2 comments about International Business Law and Its Environment.

1. This book contains a concise explanation of every day problems regarding foreign transactions, together with an explanation of the Common law system specially in United States, this book concentrates pertinent cases for each of the subjects explained in it.



2. Despite that the book is very expensive and a required text book for college, I think it is an excellent book. It is informative and easy to read. The author made the information interesting and kept me engaged. If I didn't need the money (from reselling it), I would keep it as a reference guide.

No comments about Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Six Industrialized Countries.

4 comments about How We Compete: What Companies Around the World Are Doing to Make it in Today's Global Economy.

1. More than two million jobs disappeared from the U.S. between '01 and '04 - half a million in high-tech industries alone. Further, Steven Roach, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, estimates that there have been about 8 million fewer jobs in the current recovery than would have been expected from prior history, and most of the new jobs come with low wages and few benefits.
   
   Berger knows these numbers have caused a rising fear that no American job is safe from low-wage countries. To discover whether these fears are justified, Berger and a group of MIT researchers visited over 500 workplaces and factories around the world. Their conclusion is that cheap labor is not the answer.
   
   This conclusion is currently true in some instances; however, the authors fail to see that cheap labor (the "China price") is increasingly dominating decision-making - both in services and manufacturing. Jobs that formerly were not candidates for outsourcing (finance, market research, industrial design, computer systems design, paralegal research, reading X-rays) now are; strategies that previously fought off Asian alternatives often fail to work several years later as China and India adopt new techniques; in fact the authors often cite previously highly successful American companies that subsequently succumbed.
   
   G.M. and Ford are additional examples where this may yet happen - despite years of world-leadership. Part of their problem was believing that they could let Japan have the low-cost market - this worked for awhile, but now Toyota et al have applied the lessons learned in that market segment, and leveraged their distribution etc. systems on to producing competitive SUVs and innovative hybrids as well. Meanwhile, Toyota sees Korea and China as its most formidable future challenges, and despite its vaunted Toyota Production System, maintaining direct control throughout all stages (so does Microsoft, but that hasn't kept it from substantial outsourcing to India), and co-locating with suppliers, is seriously looking at China. Remember Visteon and Delphi (Ford and G.M.'s former parts arms)? Spinning them off was supposed to encourage more companies to utilize them, and it worked - for a time. Today's successes are far too often ephemeral!
   
   To be fair, the authors also point out that studies and analyses on the impact of outsourcing reach conclusions all over the map. However, I think the most accurate (and certainly highly credible) conclusion is that of former MIT economist (and Nobel prize-winner) Paul Samuelson - globalization should increase the world's total income and average standard of living, but there's no reason to think any particular country or region's advances will outweigh its losses.
   
   Berger, et al, also go on to recommend substantially improving American education. The "bad news" is that this has been tried for at least 30 years, with little impact. Further, others have determined that Asian IQs average about ten points over that of American whites. Regardless, what difference would improving education make, even if we did achieve equality with Asian outcomes, when the workers are paid but a fraction of Americans?
   
   Berger does mention the rationale for foreign corporations choosing to continue building millions of cars in the U.S. - laws requiring U.S. content. Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes, BMW, Subaru, VW and others have built large plants in the U.S. as a result of this act. However, the authors fail to recognize this as a potentially strong and viable overall solution to the hollowing of America.
   
   Another important omission is the problem of outsourcing large numbers of jobs to illegals within this country - in fact, Berger et al reference a situation involving such as a solution! Estimates are that AT LEAST nine million illegals from Mexico are here - depressing wage levels and stealing jobs that Americans formerly did. And what about the large number of Canadian truck drivers within the U.S. - soon to be augmented by Mexicans. (There are NO American truck drivers in Mexico that I know of, and very few that I've seen in Canada.) Then there is the self-inflicted problem of L1 and H1B visas bringing hundreds of thousands more, albeit legally. While technically not "outsourcing," the impact of each of the preceding is the same.
   
   Another thought from some "experts" is that sending off the lower-level jobs allows the U.S. to focus on "higher level" jobs such as innovation. That's ridiculous for at least two reasons: 1)Manufacturing, for example, involves more than drilling, welding, molding, etc. It also involves design, production management, production layout, machine design, etc. These are NOT low-level jobs, nor is operating highly technical equipment. 2)How are all the displaced workers going to become eg. biomedical researchers, rocket scientists, etc.? (Oh yes, the Chinese and Indians are moving into those areas also; I have encountered a number of Americans who took recommended training in new areas after being "outsourced" from a long-term occupation only to become outsourced again.)
   
   Also missing from "How We Compete" is any discussion and recommendation on healthcare. Auto manufacturers repeatedly claim that having to pay healthcare for their employees adds $1,000+ cost to each car - creating government-funded universal healthcare like other nations would help save jobs in America.
   
   "How We Compete" address an important topic - however, its focus on CURRENT approaches (vs. trends) results in conclusions that are seriously over-optimistic. (Inadequate analysis by Berger and others helps explain the maze of contradictory conclusions on this topic; political and economic motivations of short-sighted clients are additional drivers.) Eight million jobs here, nine million there, etc., etc. - it adds up and hurts a lot. Meanwhile, America's competitive status declines daily and our government does little or nothing in defense.



2. In the boom years of mass consumption after WWII, the vertically integrated companies flexed all their muscles. Giants like RCA, IBM, Levi Strauss, and Volkswagen coordinated all the functions from research and development to distribution within their own control in the company. "For the first time in history, a great number of complex manufactured goods, like automobiles, refrigerators, canned foods, bicycles, and radio and television sets, became affordable for people with ordinary earnings."
   
   In this book, they attempt to report on what the team learned about constraints and strategic choices in the global enonomy. "As far as I know, this is the first large-scale analysis of globalization that starts with a view from the trenches -- the people under great pressure to respond to new challenges in hundreds of companies around the world." If all manufacturing leaves America, can research, design, and services be far behind?
   
   Firms locate production abroad or contract out to foreign manufacturers to get the cheap labor. It doesn't matter that the quality is poor and not up to standard. "Finding workers at lower wages is the main concern." Who makes Dell computers and where? The December 19, 2004, 'New York Times' article quoted Kevin Rollins as saying that "Dell makes them in the United States." They even moved a production group to Nashville, Tennessee. "None is outsourced; none is made in other countries and shipped in." It has been pointed out that Dell laptops are assembled abroad." In 2005, 'Fortune' named Dell "America's most admired company." Ms. Berger maintains that "the only operation that take place in Dell factories in the United States are those involved with final assembly -- in other words, screwing in the parts and burning in the software options selected by the customer" and that Dell outsources all the manufacturing of the components which are included in its computers.
   
   Lenova Group Ltd. may be the world's third-largest computer maker after acquiring IBM's personal computer business, but it's a household name only in China. It provided an Internet cafe in the Olympic Village at Torino with free access to thirty-four computers for email service for the athletes and trainers. NBC's Olympic crew leased 1,000 Lenova notebook and desktop computers. Because of this exposure and the expensive sponsorship, its aim is recognition as a worldwide brand.
   
   Global trade has railroads humming again. The right train of thought can take you to a better station in life. Norfolk Southern is leading the way. As manufacturing moved abroad, more finished goods needed to crisscross the country from ports. In the 20th century, train engines, railroad cars, and thousands of miles of railroad tracks were all Norfolk Southern needed to reach prosperity. With the assistance of University of Tennessee as a key management tool to a broader understanding of the global logistics economy, Norfolk Southern is now more integrated in the global supply chain.
   
   Many of their trains are reassembled at the John Sevier Yard where my dad worked in the Fifties for the Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern who bought them out operates in twenty-two states and Canada, employing 30,000 people with Knoxville as a key hub because of its location and the CSX local Railroad. Sourcing of parts and materials is more global not only on a 21,000 mile cross-country route, but the Asian products headed to the Midwest will use Eastern ports like Norfolk, Virginia.
   
   At present, six major U. S. ports including Miami, Florida, are being used by Arab Emirates businesses which merged with a subsidiary of a London-based firm purchased by Durai Ports Wrold for $6.8 billion to allow direct access to American soil. Medicare is already substituting generic medicines manufactured in Israel and Germany in its new drug "insurance" whereby the American patient has no say in the matter. And it is not free! Competing globally for manufactured goods is one thing but putting the American population, especially the fragile elderly, at risk for chemical warfare -- or national security -- is another matter.
   
   Previously, I reviewed Thomas Friedman's THE WORLD IS FLAT which this author takes a differing opinion. She says that he claims "talented individuals from all over the world are now competing on a level playing field." She advocates that our world is still round. When MIT came out with another study, "Made in America" in 1988, "we learned about senior corporate delegations making visit after visit to Japanese plants to fathom the secrets of Japanese success." The Toyota and Nissan plants were built in Smyrna, Tennessee, and Lexington, Kentucky, and Detroit lost some of its automobile production to Spring Hill, Tennessee. Now, the digital companies have decided on Middle Tennessee to relocate.
   
   This is a five-year study by a dozen (nine men, three women) MIT Industrial Performance Center Globalization Team of which the author was a member. She teaches political science at MIT and was also in the group which produced the earlier study, "Made in America." Established in 1991, the IPC is headed by Richard K. Lester. There is a group picture on page 335 of the illustrious group which has now decided "How We Compete." I say, we don't!



3. A real page turner, plenty of insight into outsourcing and globalisation, very impressive piece of work!



4. This is a great book that explores globalization. It presents information about offshoring and outsourcing that most people do not hear or think about.

No comments about Law & Capitalism: What Corporate Crises Reveal about Legal Systems and Economic Development around the World.

No comments about Plato's Ethics.

No comments about The Economics of Growth.

5 comments about Today's ISMS: Socialism, Capitalism, Fascism, Communism, and Libertarianism (11th Edition).

1. I liked it, but think that previous editions were better, the older edition I picked up in the library was much better I think.



2. This very concise book explains four major political structures that have shaped nations in the twentieth century. It is useful as an introduction to the theories of socialism, capitalism, fascism, and communism, but most people already have some idea of what these things are about. The greater benefit in reading this book may be in learning how these ideologies have been put into practice in different countries. In each section, the authors discuss the history and theory of the ideology, how it has been implemented, and then some other issues that relate to the topic. I was most curious about communism, and was glad to find that almost half the book is devoted to it. This book is for those who want a quick and informative overview on the varieties of political thinking that have been influential and continue to be influential in our world. In attempting to understand other nations, it is necessary to have some understanding of the politics that have shaped them.

   The edition I read was the tenth.




3. *this review concerns the edition that did not discuss libertarianism.. that would be a welcome addition*
   I give this two stars because there WERE parts of the book that were factual, interesting, and important. However, I found the entire book as a whole to be sloppy, confusing, and poorly written. For example, throughout the entire book, I was waiting to see a simple definition of socialism, or for a distinct difference between socialism and communism. However, not only does the author never do this, but he confuses the reader more and more by talking for dozens of pages on MARX in the SOCIALIST chapter, when Marx wrote the COMMUNIST manifesto!?! Does he explain the links or relationships between the two? Never. I was surprisingly disappointed in this book, as I would be very interested in a thorough, succinct, clear analysis of these philosophies.



4. I use this book to help prepare lecture notes for the AP Govt classes I teach. It is quite readable and simply organized. Any instructor of govt or any serious student of govt should have this book.



5. Based on 11 editions and 4/5 stars I was expecting much more. The chapter on socialism was extremely weak without even an attempt at a formal definition. The capitalism chapter described statism/mixed economy, as it exists in the U.S., and called it capitalism. I cut my losses on this book after the first two sections. This is an eighth-grade level survey of political theories.

1 comments about Third Ways: How Bulgarian Greens, Swedish Housewives, and Beer-Swilling Englishmen Created Family-Centered Economies - And Why They Disappeared (Culture of Enterprise).

1. _Third Ways: How Bulgarian Greens, Swedish Housewives, and Beer-Swilling Englishmen Created Family-Centered Economies - And Why They Disappeared_, published in 2007 in the Culture of Enterprise Series by ISI Books, by leading family scholar Allan C. Carlson is a fascinating examination of some of the early attempts to promote a sort of "third way" economic system that differed and was opposed to both liberal capitalism and communism and that was centered on the family. The third way was frequently aligned with agrarian interests, advocated widespread ownership of private property, and in particular placed a strong emphasis on the family, frequently calling for the creation of a "family wage". The third way also differed from fascism and Nazism in its commitment to democratic institutions and pluralism. The third way emphasized "natural" communities of family, village, neighborhood, and parish and was frequently linked to religious interests. In particular, following the papal encyclical of Leo XIII, _Rerum Novarum_, both G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc developed an economic system they referred to as Distributism to oppose what they perceived as the excesses of both capitalism and socialism and the dread mergence of the two in the "Servile State" as envisioned by Belloc. This book offers a fascinating examination of some of these economic developments with their emphasis on private property, small-scale ownership, agrarianism, and in particular the role of the family and the household economy.
   
   The book begins with a "Preface" in which the author explains the developments of the twentieth century in which Communism emerged as a significant force to compete with economic liberal capitalism. During the Cold War era, individuals were frequently pushed into taking a side on this encompassing issue; however, the author notes that in the 1920s and 1930s some individuals had developed alternatives to both capitalism and socialism. Some of these individuals had sided with fascism or Nazism, but others were committed to a more peaceful "third way", such as the Distributists associated with Chesterton and Belloc. Ultimately, the third way saw itself as the only opportunity to preserve human liberty in the face of the coming mergence of both capitalism and socialism in the Servile State (or what may today be called "state capitalism") as predicted by Belloc. Many of these individuals actively promoted the family and called for the renewal of a "family wage" and many were associated with religious movements.
   
   The first chapter of this book is entitled ""ChesterBelloc" And the Fairy Tale of Distributism" and focuses on the third way system developed by both G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc (both English Catholics). The author begins by noting some of the reactions of various authors to the ideal of Distributism, noting that authors have not been particularly kind to this ideal of Chesterton and Belloc. Even friendly commentators have frequently derided Distributism as being unrealistic; however, it should be pointed out that Belloc's prediction of the growth of the "Servile State" (a coming mergence of both capitalism and socialism in the power of the state) has proven particularly prescient. The author considers the relationship this system had with Roman Catholicism, noting the importance of the papal encyclical _Rerum Novarum_ of Leo XIII. The author notes in particular the importance of the right to property expressed in this encyclical. The author next turns to Chesterton and Belloc, noting each of their roles respectively in promoting the system of Distributism, emphasizing the thinking that grew up around A. R. Orage and his journal _The New Age_. The author explains the ideas of Chesterton and Belloc concerning the role of private property, the importance of a widespread distribution of property, and the emphasis on agrarianism, the family, and the small-scale. The author also notes some of the prescriptions of Chesterton and Belloc in fighting against monopoly and the emerging state. The author also discusses the Distributist League (noting amusingly the importance of alcoholic beverages for members of this league) and its role in discussing the ideas that came to be called Distributism. The author also discusses some of the influence of Distributism and also its ultimate failure. The second chapter of this book is entitled "The Wages of Kin: Building a Secular Family-Wage Regime". Here, the author discusses the role of the "family wage" (the wage needed of a breadwinner to support himself and a family), noting the importance that the family wage came to play and the role of labor in supporting this idea. The author discusses the origins of the notion of the "family wage" in scholastic "just price" theory and its role in the thinking of various economists including Smith, Malthus, and Marx. The author notes the opposition of some feminists to this notion, showing how women came to play a larger role in the workplace as they left the home. The author also discusses the emergence of the welfare state and its role in subjugating women by making them dependent on the state as pointed out by certain feminist critics. The author also discusses the role of children in the workplace and the importance of the family wage for maintaining liberty. The third chapter of this book is entitled "Alexander Chayanov and the Theory of Peasant Utopia". Here, the author discusses the ideas of Russian economist Alexander Chayanov and his theories concerning the role of agriculture and the peasantry. The author notes the traditional importance of the peasant in Russian life before the coming Bolshevik revolution as well as the growth of populism. The author discusses Chayanov's utopian books that present a "decentralized, oddly progressive, democratic Russian state". The author contrasts Chayanov's thinking with that of both Marx and Ricardo and explains how Chayanov (who although an initial supporter of the Russian Revolution) eventually came into conflict with the Soviets and Stalin eventually put him into a gulag. The fourth chapter of this book is entitled "Green Rising: The Promise and Tragedy of Peasant Rule in Eastern Europe". This chapter discusses the role of Distributist ideas in Eastern Europe emphasizing agrarian reform and peasant rule. In particular, Alexander Stamboliski (a Bulgarian Green) came to play a prominent role in the peasant rising in Bulgaria in the interwar period. The author discusses the ideas of Stamboliski and his conflicts with various groups including the Marxists and why his ideas ultimately failed. The fifth chapter is entitled "Last March of the Swedish Socialist Housewives", which explains the importance of the role of the housewife in Sweden and the thinking of various feminists about this role. The author discusses in particular the thinking of Ellen Key (who proposed a Nietzschean supermother) and Alva Myrdal (who offered a feminist critique of the housewife). The author notes the importance that home economics came to take on for the movement of the housewives and how socialist housewives frequently allied themselves with more conservative groups in their goal to preserve this institution. The sixth chapter is entitled "Karl Polany and "The Economy Without Markets"". This chapter discusses the ideas of Karl Polanyi author of _The Great Transformation_ and concerns itself with his opposition to markets. Polanyi praised capitalism, but at the same time maintained that the liberal free-market rested upon state interference. In particular, Polanyi had a complicated relationship to both liberalism and conservativism (as those words are understood both in the United States and Britain) and although regarded as a liberal in the United States has been praised by conservative thinkers such as Robert Nisbet. In particular, Polanyi predicted liberalism's economic collapse and expressed unease over the idea of "homo economicus" that reflects much conservative thinking on the subject. The seventh chapter is entitled "Seeking a Moral Economy: The Christian Democratic Movement". The author begins by discussing the notion of the "culture war" as expressed by Pat Buchanan in the United States, but showing how this notion is rooted in the Germanic idea of the "kulturkampf" in which the German empire launched an assault on religious liberty and family. The author discusses the opposition of many Christians to the French Revolution and the emergence of the Christian Democrats as an attempt to face the French Revolution. The Christian Democrats were strongly influenced by Catholic elements which opposed the Enlightenment and expressed an opposition to the excesses of the state as well as a respect for the family. However, Protestants too came to play an important role in the Christian Democratic movement (especially in that Christians realized they must put aside their differences that had led to a series of religious wars in order to fight a common enemy that had emerged from the French Revolution). Among the Protestants, Abraham Kuyper of the Netherlands played an important role in forming an Anti-Revolutionary Party. Another individual sometimes associated with the Christian Democrats is the liberal economist Wilhelm Ropke who advocated for a humane economy and proposed a notion of "homo religiosus". The author explains the troubled relationship between the Christian Democrats and the fascists, the decline of the Christian Democrats with the coming of a new libertine morality in the 1960s and some of the corruption of their original ideals. The author also explains why no strong Christian Democrat movement committed to social justice has emerged in the United States. The book ends with a chapter entitled "Conclusion: Dreams, Realities, Illusions". Here, the author explains why the third way movements have ultimately failed with the coming of Belloc's Servile State and the complicated relationship between the third way and the welfare state. The author notes the naivety and intellectual decency of many involved in the third way (in their commitment to honesty and pacifism) and contrasts this to the more violent approaches taken by many states in the twentieth century. The author then discusses the failure of the "Second Way" (or Soviet Communism) and the rise of a Servile State and a form of "Mafia Capitalism" in its midst. The author also notes how third way proponents frequently were more opposed to the influence of the state and were more "anti-tax" than many economic liberals. The author finally discusses how a "Family Way" must be restored in an effort to bring change and combat the Servile State or the "Business State".
   
   This book offers a fascinating examination of certain economic alternatives to both liberal capitalism and communism. Most of these alternatives were developed in the period between the world wars when it still seemed possible to combat the coming mergence of the Servile State. As such, they offer some hope for those of us today who wish to combat the slavery imposed by the Servile State.

1 comments about How to Save on Prescription Drugs: 20 Cost-Saving Methods.

1. Long known as a patient advocate in his home town of Templeton, California, this busy family doctor has a special interest in the subject of medication and a passion for helping his patients keep drug costs to a minimum. The son of a physician, with three brothers who are also physicians, he has been well-steeped in pharmacological and medical issues for most of his life. This book is an exceptional bounty of knowledge written for the common patients' pharmacy needs in an inflationary economy in which many people have little income and no health insurance. On a personal level, this book has changed how my husband and myself talk to our physicians about our medication issues and has help cut our drug expenses in half.

1 comments about Imperfect Knowledge Economics: Exchange Rates and Risk.

1. "Imperfect Knowledge Economics" has as its central tenet that most modern economic models are flawed because they are based on the idea that people always act "rationally" (i.e. we always have perfect information, we never suffer from external constraints, and our goals are always to maximize economic value). The book then proposes a new way to think about economics, suggesting that because people act as people the best that economists can do is to make vague general predictions about the future.
   
   Of course, to any non-economist who pays any attention to economic forecasts, all of this is met with a resounding "DUH". The one nice thing about this book is that it hopefully will be read by other economists, and get them to finally realize what most of us have already understood for quite a while, that economists are often the last ones to actually understand what *people* will be thinking, feeling and doing - and of course *people* are ultimately the driving force behind economic markets. (For example: witness how long it took for economists to start saying the word "recession" during this spring of 2008. It turns out that spending data show that consumers knew that poor economic times were coming all the back in the late fall of 2007. Somehow the economists were the last ones to figure this out.)
   Probably interesting if you are an economist, or you need to deal with economists on a regular basis (certainly if you need to *argue* with an economist). However other than that, its not going to be all that useful for the rest of us as we already know, understand, and have seen the authors' main points for quite a long time.