Book Description

"Until recently, business historians have not yielded to beauty - at least as a subject of scholarly inquiry.But beauty is big business." | o Kathy Peiss, from the Introduction

Beauty seems simple; we know it when we see it.But of course our ideas about what is attractive are influenced by a broad range of social and economic factors, and in Beauty and Business leading historians set out to provide this important cultural context.How have retailers shaped popular consciousness about beauty?And how, in turn, have cultural assumptions influenced the commodification of beauty?The contributors here look to particular examples in order to address these questions, turning their attention to topics ranging from the social role of the African American hair salon, the sexual dynamics of bathing suits and shirtcollars, and the deeper meanings of corsets, to what the Avon lady tells us about changing American values.As a whole, these essays force us to reckon with the ways that beauty has been made, bought, and sold in modern America.

Announcing a New Series

Beauty and Business launches a new series, Hagley Perspectives on Business and Culture, edited by Philip Scranton and Roger Horowitz in conjunction with the prestigious Hagley Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society in Wilmington, Delaware - one of the nation's leading research centers.Forthcoming volumes in the series include Boys and Their Toys: Masculinity, Class, and Technology in America and Food and Culture. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

In this volume, distinguished economists and trade policymakers address the US initiatives to enter into free trade negotiations with a broad range of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa. The sheer number of these initiatives is unprecedented and has provoked major policy questions concerning US interests in the negotiations, the setting of priorities among the many contenders for concluding free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States, the objectives of those trading partners, and the implications that these agreements could have for broader initiatives such as the Doha Round in the World Trade Organization and the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The volume includes a technical appendix with results of GTAP and gravity model simulations of the trade and welfare effects of the prospective agreements. ... Read more

Book Description

World-renowned as the insider bibles for shopping, the Where to Wear guides are the essential authority on fashion. Whether you’re planning a buying spree in London or heading off to Paris, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Italy’s holy trinity of fashion (Florence, Milan, Rome), Where to Wear is the perfect travel companion. Written by top fashion journalists who live and shop in the cities they write about, each pocket-size directory features individually researched critiques of clothes shops for men, women and children. From high-street staples to heavyweight labels, hot new designers to neighbourhood markets, the Where to Wear guides span the fashion spectrum. The reviews are organised alphabetically and accompanied by simple category indexes and neighbourhood maps. What’s more, Where to Wear also lists convenient lunch spots, beauty salons, hairdressers, fitness studios, day spas and much more. International shopaholics will love the redesigned Where to Wear box set. Labelled ‘The Shopping Guides to the World’s Fashion Capitals’ it includes the London, Paris, New York and Italy books and makes an ideal present. The individual guides retail at $14.95, the boxed set of four at $49.99. Where to Wear is sold in globally in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. ... Read more

Book Description

21st Century Money, Banking & Commerce offers the first comprehensive analysis of electronic financial products and services and electronic commerce.This book analyzes emerging trends in electronic financial services; identifies the operational and legal risks; examines laws and rules applying to Internet commerce; and addresses security, privacy, and intellectual property considerations. 21st Century Money, Banking & Commerce is a practical roadmap to the future of financial services and electronic commerce. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An Addition
Just an addendum to my previously submitted review: This review reflects my personal opinion and not necessarily that of the American Bar Association or any of its committees or subcommittees. Thanks!

One-Stop Shopping for E-Banking Law
As the chair of the American Bar Association's Subcommittee on Electronic Commerce, I recently reviewed this book for an upcoming issue of the South Carolina Law Review. In that review, I noted that few other works have addressed the intersection of electronic commerce and banking law, and characterized the book as "a consistently impressive combination of a treatise and a client memorandum." I found particularly useful the authors' detailed, informed, and intensely practical surveys of electronic payment technologies, regulatory actions, and judicial decisions. Separate sections, which can be read independently, are devoted to the missions and relevant activities of various regulatory agencies such as the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Other chapters discuss security and privacy of online banking systems, the operation of stored-value systems such as Mondex and Visa Cash, online brokerage and insurance services, intellectual property online, and Internet-based jurisdiction. I believe that this book is useful not only for reference but as a survey of developments in this rapidly-moving area. In my opinion, someone who sat down and read 50 pages a night of 21st Century Money, Banking and Commerce could get painlessly in two weeks more substantive information than most seminars on electronic commerce could deliver. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Saved thousands of dollars
I purchased a house recently and decided to replace almost all my furniture. I bought The Furniture Factory Outlet Guide for assistance. I saved literally over $10,000 using this book. My one recommendation to use this guide is to shop your local furniture stores, get the furniture manufacturer's name, the group name and/or number of the pieces you like. Then use the guide to call the stores listed in the guide that carry the furniture manufacturer you're looking for, and price shop, one against the other for the best deals. You really don't even have to go to NC, unless you want to spend a couple days looking and figuring out what furniture you like. Then go home and call the stores in this guide. Good luck and happy shopping.

remember the college guides?
This one looks like one...every page has a different outlet, with information like location and telephone, hours, email, a brief description with very personalized comments from the author, directions on how to get there, and lists of manufacturers each outlet carries or does business with. It also has some photos of items you could find there and the great discounts offered. Too bad I don't live in the North Carolina area or I would be off every weekend going to every outlet. It's great for those who really want to save big money on furniture and accessories for the home. The book did mention 3 big warehouses in NC, which I already know about, but offered more info about them than what I already knew. If you plan on getting furniture, get the book, but first check if there is a copy in your local library instead of spending the money on the book. This is a guide you will probably use once every other year, or until you finish furnishing your home. ... Read more

Book Description

Now in paperback, the fascinating story of America's vast natural ice trade which revolutionized the 19th century.

On February 13, 1806, the brig Favorite left Boston harbor bound for the Caribbean island of Martinique with a cargo that few imagined would survive the month-long voyage. Packed in hay in the hold were large chunks of ice cut from a frozen Massachusetts lake. This was the first venture of a young Boston entrepreneur, Frederic Tudor, who believed he could make a fortune selling ice to people in the tropics.

Ridiculed at the outset, Tudor endured years of hardship before he was to fulfill his dream. Over the years, he and his rivals extended the frozen-water trade to Havana, Charleston, New Orleans, London, and finally to Calcutta, where in 1833 more than one hundred tons of ice survived a four-month journey of 16,000 miles with two crossings of the equator. The Frozen-Water Trade is a fascinating account of the birth of an industry that ultimately revolutionized domestic life for millions of people. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Story of a Forgotten Industry
Mr. Gavin tells a very good tale of how Fredric Tudor took the seemingly absurd idea of selling ice and turned the idea into what was one of America's largest industries of the 19th Century.

What I found most captivating - more so than the biographical aspect of the book - was how Gavin put ice in perspective in America. It was a huge industry producing millions of dollars a year and employing thousands (many on a seasonal basis), yet because it was not taxed there is very little hard data. Moreover, ice appears to have been a primarily American love in the last century. Only after WWII did the rest of the world pick up our affinity for cold drinks and food. These perspectives make the book more than a biography or "how they done it" book and makes it worth reading.

Although I thought the book weakened towards the end (as if he was looking to fill a few more pages) it was a joy to read. Gavin made the history of a unique industry into a good story.

Tale of Commercial Endeavour and Perseverance
I picked this book up upon when I listened to an extract read on the BBC World Service several months ago. It spoke of a wild venture by a New England businessman to ship ice from Boston to the tropics. It seemed to me a fantastic and improbably story.

The very fact that it was improbably caught my attention - even with the technological advances of today, when little seems impossible, the idea of an industry based on shipping frozen water thousands of miles by ship seemed a little ludicrous.

It is to Weightman's credit that he transformed this almost-forgotten industry from the footnotes of history into a gripping tale of commercial endeavour and perseverance. It is an inspiring read and a fine example of how history holds more than dusty dull stories.

Provides a lively discourse on his accomplishments
In 1806 the brig Favorite left Boston bound for Martinique packed with large chunks of ice cut from a frozen lake: the first venture of a Boston entrepreneur who believed he could make a fortune selling ice to people in the tropics. Despite ridicule and hardship, Tudor made his fortune and founded a huge industry in the process: The Frozen-Water Trade: A True Story provides a lively discourse on his accomplishments. The Frozen-Water Trade is the impressive and informative story of that early 19th century adventerous entrepreneur.

Fredrick Tutor
One of books of the day happened to be this one (cant remember which though) and I was not only interested with in just a few pages, but surprised at how little I knew about such an revolutionary part of our early "ice age".

While the first few chapters of the book are excellent, it starts to get a bit dry in the middle - though the reference inside Waldon about Fredric will always stick in my mind from now on.

It would have been best if it had finished up at the end of the Mr. Tutor epic. Instead I felt the 'after tutor' chapter was almost added for flush - interesting but just seemed out of place. Maybe it was just unpolished?

If this book didnt fill such a huge hole in what I knew - I think it would've been a 3ish. Truth be told anytime such a little gem of a book is found - I am absolutely "kept" - and with this book it was 80% of the way.

ss

Interesting footnote of history
"The Frozen Water Trade" is an interesting chronicle of a long dead and forgotten industry. In this book, a story is told about how a particular idea first considered to be absurd, but then grows to a tremendously large business all around, and then impacts other later industries (such as beer brewing in Milwaukee) and then ultimately capitulated from the march of technological progress.

In many ways, I found the actual specifics about the business of selling ice as interesting as the general story about 19th century business life, such as dealing with relics from the mercantilist age in the caribbean to the business like of 19th century Boston shipping magnates. If the concepts that I am describing sound interesting to the slightest, then this book will not disappoint. ... Read more

Book Description

Strategic Management, third edition explores how firms build, extend, organize, and sustain a competitive advantage, focusing on five key themes: distinctive competence, quality, globalization, change, and ethics.This text takes an applications-oriented approach and is organized to reflect the stages that a firm goes through while implementing the strategic process. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

One of the worst textbooks that I have ever used
This textbook is the required text for a graduate level business course in which I am currently enrolled. My opinion, as well as nearly all of my classmates, is that this book offers very little for those in business wanting to learn about strategic management.

An example of what I mean is the following sentence taken from the book: "Firms that have built substantial sources of competitive advantage often enjoy high levels of profitability." Really? The text continues to state obvious points such as this.

This book contains about 10 % of material and 90 % filler. It could probably have been condensed to about 20 pages of bullet points without losing any of the content. Many textbooks have a problem with lack of brevity, however this book is the worst that I can remember since my days in high school.

As a business professional who values his time, I do not have time to waste reading filler. This book is so poor that if it wasn't being used to teach the final course in my program I would have dropped the course.

Strategic Management (2nd Edition) by Pitts & Lei
Pitts & Lei's (revised) 2nd edition is a solid, well-written strategic management textbook. Topical coverage is both traditional and well informed. The only exception to the foregoing is Chapter 11 that seems to be slightly "muddy" and confusing. From my perspective, as an instructor who has taught strategic management for the last fifteen years and actually practiced strategic management for fifteen years in industry, the only "missing element" is a chapter on "network" or virtual organizations. Chapter 12 (Managing Strategic Change) and Chapter 13 (Redefining Advantage) are excellent, both in terms of content and exposition.

The book includes cases (suitable for classroom discussion) and review questions in each chapter. Each chapter also has an excellent set of references. The ancillaries are complete with the exception that no test bank is provided for an instructor's use. I recommend this text to anyone teaching undergraduate strategic management and also to any reader interested in learning what strategic management is all about.

This book compares quite favorably to several of the much more expensive strategy texts like David, Thompson and Strickland and Pearce and Robinson. The book is good value for the money. ... Read more

Book Description

Survival Math for Marketers is a simple and fun solution to the age-old problem of a lack of mathematical knowledge among marketing professionals. Many are former English, psychology, or science graduates who have become responsible for advertising, promotion, and sales in their organizations. Without a solid grounding in accounting, finance, mathematics, or economics, they often find themselves frustrated and confused by this unfamiliar world.

This book provides an introduction to the underlying mathematical concepts in marketing and management in terms accessible to students of all levels. Weiglin also explains the relevant non-mathematical issues, such as price sensitivity, product distribution, and sales estimates, and provides the tools necessary to fully understand the basics of each.

Presented in an irreverent, conversational style, this book includes numerous real-world examples and illustrations that gently introduce the reader to the important mathematical concepts behind marketing and management. Intended for students and professionals of all levels, Survival Math for Marketers is a fun, easy-to-read introduction to the world of business math.

About the Author

Peter Weiglin is an author, historian, and professional speaker on many topics. His company, Omnibus Communications, specializes in marketing strategy and communications consulting for companies in the publishing and computer fields. His clients have included Lockheed, Hundman Publishing, Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, and North American Van Lines. He teaches management and marketing, most recently at the University of California at Berkeley Extension.

Reviews (1)

Yuk. Don't bother
This book is a waste of time. It's boring. I would expect a little boring given the subject matter, but it's a real snoozer. The information is simplistic and the presentation insulting to anyone of average intelligence. Don't waste your money, don't waste your time. ... Read more

Book Description

In this book David Driesen shows in detail how the concept of economic dynamics can reshape thinking about environmental law and policy. He argues that environmental policymaking in the United States has been poorly served by the dominant, static view of the relationship between environmental regulation and the economy, technology, and business. Basing public policy on the concept of economic efficiency, he claims, warps our sense of what is necessary and achievable in environmental lawmaking.

According to Driesen, environmentally beneficial technological innovation would be a more effective public policy goal than economic efficiency because it could better keep pace with private-sector innovations that create new forms of pollution and resource destruction. His arguments provide a corrective to the free-market and cost-benefit analysis approaches common to most proposals for regulatory reform. Those who believe that environmental law should focus on economic efficiency assume that efficiency and innovation coincide. But static efficiency may detract from, rather than stimulate, creativity in the real world. Cost-benefit analysis may discourage innovation by adding delay and uncertainty to government decisions. Economic incentives such as emissions trading may facilitate better use of existing techniques rather than bring about fundamental changes in technology. Driesen suggests ways that the regulatory system could better foster environmentally beneficial technological innovations. Using the theory of economic dynamics, he discusses privatizing environmental law, reforming administrative and international legal processes, and improving regulation design. He also explains the significance of economic dynamics for legal theory in general. ... Read more

Book Description

Something new is happening across East Asia. A region notable for its lack of internal economic links is discussing regional cooperation on trade, investment, and exchange rates. Because of negotiations elsewhere around the globe on regional trade—such as those that led to the consolidation of the European Union, the formation of the North American Free Trade Area, and the rapid proliferation of bilateral free trade areas—the talk is not surprising. Nevertheless, East Asia’s past inertia with regard to forming a regional partnership raises many questions about its emerging regionalism. Why has the region suddenly shifted from taking a global approach to economic issues to discussing a regional bloc? How fast and how far will the new regionalism progress? Will the region become a version of the European Union, or something far less? What is the probable impact on American economic and strategic interests—are the likely developments something that the U.S. government should encourage or discourage? Edward Lincoln takes up these questions, exploring what is happening to regional trade and investment flows and what sort of regional arrangements are the most sensible.

Lincoln argues that an exclusive grouping is unlikely. Free trade negotiations have brought some economies in the region together, but they also have led to links with nations outside the region. Some regional governments most notably Japan, continue to have difficulty embracing the concept of free trade, even with favored regional partners. In the wake of the Asian financial crisis, governments also have looked at cooperating on exchange rates, but they have done little to move forward.

The U.S. government must decide how to respond to these developments in East Asia. An exclusively Asian form of regionalism could run counter to American economic interests, and the U.S. government has reacted negatively to some of these proposals in the past. Because trade and investment links between the countries of the Asia Pacific region and the United States remain very strong, Lincoln argues that the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum remains the appropriate institution for pursuing regional trade and investment issues. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Interesting story, not enough analysis
W.R. Leach writes about the beginning of consumerism in the U.S. around 1910/20. He writes with much verve about his theme, which makes the book an ageeable read.
But for my taste the book is somewhat short on analysis. For example: there is much talk of the connection between selling and religion, but if this connection was by random or if there were some deeper links is left open.
If you are new to the subject of this book and you want an interesting read: get it. But be aware, the answers for a lot of questions this book poses are not to be found here.

Snooze
This has got to be the most boring book in the world!!!! I have to read it for one of my college courses and it is very nauseating. 30 pages on the history of window decorations!! Give me a break! If you're into analyzing the advertising industry, try Social Communications in Advertising by Leiss. Its a much better book and its much more interesting!

Love for Sale
A landmark work, LAND OF DESIRE by William Leach traces the spectacular rise of the consumer economy from 1880s to 1915. What's surprising about this genealogy of consumer culture is that so many of the contradictions of life in America --being asked to think of oneself in cold economic terms, (training oneself out for the marketplace, being efficient, punctual, and, enterprising at work) while at the same time being asked to surrender one's inhibitions and spend, spend, spend, have been there since the beginning. It has changed little, but we have.

Consumer credit starts in late 1800s, along with advertising, along with the whole notion of "customer service," (borrowed from Christian service and debased by capitalists), bogus "profit sharing" programs to mollify workers (but only under the threat of union organizing). The turn of the century store owners created consumption palaces (like today's malls) to facilitate profligacy (moving seamstresses off the main selling floor so as not to interfere with the fetishistic fantasy goods, a strategy which finds its current expression in sweat shops well off the premises in the Third World). They spread the Parisian idea of fashion from the realm of clothing to every kind of consumer product. And marketing hasn't changed one bit since then either. One department store used a kind of "Sprint Friends and Family" promotion in 1910 to get people to volunteer likely friends for charge accounts.

Leach identifies three matters he believes are central to the why and how the culture of consumer capitalism came to be the way it is: 1) the development of a new commercial aesthetic (the visual materials of desire such as lights, color and glass), 2) the collaboration among economic and non-economic institutions (an interlocking circuit of department stores, investment banks, hotel chains, and the entertainment industry, but also museums, and universities, 3) the growth of a new class of workers he calls the "brokers: admen, lawyers, investment bankers, museum curators, magazine editors, and experts of all sorts. By 1895, in Leach's words, they had "injected a new 'amorality' into American life, indifferent to virtue and hospitable to the ongoing inflation of desire." According to Emily Fog Mead, an ad expert (and mother of Margaret), writing in an economics journal in 1901: "Accompanying all the early stages of innovation is a fear of wrong-doing, of disloyalty to ideals, and of the coming destruction of the foundation of society; but the next generation has no conscientious misgivings."

Leach notes that this new regime required new ideological underpinnings. Simon Patten, a turn of the century economist, provided them. As the leading light of Wharton's new school of business (yet another invention of this era), he argued that in the new world of mass-produced consumer goods, economic theories of scarcity were anachronistic. This effectively scuttled the writings of Ricardo and Smith, and allowed the new view that mass-manufactured goods and their ready availability would serve to create a standardized set of desires, a common language of aspiration, and thus ameliorate the small differences between immigrants, the poor, the Negro. In other words, Patten equated material "goods" with the social "goods." This blurring of the two has been going ever since. Quoting Leach, quoting historian of religion Joseph Harountunian on this point: "The 'good' is not in goods. The good is in justice, mercy, and peace. It is in consistency and integrity, in living according to truth and to right. It inheres in men and not in things. It is other than the goodness of goods and without it goods are not good."

Leach also identifies elements of America's earlier civic mythology that were appropriated by the new consumer ideologues: 1) The cult of the New. Phrases like New World, New Heaven on Earth, New Nation (conceived in liberty) were common currency in American since its founding (Emerson, Whitman, Douglass espoused versions of the New) As Leach notes: "By the end of the century, however, commercial capitalism had latched onto the cult of the new, fully identified with it and taken it over." "Fashion and style were at the center, expropriating folk design and image, reducing custom to mere surface and appearance."..."Market capitalism [esp. this most radical aspect of it] subverted whatever custom, value or folk idea [that] came with in reach. No religious tradition had the power to resist it, no immigrant culture."

2) "The Idea of Democracy, like the idea of the New and the idea of Paradise (also part of the American mythos and contained within America's millenialist yearnings), began to change under the influence of the new industrial economy. "Gradually, wealth lay less in land and more in capital or in the money required to produce new goods. This pecuniary wealth was owned by a small minority; but at the same time, growing numbers of Americans were losing control of their work, becoming dependent on others --on the owners of capital--for their wages and well-being." "This fostered a double-sided conception of the democracy of desire. It stressed the diffusion of comfort and prosperity not merely as a part of the American experience, but instead as its centerpiece." "...The 'free-market' would allocate to Americans an infinitely growing supply of goods and services. American culture after 1880 -- children as well as adults, men and women, black and white -- would have the same right as individuals to desire, long for, and wish for whatever they pleased."

There was resistance to these appropriations, but eventually "material desires and pecuniary values came to constitute the base measure for all other values, even for ''the dim inner world by which men judge what is for them worthwhile.' Eventually, everyone signed on: Herbert Hoover, as Secretary of Commerce in the Twenties greatly expanded the Department of Commerce to help business, to provide "statistics" and "strategies" for the spread of consumer capitalism all over American and all over the world. Sadly, since then, the business of America has become its only business. A truly remarkable book.

Leisure as Consumerism
In William Leach's Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture the author ignores the topic of leisure by making it self-evident through consumerism. Leisure, and in turn consumerism, became actual businesses to the likes of the Straus Brothers and Marshall Field, as well as to by-products of consumer industries such as banks, hotels, and museums. Leach's book brings the nature of leisure full circle, from Veblen's Leisure Class to leisure of the working class, whose consumption boosted businesses that used working-class techniques based in the theatre and vaudeville as "showmanship" in the shop window.

perfect
Leach has written a wonderful book on the true roots of modern American society. Ever wonder why the only public meeting place extant is the shopping mall? Because "they" want it that way. Find out who they were - and are. But beware. You're probably one of them! ... Read more

Book Description

The only career series designed expressly to turn passions into paychecks!

The Careers for You series inspires career explorers to look at the job market through the unique lens of their own interests. Each book reveals dozens of ways to pursue a passion and make a living­­including many little-known but delightful careers that will surprise readers.

Reviews (4)

How to Get Paid to Read for a Living
If "book" is your favorite four-letter word, and you are looking for ways to get paid to read, then Careers for Bookworms and Other Literary Types can be your inspiration to find a new way to earn a living. While the authors explain in simple language the familiar jobs in the book industries, such as publishing, libraries and teaching, they also think way outside the box to present other jobs in which you can read for a living. Some are practical and some really stretch the definition of reading. For instance, would avid readers really think that reading fan mail for a celebrity or examining college applications would fit their interests? The most practical value of Careers for Bookworms are the interviews with real people who work in the jobs described and who explain how they, indeed, read for a living. The authors give the path a person has to take from entry level to the highest positions in each job and industry and also give information about trade organizations, job listings and other resources to help you find these jobs. The bottom line is that just about everyone has to read to some extent to do a better job, but this book is full of ideas for careers that might not have occurred to you. Whatever your interest, you are sure to find a way to incorporate reading into your job description.

Disappointing
Unlike the other reviewers, I found this book to be less than helpful. Yes, it does talk some about different literary-related fields, and I stress some, but the book lacks serious discussion of those careers. Plus, it gives limited resources for finding out more information....no websites and no mention of other literary career-related books. It only lists a few professional associations for each career. Also, there were no surprises as to which careers were selected, such as...becoming a librarian. If you just want a taste of what literary careers are out there, this book is worth a skim at your local bookstore, but if you really want to find out about these careers, follow up with books specifically geared toward a particular career.

Some helpful starting points. . .
This year, through a high-school course I am taking called "Career Exploration," I am beginning to discover the vast possibilities that await me in the working world. Although I don't know exactly what career I want to pursue yet, I do have it narrowed down to a few fields: education, journalism, librarianship, or theology. The book "Careers for Bookworms and Other Literary Types" has helped me to explore the first three of these pathways. As the title states, this is a book written for people want to integrate their passion for reading and the English language in general into their careers. The book says that "bookworms" will probably enjoy working in libraries, working at book publishing companies, working for magazines and newspapers, working on television shows and movies, teaching, researching, working for the government, or working as a professional lawyer, doctor, or executive. All of these careers are related in one way: they all involve a great deal of reading. Personally, I thought that librarianship was the most appealing of all of the careers in this book; it sounds rewarding and fun, yet challenging. This book has definitely made me want to seriously consider becoming a librarian. The information contained in this book was very helpful to me in terms of deciding which jobs that I would enjoy and which jobs I wouldn't. For each career and job title, the book lists a job description, cites qualifications, gives an average starting salary, and forecasts a job outlook. It also contains brief interviews with people in those professions and tells what they like and dislike about their jobs. Overall, I believe that this book can be a useful resource to other students trying to figure out which career path is right for them. For people who like to read, it sure would be nice to have a job that would allow one to engage in that passion on a daily basis.

GOOD OPPORTUNITIES
Do you love to read and wish to turn your love of words into a new career? If so, this slim volume describes a number of jobs for people who love to read. Bookworms share their career experiences for those who love the written word and want to do more with their skill of reading.

The book describes the particular field in which a Bookworm can utilize their skills ( librarian, teacher, copy editor, etc.), tells you of any educational requirements needed, and gives a brief bibliography of additional resources at the chapter's end.

Careers for Bookworms is good in that introduces you to the various careers out there available for advid readers. Unfortunately it fails to discuss any internet possibilities for bookworms. Although it lists the jobs available, it fails to give in depth descriptions as to how one finds these jobs. The book certainly needs a revision but is a good start in those seeking career opportunities in reading books. ... Read more

Book Description

The rise of an American legend from frontier entrepreneur to the number one global competitor:the story of a very private company in a highly secretive industry with a product the whole world needs. ... Read more

Book Description

Located only blocks from Tokyo's glittering Ginza, Tsukiji--the world's largest marketplace for seafood--is a prominent landmark, well known but little understood by most Tokyoites: a supplier for countless fishmongers and sushi chefs, and a popular and fascinating destination for foreign tourists. Early every morning, the worlds of hi-tech and pre-tech trade noisily converge as tens of thousands of tons of seafood from every ocean of the world quickly change hands in Tsukiji's auctions and in the marketplace's hundreds of tiny stalls. In this absorbing firsthand study, Theodore C. Bestor--who has spent a dozen years doing fieldwork at fish markets and fishing ports in Japan, North America, Korea, and Europe--explains the complex social institutions that organize Tsukiji's auctions and the supply lines leading to and from them and illuminates trends of Japan's economic growth, changes in distribution and consumption, and the increasing globalization of the seafood trade. As he brings to life the sights and sounds of the marketplace, he reveals Tsukiji's rich internal culture, its place in Japanese cuisine, and the mercantile traditions that have shaped the marketplace since the early seventeenth century. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of Japan's great cultural contributions to the world
Tsukiji, Tokyo's huge world-famous fish market, is a major attraction for foreign tourists to Japan, which is odd since there's not much for a tourist to look at or to buy. (Would you take home a kilo of fresh tuna?) There aren't any guided tours either. Yet the market is described as a must-see in most tourist books, and this in a city that has next to nothing in terms of tourist attractions. But perhaps this makes sense; Tokyo is a place where one can be and do rather than look and marvel, and the Tsukiji market is exactly that.

Tsukiji is almost nothing to look at but walk in and its people have things to do and places to go. The marketplace's grimy aging rows of cramped wet stalls house a teeming population of busy auctioneers, stevedores, and customers. Theodore Bestor's book brings it all to life and goes further by analysing in depth several aspects of the market.

After justifying Tsukiji (chapter 1) as a fit study for an anthropologist to pursue, Bestor gives us a thorough description of the key aspects of the Tsukiji marketplace: Tsukiji's neighbourhood, its (in the 1930s) avant-guarde form-follows-function layout (chapter 2); it's history (chapter 3); the importance of food culture in Japan and Tsukiji's lead-and-follow role in it (chapter 4); an economic analysis the value Tsukiji adds to the production chain (chapter 5); a true anthropological study of Tsukiji's society (chapter 6); a description of the mechanics of Tsukiji's auctions (chapter 7). At the end (chapter 8) Bestor peers a little into the future and reflects on Tokyo's changing landscape and the effects and likelihood of moving Tsukiji to a new location.

Bestor also adds a tiny little treasure in the first appendix: a complete and careful description of how to get there.

I originally intended to give Tsukiji only four stars because of a few drawbacks, but decided that this would have been churlish given how much I loved it. But here are a few warnings. Chapter 1 for instance is really meant for anthropologists who might question the study as legitimate anthropology; this chapter could have been shortened and included as a preface instead. Also, some of the material will confuse people who have never traveled to Japan. For instance while Bestor does point out that Japanese households buy their food daily, he doesn't dramatize it much. A section on how a typical Tokyo family spends a typical weekday from dawn to dusk, with a description of the children's lunch box, the husband's favourite eatery, and the wife's shopping would have helped the chapter on food culture.

But these are quibbles. Readers who live or visit Japan will love this book, readers who don't will need to work a little harder at visualizing some of it. And it is rewarding. "Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World" is a tightly focused study of one particular aspect of Japan; it will give readers a more intimate look than would a more general book on all of Japan.

All in all, highly recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great entrepreneurial yarn
Like everyone else, I loved the story of this family, men and dogs, and how they came to build their business. It was a true American entrepreneurial tale, and I'm glad they've had success. The descriptions of the dogs were also compelling.

I have to admit, though, that I've tied several of the recipes, and my dog never cared much for the results. The ginger snaps in particular seemed inedible to him. I've made many other dog biscuits for him using recipes from other places and out of the newspaper that sent him over the moon.

If you don't plan to use the recipes, I highly recommend this book. It is a wonderful story and well written.

What an inspirational story!
I really liked this book and have read it twice. Some parts of it were humorous. In short, I recommend this book to all dog lovers and owners!

Short Tails and Treats from Three Dog Bakery
This is one of the most intersting books I have ever read. It is funny, entertaining, and educational. It provides wonderful insight into the world of starting a business that you love. It discusses all of the hard work, and all of the rewards that accompany it. Additionally, this book was absolutely hilarious. I loved the stories about the three dogs. I have not tried the recipes yet, but they look great.

Dogs + Treats = Business Success
This book is a quick read that held my interest from beginning to end. It's funny and has it's own unique charm. More importantly, however, is the business angle that is interwoven throughout the "tale" (the author's pun, not mine!). This is the story of two guys and their three dogs who started a company on a shoestring and have grown it to a good-sized company. I bought a second copy to give to my brother, as inspiration, who is now starting his third entrepreneurial endeavor. I can't think of a reason why readers and their doggies would not immenseley enjoy this book. I rank this book 5 stars.

Funny and Inspirational! An Only In America "Tail"!
My wife brought home this book and loved it. Almost a year later, I picked it up, read it and could not put it down. This is the story of two dog lovers (and three dogs) who start a very unique business from their home and grow it to a national-sized chain. The book was written in a very humorous tone and I can see where any budding entrepreneur would find it a very inspirational story. I know we can speak from experience that our two dogs and our neighborhood dogs have thoroughly enjoyed the recipes that are sprinkled thoughout this book. I would rate this hilarious book 5 paws! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Nothin' like 'em 'round here.
I never knew how grand the bakeries of Paris where until I read Boulangerie! I wish we had a similar tradition in my home town. I love bread and soup above all other foods! Some day, when I visit Paris, I'll search the city with a copy of this pocket guide in my hand.
I also enjoyed the pictures of the boulangeries of Paris on the authors Web site: Dorseybooks.com

A TIME MANAGEMENT NECESSITY
Let's face it, whether you are visiting Paris for the first or the fifth time, there never seems to be enough time to squeeze everything in. Everyone should take at least one evening or one afternoon for a 3-star dinner or lunch; but, when you are busily going from sight to sight, who has that kind of time? This book is perfect for letting you find bakeries with a wonderful range of foods you can carry away with you. I found that the descriptions of each bakery carried their specialities and any unusual items they carried. The first time you find a conveniently located establishment when you are trying to get from point A to point B, you will know what a treasure it is. The size makes it very convenient to take with you as well.

An Essential Pre-Paris-Trip Book
This book is a jewel. It made our first Paris trip that much more special by introducing us to some exceptionally fine bakeries. This pocket-sized book not only gives you a listing of the fine Boulangeries (organized by arrondisements, includes the address & phone number, closest metro or bus stop, when they are open, and what's special about each) but tells you where to go (nearby picnic spots) and eat the bread and goodies that you buy at these Boulangeries -- this is what truly made the book special. We tried "Robineau" in the 7th and "Gerard Beufort" in the 5th as listed in this book and we were not disappointed. Both had wonderful baked goods, the former within a short walk to the Champ de Mars and Eiffel, and the latter, a 3-minute walk away from Arenes de Lutece, the ancient Roman amphitheater which is a perfect picnic spot. You could use this book to plan your breakfasts and picnic lunches as a nice balance to the Bistro-dining in Paris. ... Read more

Book Description

Food's Frontier provides a survey of pioneering agriculturalresearch projects underway in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, India, China, Chile,Brazil, Mexico, and Peru by a writer both well-grounded technically andsensitive to social and cultural issues. The book starts from the premise thatthe "Green Revolution" which averted mass starvation a generation ago is not along-term solution to global food needs and has created its own very seriousproblems. Based on increasing yields by extensive use of pesticides, chemicalfertilizers, and monoculture--agribusiness-style production of single crops-- this approach has poisoned both land and farm workers, encouraged new strains ofpests that are resistant to ever-increasing amounts of pesticides, and killedthe fertility of land by growing single crops rather than rotating crops thatcan replenish nutrients in the soil. Solutions to these problems are coming froma reexamination of ancient methods of agriculture that have allowed small-scaleproductivity over many generations. Research in the developing world, based onalternative methods and philosophies, indigenous knowledge, and native crops,joined with cutting edge technology, offer hope for a more lasting solution tothe world's increasing food needs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Bought and Sold
While I give him credit for acknowledging the McKnight Foundation's role in his writing this book, you can tell throughout that Manning is doing it for their sake, and less for ours. Regardless, there is some interesting information about agriculture past, present and future, but I didn't feel he reaches a unified point about where we as humans should go next.

from the Green Revolution to the Information Revolution
You have to approach with trepidation a book which has a cover blurb from the despicable, antihuman, scare monger Paul Ehrlich and which the author warns you was funded by a private organization (The McKnight Foundation) that funds the projects which he's going to be discussing. Right off the bat it just seems extraordinarily unlikely that you'll get a calm, balanced and non-dogmatic presentation of the issues. It's a pleasant surprise then that Richard Manning, despite a sleight over reliance on Ehrlichean "sky-is-falling" rhetoric, is able, at least to my non-expert eyes, to offer a full and fair look at some of the current debates surrounding the future of agriculture generally and, more specifically, the issues that arise out of the need to boost crop yields in developing countries to meet the rising food demands of their constantly increasing populations.

Manning's basic premise is that the original Green Revolution--largely a product of improved fertilizers, pesticides, and breeding techniques--has hit a wall and is no longer providing the types of increases in production which have characterized the past thirty or forty years. Nor is there any readily apparent successor Revolution to step in and provide the necessary increases. He proposes that the answer to pending food supply problems then will not come from such a top down revolution but rather will have to rely on myriad local solutions :

The Green Revolution at its most fundamental level treated all the world the same, but the lessons being learned in agriculture now are local. A practice, a variety, a people, and a crop endure in a place because selection has finely tuned them to survival. They have evolved along with local conditions, and the path to a sustainable future requires some respect for the results of that process.

In the ensuing chapters he surveys the results of studies in nine regions--Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, India, several parts of China, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Peru--on unfamiliar but traditional crops like sorghum, tef, milpa, sweet potatoes, and the like, which suggest that these foodstuffs are uniquely suited to these areas and are more appropriate than Western grains. The work being done by scientists in these countries therefore focusses on how to maximize the yields of these native plants, but their work tends to be understaffed, underfunded and unappreciated. The nations after all tend to be poor, their best minds tend to emigrate to the industrialized West and there's not much interest on the part of powerful multinational corporations in these marginal crops. This is where McKnight and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) come in, providing seed money (quite literally) to keep local scientists working to improve local crops.

The best section of the book is Manning's rational and dispassionate discussion of bioengineering. Though he maintains a healthy respect for the dangers that genetic manipulation of crops could conceivably pose, he also recognizes that it is already happening on a significant scale and is going to continue regardless of hysteria like that which greets export of genetically modified American goods to Europe, that it is absolutely vital to the daunting task of boosting yields, and that it simply does not much differ from the routine ways in which man has always intervened in plant and animal breeding. Sadly missing from most of the heated argument that you hear about genetically modified foods is the simple common sense and undeniable truth of the following :

For at least ten thousand years humans have been engaged in selection, an artificial pressure on breeding populations. All the forms of life we call domestic have a genetic makeup, a code, that is artificial as a result of this pressure.

Manning does not issue a blanket approval for all bioengineering, suggesting that more limited manipulations may be more effective anyway, and are certainly less risky, but he comes down squarely in favor of using the techniques, particularly to help improve these native crops.

In the end, Manning suggests that the examples he's looked at are united by a common thread : that local knowledge, conditions, and customs should play a much more central role than they have in guiding agricultural development in Third World nations, and that they have started to, thanks in large part to the efforts of NGOs like McKnight :

All this suggests the real breakdown of the linear model. Information and knowledge will no longer flow from top to bottom but will originate in and reverberate through every part of the system. Information flows among researchers and farmers that in the end could have them working on a common ground, a common ground of knowledge. It may be difficult to define what will replace Green Revolution methods, but this concept lies at its core.

In fact, this too is a revolution, as he says, an "information revolution." Moreover, it echoes the writings of folks like F. A. Hayek on political economies, and the idea that centralized, bureaucratic, top-down decision making can not possibly be effective, precisely because it can not take into account all of the unique individual and local information bubbling up from the bottom.

It's become sort of commonplace these days to depict the ascent of Free Markets and Global Trade as a threat to the developing world, to the environment, and to local customs. But the push for free market capitalism is based on the hard won consensus that such a system offers the most efficient means of structuring an economy, that only such an open system allows for the free flow of ideas and information which is a predicate for intelligent decision making. It is really exciting to see that a similar recognition may be emerging in the field of agriculture and in those developing countries, that not only are free markets not necessarily a threat to native ways of life but that such a decentralized, fluid, information dependent, ruthlessly efficient system may be the best means of preserving local knowledge and traditions.

GRADE : B+ ... Read more

Book Description

The last two years have seen drastic changes in the import/export arena, due to a combination of world developments, economic changes, and technological advances. Mastering Import and Export Management is a definitive resource for keeping up to date with the latest laws, regulations, and opportunities in international trade. This invaluable, authoritative volume offers complete, timely, and practical hands-on information on:

* Import/export documentation* Global supply chain operations and procedures* Post-9/11 compliance and security regulations* Identifying invaluable international resources* New import/export technology solutions* Cargo loss control* International marking, labeling and packing guidelines* Dealing with U.S. customs and other key government supply chain agencies* Enhanced record keeping and valuation capabilities* Classification and valuation options* And much more

Mastering Import and Export Management presents cost-effective methods for running an import and/or export operation on any scale, and offers all the tools necessary to do it thoroughly, efficiently, and legally. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

David Bank's Breaking Windows offers a scathing inside look at the past few tumultuous years at the Microsoft Corporation. Bank, who covers the company for The Wall Street Journal, bases this well-written tale on interviews he has conducted with most major players (including Bill Gates), along with boxes of e-mails and other documents that "provided an unprecedented glimpse into strategic debates and internal decision-making processes of a company that had long restricted outside access to its insular corporate culture." Through them he shows how Microsoft, which always put software above everything--and in more recent years made Windows its number-one priority--has scrambled and squabbled as first the Internet and then the U.S. government forced major directional changes and significant internal reevaluations.

Bank's story crackles with immediacy as he brings readers directly into the action with central characters like Gates, who "created a company that remained uniquely a projection of himself"; Steve Ballmer, the close friend of Gates and former sales-force leader elevated to CEO; Jim Allchin, a senior vice president who heads the Windows division and remains a staunch advocate for its dominance; and Brad Silverberg, another VP who launched Windows 3.1 and 95 before forming the Internet division and fervently trying to turn the company in its direction. Those who can't get enough on the behemoth from Redmond will find this an illuminating addition to their bookshelf. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Interesting History, Not so Interesting Editorial
David Banks does a masterful job of telling the story of the internal battle between Windows and Internet Explorer. It is insightful story over the struggle for strategy. Written in the tradition of the Wall Street Journal Bank's paints colorful vignettes of the key personalities and imbues the struggle between these two groups with drama.

However one of the interesting ironies of the business press is that journalists confuse themselves with their subjects. (I know of very few who went from covering a beat to running a company.) Unfortunately the more famous the publication you write for, the less you seem to remember that. This book simply fails when Banks puts on this business analyst hat. Luckily when you hear the scraping of the soapbox those pages are few and can be easily skimmed.

If you're interested in an internal history of Microsoft during the browser wars, buy this book.

The emperors of Redmond in their new Clothes
While reading "Breaking Windows", I felt as if I was holding a stick of dynamite, because this gripping book completely blows the lid off of the "official" Microsoft history of the last few years. David Bank has told a story seldom reported in the mainstream media, which is that the real battle for the internet was fought not between Microsoft and Netscape, or even between Microsoft and Sun. Ground zero in the battle for control of the internet was fought between various factions within Microsoft. Senior management, which viewed the internet as a threat to the Windows franchise, tried to contain the "disruptive innovations" advocated by company strategists seeking to wholly embrace the concept of internet computing.

The dilemma facing Microsoft in the new millennium is that their blockbuster franchises, Windows and Office, are "feature driven" businesses. Users continually upgrade to the newest version in order to get more power and features. This value proposition was the growth engine of the computing industry until the mid 1990s, when the internet burst onto the scene. In the internet model, power and features matter less than connectivity. What creates value in a network environment is the number of people or applications that connect to the network. The Windows upgrade strategy becomes vulnerable, because with each attempt to upgrade the installed base, the upgrade version starts out initially with zero users. How can Microsoft simultaneously leverage the network effects of the internet, and further the Windows and Office franchises? Should these goals be part of a unified strategy?

Anyone who wishes to understand today's current "infection point" in software and computing architecture should read this book. It is a superb account of the internal crisis at Microsoft in 1999-2000, as the company confronted its transformation from insurgent innovator to defender of the status quo. The issues raised in this book continue to confront the company today, as Microsoft attempts to regain leading-edge industry leadership with the .NET platform, while at the same time protecting Windows from becoming a mere hardware abstraction layer. The book sets a "de-facto standard" in framing some of the issues surrounding Microsoft and the Internet.

Great reporting, broken analysis
The most frustrating aspect of this book is that the first half, based largely on emails produced during the antitrust trial, is a riveting and fascinating look at the internal Microsoft battles, while the last half is a poor analysis of a "missed" opportunity.

For the last half to be even readable you have to accept a few premises that simply were not supported by the text nor borne out by subsequent history. As an example, Gates is portrayed almost as an incompetent fool, eased aside into near-irrelevance by his board and Balmer. Further, the future of Microsoft's very existence is keyed upon abandoning (even giving away) Windows and starting from scratch, competing always on the last best effort with no clinging to any competitive advantage won so far, and that customers always value interoperability over utility, and so on.

While many of these would be highly desirable for competitors, the book repeatedly claims but never sufficiently makes the case for the theory that for its own sake Microsoft should discard its durable competitive advantage at every turn. I consider that to be an exceptional claim which demands exceptional proof, and which is never provided.

Good Job
David Bank does a good job of getting into the meat of the Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer story, and he was much help in helping me write my unauthoprized bio of Microsoft's CEO BAD BOY BALLMER.

One Choice is no Choice
Despite what Microsoft says they have no real competition. After reading this book I have to say, one choice is no choice at all. If you don't like Microsoft products you can't find a wide variety of programs without going to a lot of trouble. Microsoft would do better if they had competition nipping at their heels.

I love the people who say that Microsoft will take care of all its bugs. There are bugs because there is no formidable compitition! Microsoft can take it's sweet old time because there is no one out there to give people a real choice. ... Read more