Book Description

The first plain-English introduction to foreign currency exchange trading--one of today's hottest profit opportunities

The foreign currency market is the largest financial market in the world, and foreign exchange trading is quickly becoming one of today's most high-profile, potentially lucrative markets. One problem is that books on the topic are complex, technically dense, and difficult for Forex novices to grasp.

FOREX Made Easy is the first book to approach the topic in a detailed yet accessible style, gradually and deliberately moving from simple to complex in easy and natural language. Author James Dicks--founder of the popular trading software 4X Made Easy--draws upon his trading knowledge to give readers only the information they need, from setting up a workstation to trading electronically.

This Forex guidebook provides traders with:

• An easy-to-follow, six-step process for FOREX trading
• Methods for gaining an advantage using technical analysis
• Dozens of examples to illustrate key points

Reviews (19)

Basic level oriented towards 4X Made Easy(tm) users
As beginning 4X Made Easy (tm) software user I found the book very useful. It goes into more technical analysis than the GlobalTec trainers are willing to offer. For example there is a good chapter titled "advanced trading charts and indicators" with basic explanations of Bollinger bands, DMI, Stochastics, moving averages, RSI, and ROC. Another chapter covers Fibonacci and Elliot waves. The introduction to technical analysis chapter includes candlesticks, support and resistance, and other trends. All of this is at the basic level, but unlike every other technical analysis book I have found, it is oriented towards the spot Forex (there is one chapter on Forex options). Because the Forex is open around the clock, it does require some modification of typical technical analysis methods.

There is another useful chapter on tax strategies and claiming trader status as a Forex trader. Again it is very basic, but because so few accountants are familiar with the spot Forex and because so many people will simply tell you "consult your accountant" it is useful introductory information.

The book uses examples from 4X Made Easy (tm) version 5.0. This is scheduled to be replaced very soon with version 5.9, now in beta. The changes I have seen in 5.9 beta will not affect the information in the book.

If you are already familiar with the Forex, and don't have any interest in Forex Made Easy software(tm), you may find this book too basic or be annoyed by the author's promotion of his own interests. He does not mention any alternative software to 4XME or even FX Trading Station. Some illustrations are based on 4XME screen shots. There is a full chapter on FX Trading Station software (almost like an operating manual) which is the trade platform used by FXCM brokerage. There are plenty of traders out there that use other companies' trading platforms and don't have any interest in 4XME and these readers should be forewarned. I do think in some way James Dicks is preaching to the choir with this book. He doesn't mention other broker platforms and the possible advantages or disadvantages of using different brokers, for example broker platforms that offer trailing stops, hedging within the same currency pair, tighter spreads, and problems like slippage or limitations on entry orders. This book is not an objective discussion of the spot Forex brokerage business, so don't expect that. Even so, at least 80% of the book is not focused on the author's company's products and is good basic information about the Forex market and trading.

I think all potential Forex traders, and especially 4XME users who want to learn more about technical analysis will find this book useful as an introduction and starting point. In fact this book is an excellent way to learn what Forex trading is all about before you open a live trading account

Im a new FOREX user and this book is GREAT
I just started trading the FOREX and this book gave me a great deal of information about the Market. This book is very informative and I highly recommend it to all FOREX users. I also own and am very happy with the 4X Made Easy software and subscribe to the James Dicks PremiereFX Alerts.

Not beneficial at all
I saw James Dicks' late night ads for 4xme -- Foreign Exchange Trading Made Easy. I explored his background and his firm's background over the net this early morning and read his book on another site where it's posted, in full.

The book does not really explain foreign exchange trading, but is mostly an ad for his firm's software and online services. Also, it's poorly written. So many people have been upset with it that used copies are available on E-bay for 99 cents.

(...)

I spent a dozen years as a retail broker at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and am a Wharton CPA. Also, I supported myself solely through trading from 1984 through 1988. IMHO stay away from James Dicks, his books, and his firms. No good can come from interaction with any of them.

Disappointing FX book
There's a real dearth of good investment books focussing on the FX market, and unfortunately this book does very little to fill that void. Instead of "Forex made Easy," I would love to read a book called "Forex made Profitable," which is definitely not this book. His technical analysis section is pretty much a wash-out. Do not buy this book.

Great book for a new trader to the Forex Market
I found the book to be fast paced and very informative. After reading some of the negative reviews it seems like they are all posted by the same person. Someone that hadn't even read the whole book. My views: The book will show you how to trade the Foreign Exchange and goes into advanced techniques. This is important if you want to protect your money while trading the Forex. I will note that different types of software are mentioned, but in reality there are probably 100 other companies flogging their wares. I did a free trial of the software James discussed and it worked quite well.

I would also recommend trading for a living and reminses of a stock operator for more on trading psycology. ... Read more

Book Description

The Wealth of Nations
by Adam Smith

It is symbolic that Adam Smith’s masterpiece of economic analysis, The Wealth of Nations, was first published in 1776, the same year as the Declaration of Independence.

In his book, Smith fervently extolled the simple yet enlightened notion that individuals are fully capable of setting and regulating prices for their own goods and services. He argued passionately in favor of free trade, yet stood up for the little guy. The Wealth of Nations provided the first--and still the most eloquent--integrated description of the workings of a market economy.

The result of Smith’s efforts is a witty, highly readable work of genius filled with prescient theories that form the basis of a thriving capitalist system. This unabridged edition offers the modern reader a fresh look at a timeless and seminal work that revolutionized the way governments and individuals view the creation and dispersion of wealth--and that continues to influence our economy right up to the present day. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Needs Revision
Needs to be revised and the title changed to "The Wealth Of Global Corporations", hence 4 stars instead of 5. Would probably be more accurate if almost every reference to nation(s) was replaced with global corporation(s), and so on.

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
Adam Smith is considered a founding father of economic theory.
In the Wealth of Nations, he laid a foundation for the free market while at the same time explaining some of the problems
encountered by workers. He explained that all work had to be
highly organized in order to be productive. In addition, he
recognized that machinery facilitated work. This notion serves
as an important foundation for more modern patent practice.
He praised the ingenuity of inventors and makers of new

machinery. The author spoke of increased production as a
condition precedent to enhancing the power of labor. From this
precept, he explained that the size of a market would dictate
the division of its constituent labor. For instance, a small
community in the suburbs might be serviced by a local
"General Store"; whereas, a county in a large city would be
serviced by a retail chain store with hundreds of employees
and a highly sophisticated management structure.In Adam Smith's
time, metals were popular in the manufacture of commodities.
Problems were encountered in weighing the metals and arriving
at a uniform system of metrics. The theory of pricing was
a function of the toil needed to purchase a good. For instance,
the price of an auto was a function of the many hours of labor
necessary to earn the money to buy the car. In addition, the price of an item was related to its constituent parts.
For instance, the price of linen was a function of the labor
of the flaxdresser, spinner, weaver, bleacher and overall
employer. The natural price varied with the price of component
parts. For instance, if the semiconductor was reduced significantly in price- then the overall price of an electronic
appliance would go down. Adam Smith saw labour as a function
of national wealth. He recognized that laborers had to earn
more than a mere subsistence in order to live dignified lives.
He told a story of a mother in the Highlands of Scotland who
had to raise 20 children so that 2 would survive. Presumably,
18 children would die from various diseases and poverty.
The interest rates at the time were low. In England, rates
hovered at 5%. In France, the rates were 3-5% . The government
could borrow at 2% in Holland.

Adam Smith defined a wage as a function of the following:
o the ease or hardship to do work

Consider the case of a diamond cutter. The art of cutting a
diamond is a precise process which requires extensive training
and expert worksmanship. The demand for precious stones was a
function of their inherent beauty, scarcity and workmanship
involved in polishing them and preparing them for commercial use.

o the difficulty and expense of learning a trade
A skilled surgeon required years of medical training and a
long apprenticeship in anatomy and surgery.

o the constancy of employment
o the trust reposed in the workpeople
Consider the case of a landowner who took a year-long vacation
to the Orient. He/she would leave behind a manager to run the
entire business on a 24/7 basis. This high degree of trust
reposed in the workperson required a commensurate compensation.

o probability of success or failure of the venture
Consider the effort required to cross the Atlantic. The trip
was lengthy, dangerous and prone to failure due to the vagaries
of nature, pirating on the high seas and disease. Naturally,
a worker had to receive a greater compensation to take these
factors into consideration.

o the danger inherent in doing the work
Consider the danger inherent in entering a diamond mine.
The possibility of collapse was a constant threat. Accordingly,
workers were compensated commensurate with the threat level.

Adam Smith explained that fear of misfortune dampened the taking
of risks. He knew (intuitively) that investors were risk averse.
In addition, there was a restriction on training new labor.
In Sheffield, no master cutter could train more than a single
cutter . Apprenticeships were lengthy. i.e. 7 years in length

Adam Smith explained that food was a source of rent to the
landowners. The pricing of metals was a function of the price
in the most fertile mine in the world. Whatever increased the
fertility of the land increased its value by implication.
Markets in foodstuffs were restricted because refrigeration
did not exist until motors and condensers were perfected.
Essentially, there were no operable refrigerators until the
famous Clausius statement was perfected in the engineering
sciences.

Accordingly, the market for butcher's meat was confined to the
country of origin. Wool and raw hide could be transported;
however, meat was consumed locally as its shelf-life was limited.
The value of money was a function of the value of annual produce.
Accordingly, increased quantities of commodities raised the
value of money. Low fixed rates of interest promoted business
and discouraged usury. Riches were a function of the annual

produce which created the wealth and supported the tax base.
High duties were enforced to protect the local markets. Treaties
between countries helped local merchants to craft meaningful
trade sequences. Exports were encouraged . The expense of
erecting public works was a function of the taxes raised on the
land and the proportion of yield from the crops.
Governments granted bounties to merchants who wanted to sell
overseas in order to assist them in making a profit and
defraying costs/risks. This work is a classic in theoretical
and practical economics. It is a "must read" for economists,
historians, majors in government, financiers, investors,
literary buffs and a large constituency of academicians. ... Read more

Book Description

Emphasizing practical application and theory of international business law, this book shows how firms doing business between the more than 185 countries of the world are governed and regulated.This book provides full coverage of all the main topics dealing with international business law including foreign investment, financing, banking, environmental regulation, multinational enterprises, sales, service, labor, transportation, intellectual property, and taxation.For practicing international lawyers book who need a complete, easy-to-use, and up-to-date reference. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Globalization and need to know International Law
This book is essentially important for every business person dealing in international arena and every student seeking careers in multinational businesses. The author covers almost all aspects of governing laws related to international trade. My personal statement would be that this book is not to just read but to use it in everyday's practices as a desk reference.

Best help for international business law practitioners
This is the best book I've ever read about international business law. It is a very good guide to all issues concerning international law since the choice of a applicable law for a contract passing through contract contents, labor and taxes international legislation, ethics and finishing with the very new cyber law. This is a book to be read for specialists in both international law and international business, but also for practitioners of international trade. We have adodpted this book in our course of International Business Law at Universidad del Istmo in Guatemala. The best book I have consulted in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

An in depth look at the tremendous potential of this vital market with expert advice from one of the foremost authorities. The foreign exchange market is the world's largest and fastest growing financial terrain.Despite its high trading volume, it is also a market little understood and little regulated.This definitive resource brings the universe of foreign exchange within reach of every investor.The revised edition includescomplete comprehensive coverage of the euro and the latest historical and economic changes in the market.

Cornelius Luca, a renowned authority on international investing, draws on the insights of leading experts in diverse fields of specialty to explain every crucial aspect of foreign exchange.He provides investors with an arsenal of trading weapons, many on the cutting edge of technology.Demystifying the intricacies of these markets, the book includes:

Analysis of the mechanics of the market, the major players and markets, the pertinent risks, corporate trading, and methods of trading execution.

A thorough overview of foreign exchange instruments and major option strategies, with clear explanations of why currencies are traded and how to forecast currency behavior. An in-depth look at the three types of analysis: fundamental, technical, and econometric.Featuring 200 charts and graphics, TRADING IN THE GLOBAL CURRENCY MARKETS is an indispensable guide to a daunting yet promising financial playing field. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Trading in the Global Currency Markets
Loved Trading in the Global Currency Markets! While I only used it to brush up my FX knowldege, I had all my 5 FX traders read it to prepare them for this fast currency market. The book gives you everything you need, and then some. It's a very methodical book, leaving no stone unturned. It's also very objective. All other books on FX or technical analysis have "an angle". Not Luca's. In his book, he presents all facets of the industry. You just need to choose what's best for you.

Trading in the Global Currency Markets
"Trading in the Global Currency Markets" lands you smack in the middle of the currency markets and really makes you understand how all these FX traders maneuver money day in and day out. Due to the complexity of the subject I needed to take it easy, especially in the technical analysis sections. But I can now use the averages and MACD well enough to enter and exit successful FX transactions.

A 3rd Edition is called for . . .
In 2000, when this edition was released, it most probably provided a fair introduction and overview to the global forex market, but not for individual traders.

However, its use to traders, especially individual traders is limited. Since 2000, there has been an almost explosive growth in the number of forex market-makers and brokers, catering to the individual traders, making it possible and very easy for the individual to trade forex on the inter-bank system. One can now start trading a mini forex account with only $300 !!

These critical new developments in the forex trade, are unfortunately not covered in Mr Luca's book - hence my call for a 3rd edition. The amount of information contained in the various broker's websites - inclusive of "How to" sections, "FAQs", tutorials, and other background information, pretty much contains most of the info presented in Mr Luca's book, with the exception of forward contracts and options.

The Technical Analysis information presented, is similar to the stock market, but not covered extensivley. So, if you already have that knowledge, you wouldn't need to purchase this book to start trading forex. If you need to acquire this knowledge, then I would suggest any one of the excellent in-depth books on the topic of technical analysis available. These books, even though written for the equities market, will give any prospective forex trader most of the knowledge he/she will need to start trading forex.

Extremely informative!
Mr.Luca has out done himself. I am a 11 year veteran of the futures markets and I have written three book on futures trading. Mr.Luca's book exceeded my expectations. I read it and was completely enlightened at the chain of connections that drive the currency market. His technical analysis on forex trading was easily adaptable to my own strategies, plus I learned a few new tricks.

Mr.Luca's writing is very indepth and many beginners to forex trading will find a lot of information to wade through in order to find the nuggets they are looking for. That being said, any serious beginner will not have a problem with getting a thorough education in this fascinating subject.

Intermediate traders will see there mistakes and hopefully correct them by using this book.

Overall, this is a great book by Mr.Luca and I keep a copy as a refernce.

Great waste
There is nothing in this book. It's a waste of money and time reading it, and also even if it's free, you should not read it. ... Read more

Book Description

All eyes are on China. Home to a quarter of the world's population, China's rapid growth, expanding openness, and developing consumer market have made the region a hotbed of opportunity-and risk-for today's multinationals.

Harvard Business Review on Doing Business in China offers a timely and insightful analysis of what it will take to successfully do business in twenty-first-century China. Featuring eight articles, each written by experts in Chinese business and culture, HBR on Doing Business in China explores issues including:

-The possibilities and pitfalls multinationals face in the newly opened Chinese domestic market

-The unique cultural and social factors that govern the buying preferences of Chinese consumers

-The deep-seated cultural traditions Westerners must understand to negotiate successfully with the Chinese

-The emergence of Chinese brands as powerful rivals in the global market

-Strategies for entering and winning in China as competition- both local and global-heats up

... Read more

Book Description

Lively, topical, and accessible, this text is written integrating culture early and often to allow all students to grasp difficult conceptual material. The inclusion of numerous interesting and diverse examples of the intersection of business and culture motivates students to read on and learn.  International Business: The Challenges of Globalization is the fastest growing international business book available today. It presents international business in a comprehensive, yet concise framework. Recent, real-world examples and engaging feature boxes really do bring the concepts of international business to life for readers. User feedback reveals that the reason this book is so popular is that it offers a fresh approach to international business that responds to the readers' requests and needs. A main goal in this third edition is to continue the progress made in the previous two–delivering the most readable, current, and concise international business book on the market. A must-read for anyone involved in International Business.

Book Description

As U.S. organizations continue to explore overseas business opportunities, they will be challenged to adapt to the new market's local characteristics, legislation, fiscal regime, sociopolitical environment and cultural system. Riding the Waves of Culture shows international managers how to build the skills, sensitivity, and cultural awareness needed to establish and sustain management effectiveness across cultural borders. This revised edition is updated with new research and statistics.

More than an encyclopedia of cultures and customs, this essential guide:

• Describes successful and failed cross-cultural business transactions of multinational organizations such as AT&T, Heineken, Motorola and Volvo
• Offers techniques managers can use to anticipate and mediate some of the difficult dilemmas of international management
• Uses country-by-country graphs, examples, and other comparisons to illustrate how different cultures regard and respond to various management approaches
• Includes a CD-ROM of graphs, charts, and exercises to help readers evaluate their effectiveness as a global manager

Reviews (13)

Highly Recommended!
The results are in: All of those stereotypes that we've been told to forget are, in fact, true. At least, that's what a survey of 30,000 people from 31 nations suggests. The data paints some familiar pictures: the inflexible German, the vacillating Frenchman and the pushy American. The statistics from the survey support the conclusions reached by authors Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner in the earlier, first edition of this book: Don't base business decisions on the rhetoric that people are the same regardless of race, color or creed. They aren't! Academically organized, dense with anecdotes and, this time, thoroughly documented, Riding the Waves of Culture is entertaining at least, and possibly essential in this global age. We [...] recommend this book to any professional approaching an international management task, or overseeing a business that stretches across regional boundaries.

Why are those foreigners so hard to deal with?
Did you ever wonder why your international counterparts or customers are so hard to deal with?

If your work involves people from multiple countries and multiple cultures, this book is required reading. If your work involves understanding culture at all, it is definitely worth a quick read.

Authors Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner share their cultural insights based on broad research - 30,000 interviews and questionnaires so far - which puts this work on solid ground. They distinguish culture along a number of interesting axes, including relationships and rules, group versus individual, feelings, personal Involvement, status, time, inner directed versus outer directed, and national versus corporate culture.

The writing, while not exciting, is clear. And the statistical graphics further clarify and simplify many of the authors' points.

On a personal note, whenever the book authors ascribed a particular cultural aspect to Americans, I naturally tried to locate myself on the USA part of the graph. The surprising part was that although I was often squarely in the "right" place, this was not the case a good amount of the time.

A Great Introduction to Intercultural Understanding
At last from Europe, a clear, concise, readable explanation of the critical dimensions of international management. It places culture in a perspective that allows for applications internationally and within the diversity of single nations.

David C. Wigglesworth, Ph.D. is an international/intercultural human resource, management, and organization consultant and president of D.C.W Research Associates International in Kingwood, Texas, USA. He can be reached at dcwigg@earthlink.net

Riding the Waves of Culture
An excellent overview of culture and cultural differences. For a more specific look at Americans, read Working with Americans (Stewart-Allen/Denslow)

Needs more work and interesting
The authors cover a lot of bases and are very effective in making a reader more sensitive to differences in attitudes and value systems of various persons. Yes, I would say various persons rather than various nations - based on methodology and results of this book. A side note - anecdotal evidence presented in the book shows a lot more differences between the nations researched than the hard data from the authors' research.

Only on a few questions national groups of respondents from say Japan and USA have scored positively different (I mean vast majority from one country holds the same view as a small minority from the other). Having 80% of one country respondents support some principle vs. just 55% of the other(which on the graphs included seems like a lot of difference while it is basically still majority here and majority there) does not tell me really much about the way I should approach managers from the 55% country, does it ? (The authors do not express these doubts stressing differences rather than similarities). Even if the latter group responds not 55% but just 33%, thus widening the gap and making potential choices easier, I still need to clarify in a face to face meeting if this particular person belongs to her national group majority or minority because I have a 33% chance that I will approach that person with a wrong pre-conception.

On top of this the selection of respondents makes drawing conclusions even harder. As authors say, 75% from each country are managers, 25% are junior people. Why not focus on managers 100% for clarity? As a result we may have here a situation in which here and there some of a variance can be explained by the fact that managers have one attitude, while junior staff another one, while differences between managers from different countries are still smaller than graphs show.

In effect, quite surprisingly, for me this is more of an interesting and thought provoking book on different styles and values of people/managers in general, than a practical national-business culture guide, just because the data are so much inconclusive. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Pithecanthropus
The book contains a wealth of practical information however there are errors in the mathematical formulas, dates and etc. This is most frustrating from a reader point of view and dampened the confidence in the material presented. However, it is relatively a easy read for general understanding of the money and FX markets. I hope the author does a more thorough check in the future edition in order to do this book justice.

Excellent practical book for the beginners
This is a great practical book for the beginners and intermediate people in the market. When I started in the market as a business analyst, with no prior experience, it was a confused world of trading. After reading this book, things make much more sense. In addition, the book explains brief analytics on how to price and when and why certain instruments will be used for trading. It is geared towards trading. Refer to other books if you are more interested in middle/back office functionality (like settlements, P&L calc, risk management etc.)

Great help for trainers
Many a times, trainers in the banking industry find it very difficult to teach complex subjects like foreign exchange and money markets to relatively junior guys. This book will prove to be of great help to those trainers. Probably the first ever attempt in this subject.( Luca's text book can easily be replaced by this book just because of its excellant padagogy). Hope other titles advertised by RFT will also become available soon, specially the one on Risk Management.

Not recommended for anyone who has previous experience
If you have some experience of foreign exchange trading, this book is not for yourself. You would learn everything written here within the first six weeks of your job as a foreign exchange trader.

However, this book is great for the REAL beginners who want to learn about foreign exchange from the very beginning and for trainers or teachers who teach those who has little knowledge the foreign exchange. This book starts from explaining what bids and asks are and explains so far up to the mechanics of foreign exchange derivatives. The most remarkable feature of this book is illustrations of deal components and market segments showing how each deal components and markets are related to each other. Detail explanation on different market conventions applied to different currencies is also useful. Short questions at end of chapters are good to review what you should take away from the chapters.

Excellent Book
This book is excellent for beginner as well as for advance. It covers all the details right from bottom to top in a very lucid language. It also covers enough diagrams that explains the subject very well. ... Read more

Book Description

Drive . . . and grow rich!

The bestselling author of Investment Biker is back from the ultimate road trip: a three-year drive around the world that would ultimately set the Guinness record for the longest continuous car journey. In Adventure Capitalist, legendary investor Jim Rogers, dubbed “the Indiana Jones of finance” by Time magazine, proves that the best way to profit from the global situation is to see the world mile by mile. “While I have never patronized a prostitute,” he writes, “I know that one can learn more about a country from speaking to the madam of a brothel or a black marketeer than from meeting a foreign minister.”

Behind the wheel of a sunburst-yellow, custom-built convertible Mercedes, Rogers and his fiancée, Paige Parker, began their “Millennium Adventure” on January 1, 1999, from Iceland. They traveled through 116 countries, including many where most have rarely ventured, such as Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Angola, Sudan, Congo, Colombia, and East Timor. They drove through war zones, deserts, jungles, epidemics, and blizzards. They had many narrow escapes.

They camped with nomads and camels in the western Sahara. They ate silkworms, iguanas, snakes, termites, guinea pigs, porcupines, crocodiles, and grasshoppers.

Best of all, they saw the real world from the ground up—the only vantage point from which it can be truly understood—economically, politically, and socially.

Here are just a few of the author’s conclusions:

• The new commodity bull market has started.
• The twenty-first century will belong to China.
• There is a dramatic shortage of women developing in Asia.
• Pakistan is on the verge of disintegrating.
• India, like many other large nations, will break into several countries.
• The Euro is doomed to fail.
• There are fortunes to be made in Angola.
• Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are a scam.
• Bolivia is a comer after decades of instability, thanks to gigantic amounts of natural gas.

Adventure Capitalist is the most opinionated, sprawling, adventurous journey you’re likely to take within the pages of a book—the perfect read for armchair adventurers, global investors, car enthusiasts, and anyone interested in seeing the world and understanding it as it really is. ... Read more

Reviews (56)

A libertarian touring the world
Following up the success with Investment Biker, Jim Rogers tours the world again. While touring, Rogers is on a constant search for good investment opportunities, based on the credo: buy when there is blood in the streets, sell when the shoeshine boy asks for investment tips. Besides looking for investment opportunities, Rogers is trying to judge how countries around the world are run economically.

The lion's share of the book is dedicated to developing countries, which is sensible given that these countries rarely get much attention in the press (as long as floods, earthquakes or wars stay away). One common observation across developing countries all over the world is the NGO-bureaucrats, living like kings in foreign countries. Backed by their own governments money, driving around in their 4WHs to tell the local people how stupid they are. This is a recurring point throughout the book, a point he makes really well. Rogers' anger towards the whole developing aid industry, which ruins the business for local entrepreneurs and destroys the knowledge of farming, is very visible.

So what about the investment opportunities? Rogers is clearly disappointed, closing as many accounts as he opens. He endorses the capitalist spirit of China (the president understands exchange derivatives!), and finds some good places in Africa. A running theme is to look at a countries demographics to forecast its future. Government bureaucrats are getting on his nerves everywhere, however, especially in the border controls.

But Adventure Capitalist is a good read, and excellent for airports and the like. Easy available to all readers, particularly to those with the slightest of interest in economics or finance.

Seeing the world at the right level....
Jim Rogers has taken the great American notion of a road trip, and made it into a sensational read. I was really taken by his first book, i.e. Investment Biker, and followed his next trip via his website. Each time I checked his site, my interst in the book to come increased, and I was not disappointed.

I think that Mr. Rogers might have about 5 more books from this one trip, and each one would be better and more insightful as he mulls over the things that he saw and experienced and has the time to take a longer view. I will look forward to buying those future books should they come to pass.

The book is well written, thoughtful and persuasive as to the the failings of our foreign policy. It's too bad that national leadership seems to be fashioning a neo-isolationist policy, when the real goal should be to understand how those in the rest of the world really see us.

I wanted the book to be longer, to provide more detail as to how he got things done, the stuff that worked, and more on what he saw and experienced. As I wrote this review, I found myself listening to the BBC World news trying to connect with the world that Rogers so eloquently describes.

This is a great book, and the kind that should be required reading for students of all ages!

Excellent adventure, read, political commentary, investment
Wow!

Maybe I'm not as smart as the reviewer who preceded me.

I picked up A.C. on the way to Australia. I read it at light speed. To say this book is an eye opener is an understatement. I travel a lot...but not this much! ...no one does!

I learned a great deal following the Jim, Paige, videographer and car around the world. I confess there is much of their journey I would never have had the guts to undertake and thus was impressed by some of their choices of travel.

Here's some of what you are going to pick up:
1) You're going to find out what countries to put a few shekels into and which one's not to. (There are a lot more to NOT.)
2) You're going to get an excellent idea of where you want to visit on your next non-5-star trip out of the country.
3) You're going to find out that Vancouver B.C. is overall one of the finest cities in the world. (I can't think of a better one myself.)
4) Some darn good arguments for unrestricted free trade and open borders.
5) Solid challenges to your way of looking at the political messes of virtually every nation on the planet and a few ideas on what could make things better.
6) Lots of ways to save your hard earned money.
7) The fact that there are precious few powerhouse opportunities right now.

Of some interest, Jim notes he was told you can't buy a house in Australia if you don't live there. That's what I was told by some cab drivers, realtors and university prof's. Others told me the exact opposite and a few noted that you can't buy but you can build. Go figure. This is truly a bizarre phenomenon. Whatever the deal is, don't cut the check until you know the answer.

This book was a lot of fun. Thoroughly enjoyable and a lesson in looking at the world and the USA that sometimes is a bit stern.

Loved it.

Kevin Hogan
Author of The Psychology of Persuasion
http://www.kevinhogan.com/

Excellent
Jim Roger's knows investing, and he makes it interesting. Don't read this book if you think you're going to get a hot investment tip. He moves too quickly to focus on any one country's investment potential. It's a combination of geography, history, and capitalism. You will learn more about the state of the world than investing. I now know many tidbits about countries that I never knew previously.

Do you know how Africa's geography will most likely change within the next two decades? Wonder how Apartheid is progressing in South Africa? The best African country to vacation in, and why? The freedom in China that we never hear about? The "feed the children" programs, and how they are corrupted once they ARRIVE in Africa?

I've focuses in on Africa here, but that's what I found most interesting. Again, you will not become an expert currency trader here, but you will attain valuable insight into world affairs.

Read this travelogue to sate your wanderlust
This book is an extensive travelogue written by a wealthy, cosmopolitan, middle-aged American who has spent many years working in global money management. As such, its easy for me to relate to him, and I found his thoughts and observations useful and entertaining.

Mr. Rogers' trip was a massive undertaking, with three years spent criss-crossing six of the seven continents. Its a spectacular achievement, and a rich and delightful repast for anyone with even a little of the armchair traveler within them. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not that great
I read this book for an international studies class, but as an econ minor, i was really dissapointed. the book is targeted towards non-econ majors, i think, but it ended up just confusing most of my friends in the class who had no econ background. however, i did okay, not becuase of this book, but because of my own econ background that allowed me to fill in the gaps and understand the confusing explenations and definitions used in this book. there are better ways to say what gerber tried to say, in my opinion, so i would not recomend this book very highly. although it was decent, it could have been much better. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to international OB and management. Presented from a global, rather than a North American or Western European perspective, it offers a unique cultural perspective on the roots of organizational behavior around the world. Finally, the book acts as a guide to the changes that are not only reshaping organizations, but the ways we understand them as well. KEY TOPICS A six-part organization covers understanding international organizational behavior, managing it, its larger context, emerging issues, cases, and skills exercises.For any manager or professional interested in improving knowledge of the role of culture in organizations throughout the world—especially organization development specialists, expatriate managers, and human resource professionals. ... Read more

Book Description

With the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, any pretense of a connection of the world's currencies to any real commodity has been abandoned. Yet since the 1980s, most central banks have abandoned money-growth targets as practical guidelines for monetary policy as well. How then can pure "fiat" currencies be managed so as to create confidence in the stability of national units of account?

Interest and Prices seeks to provide theoretical foundations for a rule-based approach to monetary policy suitable for a world of instant communications and ever more efficient financial markets. In such a world, effective monetary policy requires that central banks construct a conscious and articulate account of what they are doing. Michael Woodford reexamines the foundations of monetary economics, and shows how interest-rate policy can be used to achieve an inflation target in the absence of either commodity backing or control of a monetary aggregate.

The book further shows how the tools of modern macroeconomic theory can be used to design an optimal inflation-targeting regime--one that balances stabilization goals with the pursuit of price stability in a way that is grounded in an explicit welfare analysis, and that takes account of the "New Classical" critique of traditional policy evaluation exercises. It thus argues that rule-based policymaking need not mean adherence to a rigid framework unrelated to stabilization objectives for the sake of credibility, while at the same time showing the advantages of rule-based over purely discretionary policymaking.

... Read more

Reviews (3)

Woodford's Incomplete Model
I have been spending the last four months concentrating on Woodford's model of a cashless economy, which Woodford presents in Chapter 2, and which provides the foundation for the rest of the book. I believe his model to be incomplete, relying on a rational expectations precedent of assuming bounded solutions when solving expectational difference equations. A colleague and I have written a paper that shows that this precedent is flawed and we then propose more rigorous procedures. When we apply those revised procedures to Woodford's model of a cashless economy, we find his model is incomplete.

Furthormore, I am writting a second paper that shows that the central bank in Woodford's model is unable to affect the nominal interest rate paid on loans by other entities. If the central bank cannot affect this interest rate, then it cannot affect prices even if Woodford's model was complete.

These are just challenges to Woodford's model which need to withstand the test of refereed journals. However, the potential reader of this book needs to be aware that there are some academics who are challenging the validity of his model. For more details, search for "Woodford cashless economy" with a search engine and you should be able to find my web page that discusses this (...) David Eagle, Associate Professor of Finance
Eastern Washington University
(...)

Very good book in Monetary Policy
For sure this will become a masterpiece in modern monetary policy. It is very well detailed, and discusses what is really important in the field.

It is already a reference book, and must be read by practitioners, students and academicians interested in the subject.

However the book has the following caveats:

- It is too verbose. That means that you might have the same deepness with less words. As a consequence the reader often gets tired, bored and misses the main point;
- It does not talk about conventional monetary policy as you could find in Walsh's "Monetary Theory and Policy";
- Trying to make the exposition easier, the models are presented in separeted too far apart pieces. This makes it difficult to fully grasp the details at once.

In view of this, I must say that Walsh's book might become a necessary complements to Woodford's. Notice that the styles and goals of both books are different. Therefore, buying one or another depends on your intentions.

In additon I'd say that Woodford's overall strategy is right in terms of the sequence of subjects treated. However, shorter and more numerous chapters might improve the exposition tactics.

must read text for students in monetary economics
This book is written by one of the giants in modern macroeconomics. Although a little bit lengthy, the book contains nearly all the recent advance in monetary economics, especially in the interest rate rules and optimal monetary policy. Of course, you should be familiar with log linearization and simple matrix algebra in order to access the mathematics of the book. Woodford¡¦s Interest and prices and Walsh¡¦s Monetary Theory and Policy (2nd edition) would definitely become the required text for every graduate course in monetary economics around the world. ... Read more

Book Description

If you are holding or are thinking about holding a Kaizen event, then this book is essential. Step by step guide to conducting your own Kaizen event. Contains all the details, instructions, forms, checksheets and guidelines necessary to succeed. Contains a real life simulation exercise, with answers and suggestions on how to improve your events. How to determine where an event should be held. How many participants is best? what kind of preparation is needed? Who should be on the management team? Who should the participants be? What should be done about production during an event? How can we finalize the improvements and prevent regression? What about the next event: Where should it be? When should it be? Who should be on the teams?

These and other questions about holding an event are covered in this manual.

All applicable worksheets are included!

Also in the book is "The History of Lean," discribes where Kaizen originated. Plus a glossary of "lean" terms and "100 Years of Lean". ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Bell Helicopter
We have been looking for the appropriate training material to use to train our Lean Champions and Black Belts in the art of conducting Kaizen events. We have found the best available. It is the Kaizen Event Implementation Manual. This book is all you need. Follow the instructions, and do the simulation and everything falls into place. The other books skirt all around the details, this book gives all the answers to all the situations. Very well done!

Kaizen Event Implementation Manual
This book is by far the best, most informative book written about Kaizen events yet.
We were looking for the perfect guide book to assist us in our events, and this is it!
No worry about consistancy or concern about forgotten elements of the event.
With all the check-sheets and almost hour by hour tracking, we are certain to maintain consistancy from one event to the next.
The simulation is a must for anybody now doing Kaizen.
This IS the book to get!

The bible of Kaizen books
We are a major supplier to Toyota Motor Car Co. and we know a lot about Kaizen; this is the absolute best guide for conducting Kaizen events! It leaves nothing to guess-work. Consistantly using this manual guarantees that each event will be exactly as is should be with nothing forgotten or eliminated. It is like a pilot's preflight check-sheet.
The most shop floor oriented Kaizen book in the world!

Canada likes "Kaizen Event Implementation Manual."
Just received the "Kaizen Event Implementation Manual" second edition. This is THE book you must have to properly conduct a Kaizen event! Throw away the other books, this one will guarantee that you stay focused and on track. It's clear Mika is a real Sensei.
Don't expect narrative or story telling, this book leads you, team leader, team member, facilitator or top management, through the details of a successful event. Sensei Mika has conducted hundreds of events and his organizational expertise shows!
Canada recommends this book!

Too much filler and not enough meat...
I was disappointed with this book on a couple levels. First, I was expecting an "Event Implementation Manual." What I found was an exhaustive rehash of the history of not only Kaizen but a good chunk of the industrial revolution, a glossary of largely unrelated terms, about 50 pages of case study exercise, along with some tips and tricks for implementing a kaizen. The 70-some pages related to kaizen events is a good overview for someone familiar with this tool, but not geared for the beginner. The check sheets describing event preparation and follow up were most useful. On another level, I found the obvious lack of the use of an editor or proofreader very distracting. The kaizen event consulting rates listed in the back were the final straw. Stick to Laraia, Moody and Hall's "The Kaizen Blitz." This review refers to an earlier edition. ... Read more

Book Description

A thoroughly updated new edition of the premier guide to international trade now features a special section on the e-commerce revolution. Dr. Carl Nelson’s acclaimed resource for beginners venturing into the import/export business is more timely and action-oriented than ever in this fully revised Third Edition. Showcasing an indispensable new chapter on the ins and outs of e-commerce and how to take advantage of all of cyberspace’s exciting possibilities, Import/Export also features a range of new material and guidance. Nelson’s practical, easy-to-follow approach covers all the basics, including choosing a product, making contacts, and cutting through government red tape. Carl E. Nelson (Chula Vista, CA) is the author of Global Success: International Business Tactics for the 1990s and Managing Globally:A Complete Guide to Competing Worldwide. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great book plus
This is a great book for its purpose, which is to step start into international trade. Nelson's book Exporting: A Manager's Guide to the World Market is the next step and is also available on amazon.com. Look it up and grow even more in this facinating and lucrative world of business.

Too basic
This book is definately for the beginner and was of no use to me. I have only been working as an importer for about a year and found the book useless. I would recommend it only for the novice. If you have any experience at all you have already heard this information.

Powerful book
This expanded and updated third edition Import/Export shows you how to tap into the E-commerce phenomenon, including a complete overview of this new global market opportunity, how to set up a successful home page, and tips to filling orders and getting paid over the Internet. New material also covers the Euro and the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, tricks of using Letters of Credit, new product standards, and how to navigate the business worlds of China and Africa. Plus, you'll find Dr. Nelson's 20 acclaimed and globally tested keys to international business success. Whether you're the owner of a small manufacturing firm, a businessperson in search of a second career, or a budding entrepreneur attracted by international trade's exciting potential, this third edition of Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade contains everything you need to reap the profits of today's booming world economy. Dealing with every aspect of exporting and importing, this totally revised and updated book cites helpful details and highlights scores of examples and success stories. Dr. Carl Nelson, a recognized global trade strategist, demystifies international trade to show you everything you need to get started and succeed. The book tells you how to: Write a business plan Choose a product Make overseas contacts Finance an import or export transaction Protect patents and trademarks Get through the customs maze Figure import duties Trade in Europe's single market CONTENTS THE COMMONALITIES Chapter 1: Success and the Trade Game Chapter 2: Launching a Profitable Transaction Chapter 3: Planning and Negotiating to Win Chapter 4: The Cyber Trader: Selling with E-commerce Chapter 5: Completing a Successful Transaction Chapter 6: How to Set Up Your Own Import/Export Business

THE DIFFERENCES Chapter 7: Exporting from the United States Chapter 8: How to Import into the United States

DOING BUSINESS WORLDWIDE Chapter 9: Doing Business Through World Trade Centers Chapter 10: Doing Business in the Americas and an Expanding NAFTA Chapter 11: Doing Business in an Expanding Europe Chapter 12: Doing Business in Africa Chapter 13: Doing Business in the Near East and Asia Chapter 14: 20 Keys to Import/Export Success

U.S. Chamber of Commerce and World Trade Center Association
What the experts say:

"During a time when international trade is growing to unprecedented levels Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade is recommended as a valuable tool for the business person who wants to take advantage of the opportunities and learn the techniques of world market entry." Tom Donohue, President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce "Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade by Dr. Nelson is one of the best resources available to those involved in world trade. It is factual, easy to read and understand, and up-to-date. I strongly recommend it." Guy Tozzoli, President, World Trade Centers Association, New York

I need this book.I want it in Spanish OK?
For me this is a better book about import and export that I Know .At this moment,I am studying Interational Marketing. I have English edition .But I need Spanish edition, because with it I can understand well.Due to the vocabulary is dificult for me, because I am Chilean and reading it in Spanish I'm sure I can learn very well and will be a good broker of international marketing. Thank you,

Gustavo G. Caro-Brown ... Read more

Book Description

Case Studies in Finance, 4/e links managerial decisions to capital markets and the expectations of investors.At the core of almost all of the cases is a valuation task that requires students tolook to financial markets for guidance in resolving the case problem.The focus on value helps managers understand the impact of the firm on the world around it.These cases also invite students to apply modern information technology to the analysis of managerial decisions. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

WARNING-These are only cases, almost NO content
I bought this book to read outside of a class hoping to read through some really good case studies in finance, and hopefully apply several semesters worth of finance classes to some real world examples. However after receiving the book I realized that these were only cases, not case studies, meant to be discussed in a class. There is almost no content, and college professors would actually be better off building their own cases from current business publications.

Good Finance book
The cases in this book will make one think more than other books in this area.

Bravo to Bruner!
Case Studies in Finance and its instructors manual are absolutely the BEST of their kind in all the years I've been teaching finance and strategy. Bravo to Bruner! I've never seen an instructor's manual so complete. The At-a-Glance section has been very helpful when structuring a course design. Case Studies in Finance and its supplements are being used by the finance faculty at ESADE Business School, in Spain, as a guide to restructure their first year core finance course in the Full-Time MBA programme.

Excellent, made the subject practical
The book was excelleant, but I never knew if the answers I provided were correct, is there no model answers on the case studies that one could check one's answers against. I am a final year MBA student in South Africa with no real previous Finance experience and this book really assisted me in gaining a practical understanding. Please let me know about model answers ... Read more

Book Description

With its roots in history and eyes on the future, this book traces the development of our economic society from the Middle Ages to the present, offering a balanced perspective of why our economy is the way it is and where it may be headed. It explores the catalytic role past economic trends and dynamics—particularly capitalism—have played in creating the present challenges we face, and offers suggestions on how we may deal with them most effectively in the future. Chapter topics include the economic problem, the premarket economy, the emergence of market society, the industrial revolution, the great depression, the rise of the public sector, modern capitalism emerges in Europe, the golden age of capitalism, the rise and fall of socialism, the globalization of economic life, and why some nations remain poor.For individuals interested in the economic history of the U.S. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

How did market society come to be?
This book examines the transformation of traditional society into market society: the necessary pre-conditions and steps. The author reminds us that, despite the material advances of modern society, some key economic ideas still apply. All societies must be organized for the material survival of its members. The inter-dependencies among societal members in simpler societies have not been eliminated in market societies, despite the hyping of the independent, self-maximizer by modern theorists; in fact, the complexities of modern societies may well create more dependence, not less. And market societies do have some inherent problems.

The author points out that any society must have a coherent system for producing useful goods and services and then distributing them in a manner sufficient for society's perpetuation. Man has relied upon combinations of tradition, command, and markets to solve those production and distribution problems. Tradition uses time-honored methods of work, "allocated by heredity," which are reinforced by "law, custom, and belief." Change and competitiveness are not tolerated. Command is authoritarian control of economies and is mostly associated with economies operating in rapid catch-up mode, such as the Soviet Union. However, even democracies use elements of command during periods of crisis. In market societies, the aggregation of supply and demand guide economic functioning with no distinct center of control or allegiance to past practices.

Manorial estates and the guilds dominated life in the Middle Ages along with the Church, but the author points to small beginnings of a more commercial world. Itinerant merchants established a small niche for commercial activity in some urban areas. The more successful of them came to be key financiers of monarchs keen on expanding their authority. The gold and silver realized from 16th century New World expeditions stimulated commercial activity. Calvinism, in contrast to the Catholic Church, sanctified hard work and the accumulation of wealth as an indicator of spiritual worthiness. Gradually, feudal society became more reliant upon money as a basis of social exchange. No longer were manorial lords obligated for the overall well being of serfs. The displacement of peasants by the enclosure movements was justified by the opportunities for the landed aristocracy to use their estates as sources of cash revenue.

The author identifies several changes that are necessary for a market economy to emerge. Virtually every task, good, or service has a monetary reward. The anticipation of financial reward guides such decisions as where to labor or what to produce. A society of contracts supercedes a society of status and traditional social bonds. With those changes, a certain amount of social uncertainty is introduced. Yet a market society is not without its own forms of control. The competitions of seller versus seller and buyer versus seller are constraining forces on economic behavior.

Generally it takes a market economy to substantially change the material well being of an entire society. In the first place, traditional societies are not unhappy with the status quo. What is needed are investments in capital goods, or "tools, equipment, machines, and buildings," to increase human productivity leading to higher living standards. And it is the hope for profits or higher wages that spurs investment of money and labor in those goods. But investment implies savings, which, in turn, generally requires a sacrifice in consumption and lower wages. The author suggests that the growing pains of industrialization, mostly on the backs of the working class with the "forced emigration of the peasantry by enclosure and heavy-handed exploitation," could not have been avoided. He undercuts that argument slightly by acknowledging that the forces of democracy in the 19th century ameliorated conditions for the working class.

Scientific and technological advances are often large factors in the development of capital goods and increased productivity. English industrial production literally exploded based on the inventions of such men as Wilkinson, Watt, and Arkwright. The factory system came to dominate English life. New technologies have often literally transformed market societies. The automobile, for example, drastically changed residential patterns, facilitated social independence, and was a massive generator of employment. Can anyone doubt the impacts of electricity, airplanes, television, and computers?

However, the author points out that market societies do not necessarily operate according to the basic theory. "Consumer power" is a first principle of classical economists; according to that notion, consumers force products to be sold "at the lowest price compatible with continued production." But market societies invariably tend to be dominated by a few large firms, where economic efficiencies can be attained. These large enterprises often agree among themselves to set pricing above truly competitive levels. In addition, because much of what is produced in modern economies is non essential, consistency of demand must be created through advertising. While large firms may be needed, consumer sovereignty is mostly a fiction.

Stable market economies must maintain the balances between production and purchasing and savings and investment. Workers' purchasing power must be consistent with production volumes. In addition, savings ought to be converted into investment, or capital formation. The Great Depression was brought about by workers being underpaid and capital investments not being made. The Great Depression and WWII established that government must intervene in a market economy through fiscal and monetary policies to bolster economic stability.

The author emphasizes that basic instabilities remain in market societies. In a market economy, it remains the anticipation of profit on the part of businesses and entrepreneurs that motivates most investment and growth. Technological displacement and unemployment continue to undermine purchasing power. And the author wrote in an era before the evisceration of large "countervailing" unions, the forces of globalization, and a resurgence of rightist, anti-government ideologies. Those developments could have only added to the author's concerns of instabilities.

The book is hurt by not being able to contend with the tremendous changes of the last forty years, though the cautions remain relevant today. It is, however, an excellent guide for understanding the economic and societal changes from the Middle Ages to the era of science and capitalism. Try Charles Lindblom's "The Market System."

Concise but Biased
This is a concise text book for use in high school or first-year college classes on the history of economics that traces the development of the market economy. The basic framework of the book is valuable: how the market transcended earlier forms of economic organization based on command and/or tradition.

There are good summaries of key terms and good discussion questions at the end of each chapter to stimulate classroom discussion; organizationally the book is very good and production values are quite high - very few typesetting errors, good paper, nice ink.

Robert Heilbroner is not, however, the best equipped author to be writing on this subject, as his cynical, Hobbesian view of human nature comes to the surface in numerous remarks whose cumulative effect is a high degree of skepticism about free enterprise and unregulated markets - a skepticism that is not backed by evidence and argument, but more by fears of "bigness" and "unscrupulousness" of business and businesspeople.

(Review based on the Tenth edition of this book)

Good, concise introduction for undergrads
This is an excellent introduction to Economic History for undergraduate students. It is concise and well-written, full of poignant examples, tracing economic organization from the Middle Ages through the present. The chapter summaries and discussion questions at the end of each chapter are very useful for both the student and the professor. The brevity of the book leaves open the possibility of including related academic