Book Description

How did the rich countries really become rich? In this provocative new study, Ha-Joon Chang examines the great pressure on developing countries from the developed world to adopt certain "good policies" and "good institutions", seen today as necessary for economic development. Adopting an historical approach, Chang finds that the economic evolution of now-developed countries differed dramatically from the procedures that they now recommend to poorer nations. His conclusions are compelling and disturbing: that developed countries are attempting to "kick away the ladder" by which they have climbed to the top, thereby preventing developing counties from adopting policies and institutions that they themselves used. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An iconoclastic and sophiscated work
According to Michael Lind's book review in Prospect (Jan 2002), this book is "the most important book about the world economy to be published in years." And the author received the 2003 Myrdal Award for this book, which is awarded annually to a great academic achievement in the field of development/institutional economics following the late Swedish economist's name Gunar Myrdal who was a Nobel Prize laureate.

Prof. Ha-Joon Chang of Cambridge argues in this book that developed countries used some measures for promoting their economy in their earlier days of development, which they are now blaming for making the economies of developing country worse and the world economic order unfree.

The author reverses this logic. According to his arguments, policy-suggestions from such arguments of developed countries are in fact making the economy in developing countries lag behind and its development impossible, and such a rule of game in the world economy now can be rather unfair to them because developing countries even are often punished due to their using of the very same methods which developed ones used in the past.

As a critique of neo-liberal market fundamentalism, this book is very iconoclastic because it gives readers a sophisticated understanding of the real history of industrial development as well as pleasure of reading an academically original and creative work. This book is above all analytical in terms of using the method of historical comparisons. Some comparisons may be too bold. But its creativity and integrity in organizing the research overcome the limits of bold comparison. ... Read more

Book Description

Global Management and Organizational Behavior By Konopaske and Ivancevich was written to provide a clear picture, analysis, and set of suggestions for managers and leaders to operate in international settings.Global Management and Organizational Behavioris a self-contained set of materials, which illustrates that globalization requires a different tack and course than the traditional treatment of management or organizational behavior. To support the content, models and examples provided in the book, each of the three parts of the text contains readings, exercises and cases. ... Read more

Book Description

From the source you trust most—everything you need to start up, grow, and prosper in international trade . . .

If you're excited by the opportunities you see in international trade but nervous about facing a world of problems you don't understand, you've come to the right place. In Starting an Import/Export Business, the experts at Entrepreneur Magazine help you break into this fast-growing field and thrive. This easy-to-use guide provides clear, concise information that demystifies the foreign trade process.

In addition to all the basics you need to start your own business, this book is loaded with helpful statistics on international trade with 17 countries, sample documents, and resource listings. You'll learn about trade regulations, how to deal with customs services, and the best ways to protect trademarks and copyrights. You'll discover the best places to go for working capital, how to attract clients, and when to hire consultants.

You'll also learn how to:

• Price goods and services and calculate exchange rates
• Cope with international legal issues
• Manage your company's finances
• Market your services both at home and abroad

ENTREPRENEUR Magazine is the banner publication of the Entrepreneur Magazine Group. It has the largest newsstand circulation of any business monthly and has a total ABC audited circulation of 410,000. The Entrepreneur Magazine Group also publishes Business Start-Ups and Entrepreneur in Mexico, as well as videos, audiocassettes, and software that deal with business start-up management.

Also available from the Entrepreneur Magazine library:

• Making Money with Your Personal Computer
• The Entrepreneur Magazine Small Business Advisor

Reviews (2)

only for hard core fans
this was somewhat of a disappointment. i ordered through entrepreneur magazine, and the shipped product did not seem like the same thing i read about in their magazine. i was going to photocopy it and return for a refund, but the book was so awful i forgot i had it until after the return expiration date. althoug the book is somewhat helpful, the information (especially the info regarding the type of computer needed for office) was extremely outdates. i bought this in the summer of 1999, and it mentioned something about buying a 386 computer with an 8800 bps modem. i would pass on this, and stick to the more informative and less expensive selections available in the site. many of the pages seem like photocopies or even black and white printouts from an old laser printer, the folder accompaning the information is nothing special either.

out-dated
Thia book is out-dated.. the information it provides is to broad ... Read more

Book Description

The floating exchange rate environment has created a need for banks and their corporate customers to arrange their currency exposure on an active and commercial basis. This book addresses current practice and future issues and is written for both new entrants into the markets and for seasoned professionals seeking to refresh or broaden their knowledge. The book covers issues such as: A radical new settlement system for FX will be going live in the 3rd quarter - named continuous linked settlement or CLS for short, Foreign Exchange Portals Atriax and FXAII, Electronic Broking EBS, The increased profile of the spreadbetting agencies in the FX markets e.g. IG Index, Emerging Markets, and New Exotic Currency Options. ... Read more

Book Description

JOHN CHAMBERS AND THECISCO WAY: Navigating through Volatility
Under the leadership of CEO John Chambers, Cisco Systems has become one of the world's leading technology companies. Chambers's management philosophy and business strategies have allowed Cisco to dominate the computer networking industry and to move into cutting-edge telecommunications markets. In the few short years since Chambers took over as chief executive, the once-invisible "Internet plumbing" supplier has become a household name, and its CEO has emerged as a leading light in high tech.

John Chambers and the Cisco Way: Navigating through Volatility offers an up-close look at the career, philosophy, and vision of one of America's top CEOs. Through expert insights and extensive interviews of industry analysts, venture capitalists, and Cisco executives, employees, customers, and competitors, this engaging book skillfully explores Chambers's rise to prominence and the evolution of Cisco Systems.

High-tech reporter and author John Waters traces Chambers's career from salesman to chief executive, explores his management style, and details his victories and defeats as Chambers steers Cisco through the unpredictable and volatile technology sector.

You'll see how past business experiences–both good and bad–have shaped the way Chambers manages today, and learn how he keeps Cisco on top by:

• Utilizing networking technology to speed processes and slash expenses
• Listening to customers to remain competitive in rapidly changing markets
• Empowering employees for light-speed decision making
• Organizing the company around networks instead of rigid hierarchies
• Implementing a proven growth-by-acquisition strategy
• Efficiently integrating acquired companies
• Aggressively moving into new and broader business segments

Reviews (2)

Surprisingly readable
I was given this book as a present. I warmly thanked the giver for her thoughtfullness, but secretly, I dreaded reading the book. These unauthorized bios are generally either full of senseless/salacious details, or they're dry as an annual report. Most of them are suitable as torture devices. Why do I bother you ask? Knowledge is power, and I invest in stocks.

Well, big surprise.

This book reads with an almost perfect balance of translated tech talk and personal detail about Chambers. This is no simple feat for the author, as Cisco's core business is anything but easy to explain, but you will be amazed at how much you painlessly learn about the innards of the net and how / where Cisco fits.
I could go on, but your time is better spent buying and reading this book.

I hope Waters has another of these in the hopper.

How the Computer Industry Was Born
This book is interesting, packed with facinating facts and I love the way it explains in "real people" language just how the whole computer industry got started. It also offers insight into the character and effective management practices of John Chambers, without being a flattery piece. The book communicates the fast-paced life in Silicon Valley and extends beyond the Cisco experience to in-depth explanations of how the computer industry giants grow, compete and sometimes die. A wealth of knowledge with an insightful look at a manager who has worthwhile practices to share with any of today's managers. ... Read more

Book Description

The services industries—which include jobs ranging from flipping hamburgers to providing investment advice—can no longer be characterized, as they have in the past, as a stagnant sector marked by low productivity growth.They have emerged as one of the most dynamic and innovative segments of the U.S. economy, now accounting for more than three-quarters of gross domestic product.During the 1990s, 19 million additional jobs were created in this sector, while growth was stagnant in the goods-producing sector.

Here, Jack Triplett and Barry Bosworth analyze services sector productivity, demonstrating that fundamental changes have taken place in this sector of the U.S. economy.They show that growth in the services industries fueled the post-1995 expansion in the U.S. productivity and assess the role of information technology in transforming and accelerating services productivity.In addition to their findings for the services sector as a whole, they include separate chapters for a diverse range of industries within the sector, including transportation and communications, wholesale and retail trade, and finance and insurance.

The authors also examine productivity measurement issues, chiefly statistical methods for measuring services industry output.They highlight the importance of making improvements within the U.S. statistical system to provide the more accurate and relevant measures essential for analyzing productivity and economic growth. ... 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

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

Book Description

“The Handbook of Intercultural Training, Third Edition provides a thorough grounding in the history, concepts and methods underlying intercultural training.  The many analyses of tools, methods and approaches for specific contexts offer guidance in designing and conducting effective training interventions. The collected theoretical and practical information presented in this book is critical for professional interculturalists.” 

       —Lee Gardenswartz, Ph.D. and Anita Rowe, Ph.D., Partners, Gardenswartz & Rowe  

“This book is just in time and just for me. It's as if someone assembled all the interculturalists I admire and respect and bribed them to share their latest and best thoughts in a well-crafted chapter. You'll probably feel the same way.”

                                    —Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, Ph. D., Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.

Completely revised with all new chapters, the Third Edition of the Handbook of Intercultural Training provides a state-of-the-art review of the field of intercultural training. Written by the leading authorities in intercultural studies, this definitively updated volume offers not only a convenient summary of research but also information on specific training techniques. It analyzes with depth and clarity regions of the world where intercultural issues have heightened--including Central and South America, Europe, and China, as well as Eastern Europe, Russia, and Israel. Other parts of the book examine theoretical and methodological issues inherent in understanding intercultural interactions and training and the contexts in which training takes place.

An essential reference of intercultural interactions across disciplines, the Handbook of Intercultural Training synthesizes information of special note for professionals, researchers, and students in management, educational psychology, ethnic studies, sociology, and gender studies, as well as a broad array of human services such as counseling and nursing.

Contributors:

Aysen Bakir, Illinois State University
Janet M. Bennett, Intercultural Communication Institute
Milton J. Bennett, Intercultural Communication Institute
Laurette Bennhold-Samaan, The World Bank
John W. Berry, Queen's University
Judith Blohm Ida Castiglioni, University of Milano Bicocca
Carlos E. Cortes, University of California, Riverside
Kenneth Cushner, Kent State University
Ina Ehnert, University of Bremen
Teresa Harrell, University of Minnesota
Stefan Kammhuber, University of Regensburg
Ata Karim, Kansas State University
Young Yun Kim, University of Oklahoma
Torsten Kuhlmann, University of Bayreuth
Daniel Landis, University of Hawaii, Hilo
Judith N. Martin, Arizona State University
Mark Mendenhall, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Sandra Mumford-Fowler
Kenji Noguchi
Gary Oddou, California State University, San Marcos
Joyce S. Osland, San Jose State University
R. Michael Paige, University of Minnesota
Margaret Pusch, Intercultural Communication Institute
George Renwick, Renwick and Associates
Joseph L. Soeters, Royal Netherlands' Military Academy
Gunter K. Stahl, Asian Business Area INSEAD
Stella Ting-Toomey, California State University, Fullerton
Harry C. Triandis, Emeritus, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign
Colleen Ward, University of Wellington
Donna Winslow, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam ... Read more

Book Description

Renowned investment advisor Marc faber sets out to find tomorrow's gold - the outperforming asset classes of the future.Far from being a sensational reading of the runes, this book delves deep into the past, to chart how old investor trends developed and assess how new patterns might emerge. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

a persuasive contrarian view on investment
I read this over the Christmas holiday and came around to Marc Faber's way of thinking. In a nutshell, here is what I took away from the book: the fiscal/monetary authorities control how much money sloshes around the world but cannot control where it ends up. In the 1980's and 1990's, excess liquidity found its way into stock and bond markets, asset classes which began the bull market much out of favor (remember in 1980, oil & gas partnerships and gold bars were hot, stocks were 8x earnings and bonds yielded 14%?).

As we sit in early 2003, we still have lots of money sloshing around in global markets but he argues we are in a mirror-image situation to 1981: commodities are very cheap and stocks and bonds are expensive. The recent rally in the CRB, in gold, and possibly in real estate, are the "shots across the bow" for a long-term investor shift back to hard assets and commodities in general. Deflation is the fear du-jour but Faber argues that all three major economic blocks (US, Europe and Asia) are debasing their currencies for stimulative reasons, meaning that all currencies are likely to devalue against hard assets -- ie the price of gold, real estate, etc. will rise. The coming inflation (still maybe a year or more away due to weak economic growth) will be bad new for bonds. He does favor emerging market stocks based on their strong correlation with commodity prices.

I found the chapter on Kondratieff to be less-convincing and more muddled. However, Faber backs up his arguments with lots of interesting charts and facts and all-in-all makes a coherent and persuasive argument for an emerging markets/commodities long-term bull market.

Rise of the East?
"Buy a basket of commodities and hold them". This is Marc Faber's investment advice for the future, distilled. He makes a case for the ascension of Asia, the relative decline of the U.S. and the debasement of common asset classes such as equities and bonds as stores of value. Why? In the case of the US, Faber believes the Fed will do anything it can to avoid deflation, and a managed devaluation of the dollar will be the way it achieves this. The argument for Asia (and particularly China) as an economic powerhouse is well made. Most of his theories are well supported, however I'm not a fan of cycle/wave economics which smacks a bit of astrology. Faber supports his theories on bubbles, business cycles and prices with quite long winded lessons in economic history. Depending on your fondness for this sort of writing, you might find it pretty dry. Style aside, the author is extremely well informed and since this issue went to print, has already been proved correct in respect of his calls on the dollar and metals. I think the future will continue to be validate his predictions.

The best investment book of the year
I am voracious reader of investment literature. There is no doubt that today Marc Faber is the best market analyst in the world. The books has truely helped me understand the importance of history to economic reasoning, even though I consider myself a mature Austrian. In the last 3 years I have read over 60 investment books, but this is the very best of them all. I highly recommend it; it is bound to change your future.

Long-term story obvious but what about the in-betweens?
Personally, I'm a little tired hearing about the long-term Asia bull story as we don't need to buy a book to realize it. What would be more important to me is if Asia and its governments have the ability ride out the peaks and troughs should the US economy collapse (afterall writers of the emerging "tigers" in the early nineties made similar long-term bull cases only to see their dreams shattered in 1997). As for those long-term sustainable issues, I would liked to have read more on whether or not political stability, democracy and less corruption are all achievable. I am also not convinced that China's economy is strong enough to take up the unwanted commodities if the US really does crash. It is true that many Asian economies gain from rising commodity prices but I would have thought that prices of rubber or palm oil, or any of the other agricultural products at the top of the list are likely to fall if serious problems came to bear at the world's largest economy in the foreseeable future.

A delightfully contrarian account on business cycles
The simple truth about business cycles and economic history conveyed in delightfully contrarian manner:-

In a time and age where economists consider business cycle theory unfashionable, why read a book about bubbles and cycles? Because, as Faber says, they exist everywhere all the time. The dot.com prosperity of the 90's made investors arrogantly hedonistic about market cycles; after all, they thought, oil crises, peso crisis, Japanese bank failure were all a thing of the past - happy times are here forever. This book will teach you to be wary of irrational exuberance and the 'error of optimism'.

The author is an enthusiastic collector of early 20th century texts on business cycle theory and it obvious he has an excellent command of the field. He quotes widely from classic texts, adding a lot of credibility to his point of view. However, these quotes are sometimes lengthy, boring and feel arcane.

Faber makes a wonderfully simple, yet compelling case for any investor to hold a basket of commodities such as gold, coffee, sugar, cotton and grains. The simplicity of argument in this book reminds me of my old professor John Eatwell's "Global Finance At Risk".

Discussion on the uncelebrated Kondrateiff Cycle and Batras Social Cycle theory give the argument a nice Contrarian twist. Again, the chapter on The Economics of Inflation presents an interesting Contrarian idea that Hyperinflation, in some cases can depress stock prices

Some parts of this book are over stuffed with statistical and geographic examples making the impatient reader yell in exasperation "make your point already!!!." The geographic and country examples probably stem from the authors obvious interest in economic geography. If you don't have the patience for empirical data, you might find the charts and numbers tedious.

My only gripe with this book: A distorted perspective of time and an irrelevant contextualizing of history.

Faber seems obsessed with the "very long term". He constantly strives throughout the book to prove that in the very long term all investment is worthless. The ancient city of Carthage (what is now Tunisia) 2000 years ago was a major center of wealth, today it is an economic ruin. Investment in Carthage therefore is worthless now says Faber. Why even consider the very long term is my point, why even look at 2000 year business cycles ? Should Faber not be more concerned with business cycles within a human life time ? As Keynes said, "in the long run" after all, "we are all dead."

Some data in this book go all the way back to 3100 BC and seem to be too ancient to be relevant in the present. The chapter on the rise and fall of centers of prosperity reads like a history book with detailed references to the rise and fall of cities like Babylon, Rome, Alexandria, Genoa and Goa. The author obviously is indulging in his favorite topic, but perhaps a pet topic will be better placed in a separate book dedicated to itself?

Don't get me wrong, the authors views on ancient history is indeed fascinating, but in a book on Investment Opportunities in Asia, it presents itself rather like a sore thumb. Faber seems to go far back in history to project far into the future, all but forgetting that we live in the present!

Never the less, this book contains valuable insight and proves to be an excellent read. ... Read more

Book Description

Most Americans strongly favor equality of opportunity if not outcome, but many are weary of poverty's seeming immunity to public policy. This helps to explain the recent attention paid to cultural and genetic explanations of persistent poverty, including claims that economic inequality is a function of intellectual ability, as well as more subtle depictions of the United States as a meritocracy where barriers to achievement are personal--either voluntary or inherited--rather than systemic. This volume of original essays by luminaries in the economic, social, and biological sciences, however, confirms mounting evidence that the connection between intelligence and inequality is surprisingly weak and demonstrates that targeted educational and economic reforms can reduce the income gap and improve the country's aggregate productivity and economic well-being. It also offers a novel agenda of equal access to valuable associations.

Amartya Sen, John Roemer, Robert M. Hauser, Glenn Loury, Orley Ashenfelter, and others sift and analyze the latest arguments and quantitative findings on equality in order to explain how merit is and should be defined, how economic rewards are distributed, and how patterns of economic success persist across generations. Moving well beyond exploration, they draw specific conclusions that are bold yet empirically grounded, finding that schooling improves occupational success in ways unrelated to cognitive ability, that IQ is not a strong independent predictor of economic success, and that people's associations--their neighborhoods, working groups, and other social ties--significantly explain many of the poverty traps we observe.

The optimistic message of this beautifully edited book is that important violations of equality of opportunity do exist but can be attenuated by policies that will serve the general economy. Policy makers will read with interest concrete suggestions for crafting economically beneficial anti-discrimination measures, enhancing educational and associational opportunity, and centering economic reforms in community-based institutions. Here is an example of some of our most brilliant social thinkers using the most advanced techniques that their disciplines have to offer to tackle an issue of great social importance. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very technically demanding read.
It's very interesting how the experts here tore apart The Bell Curve with minimal effort by taking a look at the data in a sensible/ rigorous way. One author assumed that all the data was correct as given and challenged its relevance.

Most importantly, one of the articles used the mathematics associated with these social experiments and asked "Do these numbers really show you what you think they do?" In all of my exhaustive reading about this subject, this book is the first that I have read that specifically addresses that point.

While lots of people have dismissed the proponents of genetic inferiority as an explanation for the "failure" of blacks in the USA, the rebuttals have invariably failed to contront the reasoning of the authors, preferring to dismiss them out of hand as "racist."

One thing that was lacking in this book is a more detailed analysis of the disparity between ethnic groups of the same race-- and yes, they do exist, contrary to what you would believe from reading the newspapers. For this, one of two Thomas Sowell books is a good read. The first: "Race and Culture." The second: "Knowledge and Decisions."

Unfortunately, the use of lots of technical jargon is going to put this fine piece of literature out of the reach of the vast majority of the hoi polloi. ... Read more

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

Book Description

Today's headlines report cities going bankrupt, states running large deficits, and nations stuck in high debt and stagnation. Philip Kotler, Donald Haider, and Irving Rein argue that thousands of "places" -- cities, states, and nations -- are in crisis, and can no longer rely on national industrial policies, such as federal matching funds, as a promise of jobs and protection. When trouble strikes, places resort to various palliatives such as chasing grants from state or federal sources, bidding for smokestack industries, or building convention centers and exotic attractions. The authors show instead that places must, like any market-driven business, become attractive "products" by improving their industrial base and communicating their special qualities more effectively to their target markets.

From studies of cities and nations throughout the world, Kotler, Haider, and Rein offer a systematic analysis of why so many places have fallen on hard times, and make recommendations on what can be done to revitalize a place's economy. They show how "place wars" -- battles for Japanese factories, government projects, Olympic Games, baseball team franchises, convention business, and other economic prizes -- are often misguided and end in wasted money and effort. The hidden key to vigorous economic development, the authors argue, is strategic marketing of places by rebuilding infrastructure, creating a skilled labor force, stimulating local business entrepreneurship and expansion, developing strong public/private partnerships, identifying and attracting "place compatible" companies and industries, creating distinctive local attractions, building a service-friendly culture, and promoting these advantages effectively.

Strategic marketing of places requires a deep understanding of how "place buyers" -- tourists, new residents, factories, corporate headquarters, investors -- make their place decisions. With this understanding, "place sellers" -- economic development agencies, tourist promotion agencies, mayor's offices -- can take the necessary steps to compete aggressively for place buyers. This straightforward guide for effectively marketing places will be the framework for economic development in the 1990s and beyond. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent community/economic development primer
Kotler, et al have defined the marriage between the public and private sectors in terms that make sense to both partners. While the implication that the private sector tends to get it right most of the time signals a weakness that haunts the writings of Harvard's Michael Porter("Competitive Advantage of Inner Cities"), the fundamental notions contained in this work seem sound.

Students of city planning, urban affairs, etc., might conclude that the emerging field of hotel, motel, and resort management may offer a more relevant practical model of city management than the current curriculums offer. When it's all said and done what's the significant difference between managing a city and managing a total service resort? As the politics of citys, space, become more rationalized in the larger systems of global markets and international trade, local decision making is increasingly becoming influenced by the factors that Kotler, et al raise in their book.

It's no surprise that my friends in the private sector find "place marketing" the newest fad in the consulting field. In truth, I've been pleased to see the social planners and business planners find common ground in the models and ideas that Kotler, Porter, et al have managed to present. ... Read more

Book Description

"This is an important and excellent book for every negotiator." -The Negotiator Magazine

The premier guidebook for conducting cross-cultural business

Doing Business Internationally, Second Edition, is a nontechnical, accessible resource for managing today's multicultural organizations. Revised, restructured, and refocused from its classic first edition, it introduces the revolutionary Cultural Orientations Inventory (COI), a unique and valuable tool for identifying critical skills gaps and practicing style-switching, potentially increasing effectiveness and improving performance.

This fully updated edition revisits the first edition's groundbreaking strategies and techniques, plus presents new tools developed in conjunction with Harvard University, Columbia University, AT&T, and other leading universities and corporations.

• Concentrates on team building, executive development, problem solving, and other essential activities
• Features management and negotiation tips for global leaders
• Provides in-depth analyses of six key global regions

Reviews (2)

Which type is to become a global manager?
Recently I wrote a book about multinational management published in 1968. After finishing this book, I realized that the conflicts between multicultural and multinational difference are stands still under the similar managerial circumstance, though we are living in the digital-dominated world. So I studied this book compared with its' phenomenon as described in "International Management". Keeping a flexible communication skill in multinational-cultural is the key factor to achieve meaningful outcome. For this, the open-minded, instructive and far-sighted personality required first. When they acknowledged difference not wrong each other, they can start to talk about what they want for negotiation, next proceed to persuade or yield a little. This means the more internationalized people there as a matchmaker, the more the company benefited from them. Then how to get Mr. Right for global manager? They all born naturally? Or trained? Both are all right. Person who has got global brain with digital management skill (as Mr. Bill Gatz called) must appeal to adapt extreme change and more action to cope with international risky problem. They could continue to get or lose by trial and error and learned what's the best, step by step and case by case. There are no standard learning system to teach them. That's not the lost rather than investment for human resources for each company ultimately. If you are would-be-global manager or second-rate reginal manager or have a dream of international manager, read this book and write down and analyze what's your strong/weak point more carefully. Then take into action to the first-rate global manager. If anyone who is in a top-management read, they can set effective multinational goal to come and get. How about students or average person? Of course, they will be fine.

Valuable guide to building a successful worldwide company.
This book should be on the desk of every marketing and human resources manager involved in foreign trade. It is not only for larger companies that have already built a global sales network. It is also for beginners who should consider these cross-cultural factors BEFORE they start selling their goods and services in overseas markets. John R. Jagoe, Director, Export Institute. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a multidisciplinary vocabulary for explaining general issues and trends facing the contemporary world involving cultural diversity, economic development, the natural environment, and international peace and violence. It affords equal time to the analysis of global issues using alternative perspectives.Eight major case studies—one for each of the central issues explored—encourage the application of concepts and perspectives presented in the narrative. These perspectives include Ethnicity and Global Diversity, Economic Development, Human Ecological Sustainability, World Ecology, and Peace and War.For individuals interested in an introduction to world issues—as they relate to anthropology, sociology, history, and political science. ... Read more

Book Description

A comparative perspective and an analytic approach grounded in mainstream economics distinguish this broad, accessible introduction to the Japanese economy. Throughout, Ito utilizes standard economic concepts in comparing Japan with the United States in terms of economic performances, underlying institutions, and government policies.

Referring to cultural factors where appropriate, Ito subjects the basic facts about the Japanese economy to modern theoretical and empirical scrutiny, discussing macroeconomic growth, business cycles, monetary and fiscal policies, industrial structures and policies, the labor market, saving and investment, and international trade and finance.

Ito reviews relevant aspects of Japan's history before launching into a broad analysis of the country's markets and its economic policies. He concludes with a look at such contemporary economic issues as the Japanese distribution system, Japanese asset prices, and US-Japan trade conflicts.

Takatoshi Ito is Professor of Economics at Hitotsubashi University's Institute of Economic Research in Tokyo and at the University of Minnesota. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Formerly the standard book on the subject, but now dated
This is an economics textbook, not a journalistic report.It gives detailed and sophisticated explanations of how the Japanese economy functions.Often these differ from their American counterparts, especially in such areas as the financial markets and labor practices.The quality of Ito's explanations is such that this book was the gold standard for informed readers who wanted to get beyond the deluge of pop books written during theBubble Economy (1985-1991: like Clyde Prestowit's "Trading Places" or James Fallow's "Looking at the Sun").

However--this book was published in 1991, at the very end of theBubble, and it shows.The Japanese economy has changed in important ways since then.For example, the bad debt crisis and the "big bang" financial reforms have changed the financial system significantly.Because of when it was written, it could not address the ongoing shift of Japanese industry to factories in China, and in a broader context, the "de-industrialization" of Japan (much like what happened to the US when industry went to Japan in the 1970s and 1980s).

Overall, this is the kind of book that a serious library absolutely needs, but which interested readers should borrow rather than buy. Unless, of course, you are a specialist in Japanese economic history--but then you (like me) already have it on your shelf.:) ... Read more

Book Description

A unique and one-of-a-kind anthology! This casebook was first published as Davidson/de la Torre, Managing the Global Corporation, in 1989.It was the first modern case anthology for a graduate audience. This edition contains the broadest case collection of companies and countries available in a single anthology. A full 60% of the cases are non-U.S.based firms. Companies in Australia, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, South American, India, South Africa and Europe are featured as case studies. Many of these cases were written in connection with the authors’ own work consulting with the organization, making the information in-depth and credible. ... Read more

Book Description

When arch-rivals IBM and Apple forged an unprecedented partnership to build and distribute a computer operating system for worldwide use, these two industrial giants stepped into the Connective Era. In this thought-provoking book, Jean Lipman-Blumen, world-renowned consultant and organizational sociologist, explores this challenging new environment, and sets forth an innovative style for future leadership.She offers a nine-step strategy for connective leaders in politics and government, business and industry, education and religion?with examples from Wall Street to the Warsaw Pact, from Gorbachev to Gandhi. She demonstrates how to move beyond competition to balance the two antithetical forces that will define our future success: interdepAndence and diversity.Based on extensive analysis of the leadership styles of more than 5,000 leaders and managers worldwide, Lipman-Blumen has developed a way for leaders to flourish under the new demands of interorganizational relationships, joint ventures, and partnerships. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An Intuitive Vision of the Future of Leadership
Jean Lipman-Blumen shares over 25 years of leadership research intertwined with an introduction to her revolutionary thoughts on how to break apart the aspects of leadership into nine distinct categories.The author is none too shy to establish concrete groundwork for the history of leadership in the United States for the uneducated reader.After abruptly slapping her readers in the face with the latest era of leadership - the Connective Era - Blumen presents her leadership style cautiously by saying those who attempt to lead in the manner she presents will be scorned as non-traditional and poor leaders by factions such as the media.The meat of this work is filled with example after example of people displaying certain aspects of her Connective Leadership Model - but none who embodies The Connective Leader.As readers come to the third section of the book, Jean Lipman-Blumen explains the necessary research organizations must do in order to appoint the proper leaders; then, awkwardly wedges in a section about female leadership; and finishes strong tying together this brilliant manual on how each of us can work toward becoming the self-actualized connective leader.

A Post-modern vision of leadership
Lipman-Blumen presents a post-modern vision of leadership, evolving from the conflict in society and organizations today between interdependence and diversity. Connective leaders are able to select and apply from several achievement strategies depending on the needs of a particular situation.This flexibility gives them the ability to bridge these two conflict forces.

The book is conceptual very strong...the ideas are insightful and well researched, using a variety of data sources.The two main limitations are that the book is not well connected to other related patterns of thinking in the literature and that it is not the strongest in the direction of how to be a connective leader.In fact, much of the text is really a restatement about how different leaders exemplify a particular strategy rather than how a leader selects and uses a mixture of these situationally. I understand why these limitations exist, but I can certainly not suggest that this is the only book on leadership you should read.

One other comment...the book has a very strong feminist slant, proposing a shift from traditional patriarchical values to a more inclusive world view.I think, on the whole, that is a very good thing.However, the author's understanding of Machiavelli takes his writing and thinking out of context.This is only a minor quibble, but I find it interesting how the author can be so dismissive in her effort to claim a new vision of leadership.

Wisdom, Eloquence, and Circumspection
As those who have read Hot Groups already know, Lipman-Blumen is one of the most innovative thinkers now commenting on the contemporary business world. With this book, she makes a substantial and truly significant contribution to our understanding of several separate but interdependent issues: leadership, connectivity, human development, intellectual capital, strategic alliances (both internal and external), and organizational transformation. Yes, yes, I know. There are hundreds of other books already published which discuss several of the same subjects and many of them are first-rate, as Lipman-Blumen would be the first to acknowledge. All of them are listed in her superb "References" section and key ideas from several are woven into her crisp narrative. One of the several reasons why this book is different is the provision and explanation of what she calls "The Connective Leadership Model" which is the focus of Part II. Typical of Lipman-Blumen, she does not suggest that hers is the only model to consider; in fact, she strongly urges her reader to correlate her or his organizations needs and interests with the structure of the model, selecting whatever is most important. However, I presume to offer a caveat: Although by now an overworked buzz word, "integration" of any combination of components is absolutely essential. Whatever the model, its components must be cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective as are those which comprise "The Connective Leadership Model."

Wisely, following a precise and eloquent Preface, Lipman-Blumen focuses in Part One on "The Changing Dynamics of Leadership" which, inevitably, have changed at least to some extent since she wrote this book, first published in 1996. Nonetheless, her rationale remains rock-solid. Then and now, organizations need (and will continue to need) leadership which is "more politically savvy and instrumental, yet more ethical, authentic, accountable, and particularly, more ennobling." She calls this new approach "connective leadership" and suggests that it can "potentially transform the destructive tensions of diversity and interdependence into constructive leadership action." I hasten to add that, in most organizations where leaders tend to be identified by title, political and economic leverage, degree of authority, the "connective leadership" to which she refers can -- and should -- include everyone involved in a given organization. Stated another way, what she seems to be advocating is what I call "collaborative initiative" which can (and should) function at all levels. Those organizations which achieve and then sustain such initiatives (e.g. Southwest Airliners) have a "connective edge" over their competition.Lipman- Blumen provides an excellent discussion of this point in Chapter 10 and Noel Tichy also has much of value to say about this in his own book,The Leadership Engine.

Lipman-Blumen organizes her material within three Parts: The Changing Dynamics of Leadership (a review and examination of "the origins and evolution of the human need for leadership"), The Connective Leadership Model (more about that in a moment), and Bridging to the Stage 3 World (an exploration of the "empirical organizational results and the philosophical implications of the Connective Leadership Model"). The nature of leadership which she advocates is "both provocative and savvy, yet pragmatic and honorable." I wish it were possible to reproduce in this brief commentary the model she presents in Part Two. Essentially, it consists of three separate but interdependent components:

DIRECT : The intrinsic, competitive, and power styles of leadership

RELATIONAL: The collaborative, contributory, and vicarious styles of leadership

INSTRUMENTAL: The personal, social, and entrusting styles of leadership

Lipman-Blumen correctly points out that the most effective leaders are those who possess an appropriate combination of all three. As I read Part Two, I thought about the striking differences between the leadership styles of Gandhi and Patton. Relying entirely on active (not passive) strategies and tactics of non-violence, Gandhi helped India to achieve independence. Patton was required to use entirely different strategies and tactics to rescue the American troops at Bastogne. For me, one of this book's most insightful chapters is Chapter 11, "Women Leaders: An Oxymoron? Or Does Gender Make a Difference?" Lipman-Blumen poses and then addresses a number of gender-specific issues. Once again, as I read this chapter, I thought about leaders such as Joan of Arc, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great...each of whom possessed a combination of direct, relational, and instrumental leadership styles in appropriate balance. That was their "connective edge."

Within the context of explaining the need for what she calls "connective" leadership, Lipman-Blumen examines the theme of the contradictory pulls oftwo global tensions, interdependence and diversity. The former demands collaboration and mutuality while often seeming tothreaten the independence and individualism required by the latter. "Connective" leadership is needed to integrate or at least coordinate these two sometimes adversarial forces. The leader with a "connective eye" can help groups or parties who must work or live interdependently (through geography, industry, etc.) with those who often have quite different agendas and goals, to focus together on problems that the enlightened leader recognizes they share even when, especially when others don't "get it." Lipman-Blumen believes that these two global tensions will be with us for some time to come. Leaders who don't develop the understanding and skills to deal with them effectively are almost certain to fail. I am reminded of what Edison once said about innovation: It is the ability to make connections. That is as true of the Gaza Strip as it is of an incandescent light.

I highly recommend this book to senior-level executives, of course, who seek that "edge" for themselves as well as for their organizations. But I also highly recommend this book to others whom Lipman-Blumen may not have had primarily in mind when she wrote the book: Clergy, teachers, coaches, and (especially) parents. Youth ages (let's say) 6-16 also have a great need for the "connective" leadership which Lipman-Blumen advocates. The impact of their leadership on young people may well have much greater impact than that of anyone else, especially now when the world is more interdependent than at any prior time in human history.

If you read just one book on leadership, this is it!
The Connective Edge is a remarkable book, one of my very favorites. In it, Jean Lipman-Blumen presents the the Connective Leadership model, consisting of nine "Achieving Styles." She advocates developing all of the styles and merging them into a balanced leadership approach that can address any challenge in our increasingly complex world.

This book has enabled me to better understand myself, my colleagues, and the organizations with which I interact. The Achieving Styles are presented in a way that allows the reader to understand the components of leadership and to identify his or her preferred styles. Dr. Lipman-Blumen also shows how to strengthen one's less preferred styles and how to apply the concepts of Connective Leadership to effective relationships with people, organizations, and society.

The Connective Edge, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, works on every level. The model it presents is balanced, flexible, and practical. Professionals or students in any field will learn a great deal from it.
A brief review can't do this book justice -- a rating of 5 stars is not high enough! I have given or recommended it to friends, family, and colleagues, and the feedback has been 100% positive. This is a winner!

Far Reaching, Insightful
There is no shortage of books out there that try to categorize leaders into different leadership styles. Often, the leadership styles delineated seem arbitrary. That is the difference between Lipman's book and other books: Lipman has outlined some really useful categories for leaders. These styles are: instrumental, relational, and direct. These styles are further divided into three categories each. Lipman also makes it clear that the most successful leaders use a range of these styles and do not overuse the one style they are best at. Lipman uses dozens of examples to make her ideas easily understood. And many of the leaders (like the Brazilian activist Chico Mendes) she mentions are ones I haven't found in other leadership books.
The chief prediction of the book (that leaders who do not foresee the consequences of a connective world will not succeed in tomorrow's world) is brilliant and far-reaching... ... Read more