this book have been further enhanced by using web pages in my course at ... Read more

Book Description

Despite the great importance of multinational firms in international economics, theoretical and empirical research on these firms has generally been conducted separately from that on international trade. In this book, James Markusen provides a comprehensive integration of the two fields. Drawing on twenty years of research, he focuses on the interaction of scale economies, trade costs, factor endowments, and imperfect competition. He analyzes decisions about whether to build or acquire a foreign plant separately from decisions about where to raise the financing.

Markusen begins with the simplest possible partial equilibrium models and works systematically toward a full-fledged general equilibrium model with both horizontal and vertical foreign direct investment. He offers empirical tests of hypotheses derived from the theoretical models. The notation is unified throughout, distinctions between models are explained with thoroughly explained derivations, and numerous graphs support the analysis. ... Read more