5 comments about Lords of the Rim.

1. Lots of anecdotes, allegations and speculation = a hash of a thesis.



2. Seagrave's well-researched book outlines a truth that anyone living in Southeast Asia is already well aware of. A necessary read for anyone interested in SE Asian politics and economics.



3. Sterling Seagrave has done some wonderful primary research for this book (the appendix of footnotes is very lengthy), which has helped me learn a lot of interesting facts about the history of China and the development of cultural attributes of certain groups of people living in China.
   
   However, the utility of this research is dulled by the utter banality of Seagraves commentary. In his eagerness to lend a pseudo-conspiratorial tone to his narrative, he constantly overgeneralizes and writes about topics uncovered by the evidence he presents.
   
   Furthermore, he constantly writes about people that only contribute a minor role in developing the series of events he is discussing, a habit that becomes distracting after reading the 4th 1-paragraph introduction in one chapter to a historical figure that is never mentioned again in the book.
   
   I also have the impression that Seagrave does not know much about the role of incentives and such in economic development, which really hurts his ability to write about the current Chinese economic boom in more coherency, rather than in broad platitudes and appeals to stereotype (some of the stereotypes are supported by the evidence Seagrave had provided, but I wish his commentary in this area had been considerably more focused and useful).
   
   The book's strength is definitely in its earlier chapters on ancient and medieval Chinese history, where he keeps his extra-evidential assertions to a minimum. When Seagrave began writing about modern history, I had to hold my nose while looking for useful facts and evidence, because his analysis was THAT banal.



4. Don't listen to the naysayers! This is the greatest book of its kind I've ever read and I've read hundreds. The chapters on Sanbao(the real Sinbad)and Tsuji Masanobu (the cannibal)are worth the price of the book. Sure, some of the writing may be stretching the truth a bit or may be speculation. The value is in the stimulation of ones imagination of what it was like to live through those periods. I really think there is enough material here for several movies. No other book has ever conjured up so many images in my mind. It was Braveheart x ten.



5. This is a fine little book comprised of, as the Publisher's Weekly review put it, a Chinese merchants' history. If you are wondering what you will find within its pages, the subtitle: THE INVISIBLE EMPIRE OF THE OVERSEAS CHINESE says it all. It's a tapestry of sorts; a series of case studies and interconnected anecdotes involving overseas Chinese and the (often secret) societies they have formed. The author traces their origins, shows us where they're at presently, and explains how the make their money. Seagrave is a journalist turned book writer and his research, as always, is impressive. His writing style is simple, but effective. He's exceptionally good at making history come alive. I've heard the lay critic say that he's prone to invention, but I've never heard of anyone finding evidence of this. He remains one of my favorite writers. His depth of knowledge about Asia is staggering. One of my only reservations with this book is Seagrave's prediction that parts of southern China may one day secede. Im not so sure I agree. It seems to me that people are incredibly bad at making major predictions. That aside, it's a nice little, informative book.
   
   Troy Parfitt, author

5 comments about Selective Forex Trading: How to Achieve Over 100 Trades in a Row Without a Loss (Wiley Trading).

1. I've read all of the reviews that this book received and I don't think they're wrong, I just think this book isn't for everyone. I'm a full time independent trader and I thought the book was very helpful.
   
   The forex can be a dangerous place, and the people that slammed this book probably should stay with their 9 to 5. If you're a novice trader that's looking for clear answers on how to beat the forex then you shouldn't buy this book. After all, the title of the book is, "SELECTIVE FOREX TRADING". It's not "BEAT THE FOREX GUARANTEED". If it were that easy then everyone would be trading the forex and filthy rich.
   
   There are many tools and services available now so that the average person can take their shot at the forex and this is one of those tools. If you're smart enough to realize that the forex has tremendous potential, both good and bad, then hopefully you're smart enough to realize you're going to need all the help you can get.
   
   This book shouldn't take the place of formal forex training, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone that's looking for some technical help with the forex.



2. Snellgrove has some good candlestick discussions in this book. He also has some fairly good information on forex trading in general. The book, however, is largely a lead-in to selling the reader additional information, products, and services. What is troubling to me is his book subtitle: "How to Achieve Over 100 Trades in a Row without a Loss." He states several times in the book, that to fully implement his system you must hire a mentor and must use proprietary software. Guess who provides the mentorship and the software? You are correct, his company. Searching on the "net" I came across several comments from disgruntled past customers of Snellgrove's companies. Apparently he has charged fees in the thousands of dollars to many people and has never delivered on his promises. If I were you, I would be wary of doing much business with Don Snellgrove including purchasing this book.



3. I have spent my fair share of money on trainings and books and courses etc... Don Snellgrove is by far the most sincere, caring, intelligent and honest mentor I have come in contact with. What you learn from Don is how to think like a trader which allows you to become a trader. This book is not a get rich quick method, but if you want to become a student of the market this book will be in invaluable part of your arsenal. If you want to know how to determine where the market is headed you need to learn about the S90 Crossover that is explained in "Selective Forex Trading." Do you get out of trades too early just to see them move a lot more in the same direction? Would you like to know where the market is more likely to go? Then read this book. I took the course from Don and am so glad that I did. It is changing my life and it will change yours too.



4. Don Snellgrove is by far the most committed educator I have encountered in any form of business/professional training. His deep understanding of the Forex market is often missed because of his ability to simplify information for the beginning student. For anyone who has wasted their time with writers who can't back up their theories, Don's information is incredibly valuable.



5. I Highly recommend this book for all forex traders. When you understand why the markets move to certain points and by they bounce off others, it is almost hard not to make any money.
   
   After I purchased the book, Don himself actually helped me to fully understand what I was reading. Currently I am 38 trades in a row with NO LOSS on a LIVE account!!
   
   Don as a teacher has gone over and above what I ever expected he would teach me and I am grateful of his time and energy. Seek out Don and learn from him. I know my life has changed because of it.
   
   THANK YOU DON!!!!!!
   
   Titus D

5 comments about End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation.

1. On September 21, 1999 an earthquake that registered 7.6 rocked Taiwan. Despite the death toll of 2,400, the quake barely registered in the consciousness of most Americans.
   
   Watching the news would lead even the most cosmopolitan American observer to conclude that people in this country were more interested in North Carolina. Hurricane Floyd dropped more than 28 inches of rain there the week before.
   
   Yet the shock wave from the quake was felt within days. Xilinx, a highly-specialized American semiconductor designer and manufacturer, lost two of its factories that day in Taiwan. Soon, thousands of assembly-line workers located from California to Texas, were furlogued.
   
   The chain reaction did not stop there. Wall Street traders began to place the Taiwanese natural disaster in its proper prospective. Shares of Dell, Apple and Hewlett-Packard began to tumble.
   
   By Christmas, American shoppers were scurrying to avoid the shortages of laptop computers, Barbie cash registers and Furby dolls.
   
   In short a disaster that only 10 years prior would have been a localized disaster, cascaded into a worldwide crisis. The Taiwanese earthquake had elevated itself into a symbol of how closely connected the world has become. Perhaps, more important, Barry Lynn, a fellow at the New American Foundation in Washington, D. C. illustrates how that out-sourced world faces different risks.
   
   Lynn argues today's worldwide economy is an improvisation that creates and distributes wealth in ways beyond the control of its designers.
   
   In this well-written and well-researched monograph is an at times angry look at globalization. It offers a departure from the now familiar argument that interconnected, worldwide capitalism is good. In its place, the author offers a subtle and often scary look at a risk-laden system beyond any government's control.
   
   Lynn's arguments promise to add clarity to this nation's growing global debate.



2. The flip side of "The World is Flat". While US Companies are sending jobs overseas to "Cubicle Coolies" in Third World Countries for a short term return to investors and the CEO's yacht funding, American workers suffer. In the long term US companies must rely on the good will of Pakistan not to nuke their call centers in India over the Kashmir.
   
   Lynn's book is a good look at the mindset of International Corporations who like the media today do not look at themselves as American but as World citizens. To save a little money American corporations since NAFTA have started moving jobs overseas. To justify this they are claiming they are fighting terrorism by increasing the standard of living in the third world. A $300 a month tech in India may be as good as his american counterpart in the US making $4000 but a GI Joe with Kung Fu grip costs as much in Hylalabad as it does in LA. Their standard of living isn't going to rise too much.
   
   Lynn argues that Globalization rather than decreasing our vulnerability to terrorists is actually increasing it as means of production are moved closer to hot spot areas and Companies are dependant on third world despots (and probably the US military) to protect their interests.
   
   He relates how both parties in the US are in bed together on the issue of globalization. He relates that the free trade positions of both Bush Administrations and that of Bill Clinton were almost in lock step. It makes one wonder if there is a politicl solution out there.
   
   The book is very scary and I would reccomend it to those who need a reply to some of the rah rah Pro Globalization books out there.



3. I found this an interesting, albeit Jingoistic, account of the sharp increase in the corporate "single points of failure" and critical dependencies. It is worth reading if for no other reason than to get a better feel for how tenuous and time-critical our 1st world supply lines are. We have a more efficient economy these days. It is also far more brittle.
   
   I found the latter half of the book more interesting, especially the author's recommendations. They are worth serious consideration. Sadly, however, I suspect that companies won't pay any attention to them until after a crisis.



4. End of the Line by Barry C. Lynn is a delightful and interesting book about a very disturbing issue. I stumbled across this book while searching for a book with a similar name dealing with Amtrak. A critique of the global economy seemed interesting and slightly different from what I normally read.
   
   Far from an unreasoned polemic, this book provided a fairly well reasoned and argued analysis of the weaknesses of the global supply chain. In a sense, America got a taste of these weaknesses with the disruption caused by hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. However, the potential shortfalls are not just limited to the handful of so-called super-ports that process the bulk of America's imports and exports. The extremely small numbers of companies that still make micro chips combined with their location in Taiwan make this a risky organization if China becomes bellicose or if Taiwan decides to be adversarial towards the United States for an extended period. These are a few examples, but the point that there is very little redundancy in a supply chain that has been made extremely lean to reduce costs. Moreover, it has created a situation where large multi-nationals bully suppliers without understanding anything about mass production. For example, does anyone really believe that Wal-Mart knows anything about the Chinese companies that make their products?
   
   To this humble reader, we are in a very abnormal period of history where transportation costs are so low that it is extremely inexpensive to transport manufactured goods around the world. It seems likely that rising energy costs, increasing computer power and nano-technology will all combine to reverse that trend and potentially turn an individual into a thousand different factories. However, that is not the world we live in now. Mr. Lynn's analysis seems more right than wrong.
   
   If you are interested in a well argued thesis demonstrating weaknesses in the current international business model, this is an excellent read.



5. In the Introduction Mr.Lynn offers a great quote based on the writings of Alexander Hamilton. "Manufacturing was key to America's independence and security. To be free, Americans must have the power to make what they need, when they need it."
   For me that was the high point of this book.
   
   He makes some sensible points about topics such as theories on the source of Clinton's trade policy with China and the possibility that Robert Reich had a strong influence on it.
   
   Another strong point was the relationship between business and foreign policy. Consider the global trade and American imperialism.
   
   On the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act and the blame it has recieved for economic woes he was correct- "And so the idea that protectionism kills jobs became one of the central founding myths of the modern Democratic Party." But the author doesn't endorse protecting American jobs.
   
   "End of the Line" examines several business strategies by such famous executives as Sam Walton and Jack Welch. Companies like GE, Cisco, and Motorola are looked at also.
   
   One assessment that hits hard at globalism and outsourcing is the ripple effect that can easily cripple a global supply line. The "Lean" manufacturing process aka "Toyota production philosophy" is not a fixall process from my experience with it. The author details some of that process.
   
   The book addresses the America-China business relationships with no mention of China holding a large amount of America's debt. I was surprised that it wasn't mentioned!
   
   In summing "End of the Line" up, it does have some interesting facts about specific corporations using global outsourcing and linking politics to business. It doesn't touch on the human element like loss of American jobs or the living conditions for some labor being exploited by outsourcing.
   Jeff Faux's "Global Class War" is a book I would recommend intead of "End of the Line."

2 comments about Balance Sheet Recession: Japan's Struggle with Uncharted Economics and its Global Implications.

1. I can't say enough good things about this book. He gets to the root causes and potential solutions of our current economic conditions in a clear and concise way. He should get a Noble Prize for his work (whatever that's worth considering recent recipients).
   
   If you're an investor you'll make your money back many times over from his insight.
   
   Brilliant, simply brilliant.



2. A recount of the reasons and the monetary policy implications of the Japan experience after the 1990 asset bubble collapse. The interesting points are that many of the macro items discussed are eerily similar to what is happening in the US today. The bigger point of interest is where the Japanese system had a leveraged corporate debt issue, the US has both a corporate and a personal debt issue. Therefore, what are the implications when we as a society start to pay off on this debt? and when/if the Government changes their fiscal policy and starts to balance the budget? No matter, the markets will figure this out before most Americans realize what has hit them. All in, it was an interesting economic read both from a economic geek perspective and as many past government trade polices were detailed with colorful insights.

2 comments about Global Negotiation: The New Rules.

1. I seriously thought "what could be so different/difficult about "global" negotiations; aren't all negotiations directed at win-win? But incredibly, this book moved me beyond that, and proved to be helpful. I gained real insight. A quick read, it is well worth your time.
   
   Early in the reading, about page 50, I got a taste of what this book could do for me.
   
   I had to bring two contentious people to the table today for negotiations. I have always dreaded it when I had to bring these two together - they seem to have a love/hate relationship, and both are extremely opinionated. If anyone could exemplify the typical American negotiator that the book references, it would be these two.
   
   The conflict started on Monday, in the heat of a battle, and I found myself intuitively settling in to the task of working transparently in an uncomfortable situation. I decided to treat this as a "global" negotiation, dealing with American negotiators, as outlined in the early pages of the book. I found myself mentally replaying some of the lines from the book to "keep myself in check" as I worked to set the stage and keep everyone's tempers at bay. One phrase that stayed with me was the one about negotiations not being about a win or a loss, but more about working together and that really helped me, and it has stuck with me.
   
   The meeting was remarkably smooth, and in hindsight, I credit it with the reading I had done to date. Everything stayed on an even flow, no flare ups, no discord. I actually enjoyed the meeting.
   
   Prior to these readings, I would have thought of myself as someone who was altruistic - a win-win person, not a win-lose person. But the book has helped me grow beyond even that - and helped me remove the "win" focus altogether, allowing room for many other constructive engagements - agreement, partnering, sharing, reviewing, and just plain talking.
   
   I know these might sound like obvious points, but the book helps the reader move beyond such an easy dismissal, and through its discourse, gives you the ability to really embrace the concepts. I was pleasantly surprised that I had already been able to grow with the material.



2. I'm a professor who teaches negotiation, primarily to executive MBA's. I used this book as a text in a course I recently taught in Hong Kong with great success. I also intend to use it in negotiation courses in the US.
   
   Knowing how to negotiate globally is an essential tool for the sucessful business man or women. This book, written in four sections, begins with an indepth look at why culture matters. The case is made not only through engaging examples but also with rich and recent supporting data. The second section on intelligence gathering and designing knowledge flows is excellent and is important information for any negotiator, global or domestic.
   
   Although I use the text in a classroom setting; any business person who operates in the global economy should find the book extremely helpul in preparing for and succeeding in global negotiations.

1 comments about The Moral Measure of the Economy.

1. Institute for Policy Studies senior scholar Chuck Collins and JustFaith Ministries staff member Mary Wright combine their wisdom in The Moral Measure of the Economy, a guide written especially for Catholics in answer to the growing need for economic justice and a strong moral foundation in today's society. Chapters address "Catholic Teachings on Economic Life", "Global Trade and the Power of Corporations", "Solidarity in Action: Alternatives for a Just Economy", and much more. "As a society, we should not permit private actors, such as corporations, to shift their 'costs' onto the commons... A company, for example, has the choice of either illegally dumping polluted water into the stream (where we all pay the 'costs'), or cleaning the water, returning it to the stream, and building the extra cost into its product or service. Economists make the distinction here between 'externalizing' the cost - i.e., getting everyone else to pay - and 'internalizing the cost, by incorporating it into the cost of doing business... Wal-Mart externalizes the costs of its 1.3 million employees by paying them less than a living wage and providing fewer than half of them with health insurance - while encouraging them to enroll in taxpayer-funded health programs." Though The Moral Measure of the Economy is written especially to Catholics, its powerful message about the need for morality and social accountability to provide guidance to economic systems deserves to be heard by readers of all religious backgrounds. A can-do guide to incorporating fundamental human values into one's economic beliefs and actions.

2 comments about Developing Global Executives.

1. Downside is there is no chapter on Re-patriation, what happens when you come back to your head-quarters or home country.
   
   MUST READ for people planning assignment abroad or aspiring to a global career. Makes go balance between the theory of use of international experience in development and practical what it takes for an individual to succeed with guidance from experienced executives. Also covers potential derailment.
   
   Includes a list of global competencies (characteristics) and making sense of culture.
   
   Should be on any HR curiculum for global HR management !



2. I have done a great deal of reading in the area of leadership and this has to be the best thing I have read, to date, on the topic of leadership on a global setting. McCall and Hollenbeck draw some valuable conclusions and make a few statements that any leader in a global setting absolutely needs to know.
   
   Some of the most valuable information on derailment of global executives out there. McCall and Hollenbeck discuss a number of factors that stunt or completely derail the development of budding leaders and then offer some hope on how to avoid some of the pitfalls.

4 comments about Marketing Financial Services.

1. The book has an excellent coverage of the field. It not only teaches you most of what you need to know to market financial services, but is also an excellent reference. It is very current, easy to read, has many good cases and examples for the reader to follow, and is rich with useful information.



2. As a business person, I found helpful and interesting facts on how to market financial products. The topics are discussed in an organized manner and the book is relatively easy to follow. There are separate chapters for each aspect of the marketing program. Customer retention issues and regulations are also discussed in quite a bit of detail.



3. If you are a bank or a lone financial services group this may help you. If you are a financial advisor working for a wirehouse or large firm it will not help in any way.
   
   I thought I might get target market ideas, or perhaps business plan outlines - there were none.
   
   Just be sure you are the authors intended audience.



4. Comprehensive with lots of information and references to interesting research findings, and more informative than your typical business book. Overall, a pretty good read.

No comments about Opportunity Dubai: Making a Fortune in the Middle East.

No comments about Asian Business Customs & Manners: A Country-by-Country Guide.