Enterprise Books

Jensen correctly interprets his findings as casting deep doubt on the "race to the bottom" thesis, which holds that competition among governments to attract increasingly mobile capital from around the world forces them to slash taxes, reduce spending, and repeal regulations that add to the cost of doing business. Other scholars also have found that this thesis lacks empirical support (see, for example, Martin Wolf, WHY GLOBALIZATION WORKS [New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2004], pp. 249-77)....

Jensen's tests of how various political arrangements affect FDI underscore the importance of secure property rights. He finds that democracies attract FDI, and autocratic regimes repel it: "Democratic countries attract 73 percent more FDI than their authoritarian counterparts" (p. 89). Authoritarian countries attract less FDI because of the greater arbitrariness of authoritarian rule. Democracy, for all of its flaws, tends to offer more-predictable policy regimes than does autocracy.

Jensen relates this difference to the number of "veto players." A veto player is a person or group whose approval is necessary for policy to be changed. The greater the number of veto players, the more stable is policy, simply because getting many parties to agree to a change is more costly than getting fewer to agree. Investors generally like situations with many veto players because they are more stable and predictable, and democracies tend to have more veto players than authoritarian states do....

Jensen's findings on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deserve notice. Comparing different countries at the same time and looking at a variety of countries over the course of a few decades (1970-98), he finds that "signing on to IMF packages leads to 28 percent less FDI flows" (p. 145). This reduction occurs, Jensen argues, because the conditions that the IMF typically attaches to its financing force governments to adopt policies that scare away investors. Thus, the austerity measures designed by faraway bureaucrats for implementation by central governments seeking bailouts from international agencies poison the prospects for economic growth.

The bulk of Jensen's book is a useful empirical investigation of the political factors that affect FDI. I have serious complaints only about some of Jensen's throw-away lines in the concluding chapter. For example, he asserts that environmental protection, being subject to the free-rider problems featured in every economics textbook, is underprovided by the market and hence should be better promoted by international trade agreements. He never mentions, however, that economic growth has been empirically shown to promote environmental improvement. Because the need for environmental protection can easily be used in trade agreements to mask protectionist restrictions that reduce trade's positive effects on economic growth, the case for including environmental-protection provisions in trade agreements is not as compelling as Jensen thinks. Such quibbles, however, do not detract significantly from Jensen's substantial contribution. Anyone researching economic growth or trade policies will want to review his empirical findings, which are relevant and well grounded.

The author is analyzing the reasons for the distribution of FDI. His most striking conclusion is that democracies generally attract more FDI than authoritarian systems do. Furthermore, he empirically tests for the influence of political and fiscal federalism, the impact of the IMF, or the race to the bottom theory.
This book might also be interesting for people not involved in (social or economical) science, but the methodology probably won't be understood and therefore the results would have to be trusted blindly.
The major flaw of this book is that the author's conduct of qualitative research is downright sluggish: Jensen mistook "qualitative research" for "unscientific interviews". But, as the qualitative parts are only supposed to complement the empirical ones, this book is, in my opinion, still recommendable.

Nathan Jensen hits the proverbial "nail on the head" in this stunning piece of literature. Mr. Jensen's progressive theories regarding Foreign Direct Investment on the multinational stage highlight his firm understanding of the subtle yet critical nuances of the multinational corporation. U.S. Corporations hoping to make the leap into the International arena would be wise to read this book and commit to memory the economic principles contained within. This bread tastes like wood.

This book challenges the traditional "race to the bottom" theory of FDI. Arguing that instead of low taxes and labor costs, MNCs actually look for stable political institutions and policy environments. By arguing that MNCs look for this type of stability, Jensen persuasively argues that democracy and additional veto players at the state level encourage FDI. The only critique that I will offer is that Jensen uses an aggregate measure of FDI. One could imagine that the conditions that encourage FDI in natural resource exploration are different than the conditions that encourage FDI in engineering consulting services.

This is a good course text. It is very basic. It does a good job of being specific with each detail at each level. I will be well versed in the use of Office 2007 when I get through.

The best computer book, on Office programs, that I have ever read.
Fore the money, this is it.

I was very pleased with this buyer and my book. It was in good condition and the service was quick and friendly. Two thumbs-up

The book was exactly what I expected. It is very helpful, and I received it quickly.

I like it better than Wordperfect Office, which I have used for 10 years.
Easier to figure out & use.

My husband recently passed away without educating me about spreadsheets, databases, etc. It was always "I'll show you how to do that one of these days." I chose the "No Stress Tech Guide to Microsoft Works 8" and found that it helped me to understand how to continue with the various lists that my husband had created (such as an extensive list of movies in our home library). I'm familiar with the computer, but there is a lot I don't understand, so I'm confident the book will be a great reference guide in the future.

I purchased this book to help me solve a problem for my mother. She was using a DOS based program to do her church work and eventually, with a new printer and then a new computer, was forced to learn how to use Works Database. This book helped me to learn how to develop a template to help get her work done. This book has really been a boon to me, and like the title says "No Stress..."

This is the only book that I can find that gives instruction on the Works 8 progam. Works 8 is an reasonably easy program for anyone who doesn't want to go into the extensive Office programs done by Microsoft. The program came loaded in a Windows Vista computer that we bought and there is little or no instruction within the program. I went thru most of the book and found it to be easy to work with and very, very well written. I would recommend this to anyone--a college student, parent, office worker, teacher etc. I teach computer classes to Senior Citizens and this is a good program for them and the book will be a great help in my teaching.
The price is a bit high (in fact almost the price of the program)but it is well worth it.

Agents,Secret Agents,Double Agents,double crosses and turn coats with a Patriot thrown in here and there! This novel has it all!Richard Thompson will keep you guessing and reading as he takes you on a journey in this action packed,suspense, thriller centered around the loss of an H-Bomb in an aircraft accident near Thule,Greenland and several foreign powers interest in the bomb.I was blown away( no pun intended) by the way Thompson blends Star Wars technology with todays conventional military hardware and makes it all believable and interesting. He will make you ask yourself whether or not you are reading fact or fiction.Inter-agency jealousy keeps the government involvement interesting.It's a must read for military buffs.2-03-08 A.Lawing

North Star Bay is an exciting novel by Richard Thompson which is set in 1968 when a clandestine clash takes place between diverse nations over lost megatonage H-Bombs, one of which has survived in the sea near Greenland. A fast-paced, action-packed thriller about deadly scuffles and desperate machinations, acts of heroism and terrible tragedy, North Star Bay is a compelling read from beginning to end.

His first book (Tiger Cruise) was great. With the luck of the Irish, I managed to purchase the Proof for North Star. I was actually in fear that Thompson could not meet the high bar he set in penning Tiger Cruise. Nothing is worse than being let down by an author. As I began to read the proof, my mental state was totally absorbed within it. Thompson has done it again! He manages to take facts, slide in amazing and totally believable fiction and presto... another suspense novel with real life action. The plot twists and turns, keeps your mind racing with the result of your eyes wanting to absorb the words on each page faster than your brain can process. IT is a Winner! He has brought "Clancyism" to a new era. I now call it "Thompsonism"! Read the book! Few new author's of our era have the ability to come out of the box swinging like Thompson.

This is our first fiction review and we picked a dandy. By a stroke of luck we got our hands on a galley copy and it almost found its way into the circular file had it not been for the first chapter in the book, which is factual.

As a maritime and military history book reviewer we were quite familiar with the January 21, 1968 incident in Thule, Greenland when a B52, flying the Strategic Air Command, caught fire and crashed into the ice spewing radiation from its cargo of four hydrogen bombs. The U.S. has long maintained that all four bombs were destroyed in the fiery crash but many Greenlanders believe otherwise. The theory is that one of the bombs survived the crash and lies on the bottom of North Star Bay.

The author turns the theory into fictional fact when a local fisherman inadvertently snags the weapon while fishing the fjord. Not surprisingly, the bad guys (Libya and China) learn of the discovery when alarm bells go off in the CIA - activated by sensors placed on the H-Bomb 34 years ago. The CIA, FBI and the NSA, not all that concerned with an antiquated nuclear weapon, aren't really worried about its discovery until they get word that the Libyans are going to sail halfway around the world intending to snatch the bomb and bring it home. It seems that America's National Missile Defense (NMD) pet project is located in Thule's backyard and the thought of the Libyans snooping around the area makes for some very nervous bureaucrats in Washington.

Things deteriorate quickly for the U.S. when the bad guys find out there's more in Thule than the bomb. When a test of NMD goes awry resulting in a live "shoot," the Chinese and Libyans decide against snatching the bomb but instead plan to detonate it and destroy the NMD site that, heretofore, they did not know existed. That's enough for now; we don't want to give too much away.

A page-turning thriller set on top of the world, North Star Bay will keep you on the edge of your seat until the exciting, surprising ending. Grab it wherever you can and get ready for the best darn fiction to come your way for some time. Five stars all the way!

"...The Odysseus guide is easy to read, maps are simply drawn giving access to the data, and country descriptions are concise and informative. In fact the whole construction of Odysseus is a well packaged and manageable guide book..." Our World Magazine NOV.'98

The new 16th edition of Odysseus International Gay Travel Guide is filled with great vacation ideas for gay travelers in the USA and some 120 countries worldwide. The guide is up-to-date, reliable with accurate descriptions, photo and contact information. It is very easy to make international travel plans with Odysseus. I cannot imagine getting my travel plans right without it.

Covering more than 110 countries worldwide, Odysseus features the world best resorts, hotels and guesthouses for the most sophisticated gay traveler. The guide is organized by countries alphabetically starting with the USA and Canada and followed by the countries in the rest of the world. Each section includes vital travel information for the country selected, airports, climate, law regarding homosexuality, list of nightlife spots, city maps and detailed description of hotels, resorts and guest houses that cater to the gay market. The Apendix includes list of airline toll free numbers, travel agents, bookstores, magazines and other services of interest to gay travelers. Excellent travel assistant at your fingertips when you need it most. The guide includes a beautiful 36 color pages of resorts and hotels for the best holiday

Odysseus is a wonderful guide for gay men who plan to travel abroad. The book lists select accommodations, bars, restaurants, saunas, sex shops, and other businesses and places of interest (including some public cruising areas), and there are handy maps for many major cities (like Amsterdam, Florence, and Sydney) and gay resort areas (like South Beach and Provincetown). Additionally, Odysseus is an excellent source to find "facts in brief" about foreign destinations, including each country's official language, population, unit of currency and exchange rate, telephone codes, and laws and attitudes regarding homosexuality. There are several useful indexes, including a listing of gay travel agents and of local gay publications from around the world. The book features a good amount of advertising for gay hotels and other businesses, and there is a smattering of hunk photos interspersed among the listings. Odysseus Enterprises, the publisher, also operates a worldwide reservations systems and can handle travel arrangements to many of the places in the book.

I first saw this book in an Excel class I took a few days ago.
We were not allowed to keep the books because they were needed for future students. However, I was completely sold on Office 97 Simplified during the class and knew I wanted a book of my own. I came back to work and told my boss about it and he is allowing me to purchase two for our office. So many computer books are so complicated the average person cannot follow them but Office 97 Simplified uses a step-by-step, no nonsense wording with pictures that even a young child could benefit from it. I salute the writers and publishers for creating a book that almost anyone can understand. Thank you!

A great book for those who want to skim through and pick up what they want, without having to fight through the jargon. Also very good for those of us who learn faster by visual prompts.

In our corporate environment, all our computers are loaded with the Office software, minus reference materials. In the beginning, not all of us were fully comfortable with the programs, and I was one of them.

I wanted a quick reference guide as well as a pictorial tutorial (the pictures helped me overcome my initial computer-phobia).

YEARS later, this book continues to help my colleagues who now come to me for my "expertise." I merely whip out my book and show them, step by step.

My book now shares space with my dictionary and thesaurus as my go-to resource. Since then, I also bought other Simplified Books on the Internet, Web Development, Powerpoint, Word, Excel, Windows 95 and 98. What a great series! Can't think of a better library of computer basics.

Thanks for making it seem so easy, and so much fun!

As a computer instructor, I have gone through many books trying to find an easy-to-understand textbook for my beginning students. I found it in Ruth Maran's "Simplified" books. I find most textbooks on Office 97 too wordy and hard to follow. The "Simplified" books show you how to use each application in short easy steps with colorful illustrations. Anyone can learn how to use Microsoft Office with these books. There are no excuses now.

Using open source is profoundly exciting to everyone involved in the process. That's one of its problems. Authors Dan Woods and Gautam Guliani have done an outstanding job of writing the perfect guide that will make open source work for you.

Woods and Guliani begin by explaining the origins, evolution and life cycle of open source; and, evaluating its potential benefits for the enterprise. Next, the authors show you how to determine the quality of an open source project; and, whether it is right for your company. Then, they present an analysis of the knowledge required to effectively implement open source; and, discuss how an enterprise can build skills from within. Woods and Guliani continue by showing you how to calculate the return on investment of open source; and, make a compelling case to management. In addition, the authors next explore a low-risk plan for adopting and applying open source. They also examine where to find help in implementing open source projects; and, how to evaluate competing offers. The authors next show you how to close the productization gap; and, expand the opportunities for open source deployment. Next, the authors discuss the legal underpinnings of open source licensing, with evaluations of GPL, Copyleft, LGPL, BSD and others. Woods and Guliani continue by examining FUD, the legal challenges being mounted against open source, and how an enterprise can manage the risks involved. Finally, they cover build versus buy, the middle road less taken, and how using open source will change your IT department for the better.

With the preceding in mind, the authors have done an excellent job of designing an open source book that shows you how to get it right through prudence, patience, and a methodical search for risks and ways to remedy them. At the end of the day, open source should play some role in most IT departments, including yours.

All too often, the discussion about using open source software in an organization takes on an emotional or political tone. And since most information about open source decisions tends to feed that emotion, it's nice to find a book that tries to look at the subject from a rational perspective. This book does a very good job of that... Open Source For The Enterprise by Dan Woods and Gautam Guliani.

Contents: The Nature of Open Source; Measuring the Maturity of Open Source; The Open Source Skill Set; Making the ROI Case; Designing an Open Source Strategy; Support Models for Open Source; Making Open Source Projects Easy to Adopt; A Comparison of Open Source Licenses; Open Source Under Attack; Open Source Empowerment; The Open Source Platform; End-User Computing and the Desktop; Open Source and Email; Groupware, Portals, and Collaboration; Web Publishing and Content Management; Application Development; Index

As I stated above, open source technology books (covering the topic as a whole, not individual projects) tend to be "rah-rah" in nature, pitting the plucky open source alternatives against the big evil proprietary software companies. While I may just happen to lean in that direction, it's not very helpful if you're trying to make a solid business case for adopting a corporate open source strategy. You need to concentrate on risks, financial return on investment, support issues, and all the other things that apply to *any* software used in your organization. Woods and Guliani do a very good job in aiming for, and hitting, that target. While they believe in the promise of open source, they give the reader some solid tools to judge whether a particular open source alternative is worthy to explore. For instance, some open source projects take off and soar, while others languish with no activity after a few months. By checking release levels, discussion boards, documentation quality, etc., you can mitigate the risk of committing to a project that doesn't continue to grow. Conversely, if you find a project that addresses a need but may not be overly active, they provide guidance on what type of skill base you'll need to have or acquire to take the development in house.

Open Source For The Enterprise is one of those books that you should see in a number of organizations, helping management and techies come together to make rational business decisions that benefit the company and not someone's resume. Very good material...

"Open Source for the Enterprise" is a well thought out and methodical look into the realities of open source software use. This is a practical guide for navigating its introduction into an organization and the approaches for properly evaluating its fit and governance. The authors provide a set of strategies and artifacts for helping to establish and communicate whether or not open source software would be effective within an organization. Topics such as comparing and assuming risk; evaluating the costs and return; adoption and governance; indemnification and licensing are all covered very well. The last quarter of the book provides a topical look at common open source platforms for desktop solutions, email, collaboration, content management, and application development. While the coverage presented is not inclusive of the entire offerings available, the preeminent projects for each category are evaluated.

I enjoyed this book. I reveled when reading the authors' analogy of an architect approaching management about starting an open source software initiative to that of a child asking a parent for a puppy. This was presented during the subject of "Preventing an Open Source Nightmare". This section threw some reality into my fervor for evangelizing open source within my own company and drove home the authors' point that reckless enthusiasm is not the way. I believe that anyone considering the use of open source platforms, tools, or end-user applications within their organization would be well-served by reading this text cover-to-cover.

This is an excellent introduction to managing and developing open source project, as well as for judging the health of projects you would like to use in the enterprise. The text is well written and engaging. There is management level material here on risk analysis, project management and methods for evaluating open source projects.

If your organization is just getting started with Designer, you need this book. It provides really valuable guidance based on intimate knowledge of how the tool works. If you use the standards they suggest your life will be much easier! In my work at a large metropolitan Transit agency I am trying to get almost 40 people to standardize on Designer. I just hand them the book and say "Do it this way." The end result is the naming conventions match, the different projects synch up and everyone can concentrate on being productive.

Extremely useful and clearly written book, covering most of the essentials of standardizing Designer development at an enterprise level. However, the standards document on the CD is the best part of this package. Clearly laid out, most enterprise (especially those just getting started) would need to do few edits to make this their standards 'Bible'. A truly worthwhile buy!

Project managers/Team Leaders/Leads...: if you're about to start an Oracle Designer project, get yourself a copy (and everyone on your team one) of this book. The authors have done an outstanding job in covering most if not all standards and naming conventions for Designer objects. And boy, do we have objects in Designer. May be the best part of about this book is that you (the leader) won't have to spend months and months of fighting and trying to come up with standards that everyone can agree upon. It simply IS there- take it and use it. End of discussions. Kudos to Mark and Ken.

I had just finished a short Oracle Designer Naming standards for our Database and Data Architecture group, when I bought this book. It is clear, concise, helpful, and for me, incredibly timely! The Naming standard I created was a pretty bare bones document, created to help our Logical Modelers as well as our DBAs. I incorporated this short Naming standard into the MS Word template (provided on the invaluable CD included with the book), to live on our intranet site. I was able to create this new well formatted, larger, and more thorough document, in less than a week. It saved me at least a month of work, partially by accepting some of the standards that the authors propose, and then seeking editorial reviews from in-house topic experts (rather than the more traditional method of seeking input, writing the standard, then sending it out for review). Of course, I only used the sections that were appropriate for our company.

I actually read the book (as in sit down and read, not just browse), and found the style very readable and the content consistently on target. If you need to write an Oracle Designer Standard, it would be most inefficient and foolish not to start with this book.

THIS BOOK KEPT ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT, YOU NEVER KNEW WHAT TURN THE STORY WOULD TAKE. IT WAS TRAJIC, SCARY, SUSPENSEFUL, AND FULL OF IMAGINATION. IT'S A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER SCI-FI BOOK. I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO EXPERIENCE A THRILL!!!

IF YOUR A SCI-FI FAN, THEN USE MUST PURCHASE THESE TAPES. THE AUTHOR SHEILA COSLETT, USES SO MUCH DETAIL THAT YOU WILL BE SCARED AND CREEPED OUT. YOU WILL GO THROUGH SO MANY EMOTIONS AND FEEL SO HORRIBLE FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER, BUT TO MY SATISFACTION ALL ENDS WELL. ALSO THIS BOOK IS ORIGINAL, NOT SIMILAR TO OTHER SCI-FI STUFF, IT'S FRESH AND NEW!!!

IF YOU LOVE SCI-FI, THEN YOU MUST GET THESE TAPES. I WAS COMP- LETELY ADDICTED FROM THE START. SHEILA COSLETT THE AUTHOR, USED AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF DETAIL, SO MUCH SO THAT IT WAS SCARY. YOU WILL FEEL THE TORMENT THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER GOES THROUGH, IT'S TRAGIC, BUT TO MY SATISFACTION ALL ENDS WELL. ONE MORE THING, THIS IS THE MOST ORIGINAL STORY, NOT ANY SIMILARITIES WITH THE SAME OLD SCI-FI STUFF, IT'S FRESH AND NEW!

First of all I'm not a book reader, but when I started this book I couldn't put it down It got my interest so much I could hardly wait to see what was going to happen next. This book never had a dull moment and I loved it cant wait to read more of her books. Reading and loving it. Carline

This is a wonderful book on organizing your home - and keeping it organized! It even has an idea on how to keep your children helping! It does require a lot of work to get your house organized, but I think that is expected to truly get a good system. This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I have, and will continue to, recommended this book to my friends! -Sheri

Christi Youd's ideas, if implemented, will transform the way you approach organizing. Organize Your Home in 10 Minutes a Day is full of great tips that are easy to apply and will work in "real life" situations. Her book will make a powerful impact on your personal productivity at home.

I love this book. After I bought it a year ago, I went thru and reorganized the parts of my house that were driving me crazy. It was so nice to think about my organization system as organized, not just rearranging. Now I reference the book at least once a month and make tweeks and changes to the way I run my house. I loved the authors approach to organization.

This book is great! It is very comprehensive and covers all the things you need to know to become more organized. The thing I liked the best were the "seven principles" that help you as you organize. Ever spent hours getting an area of your home organized, but no one will keep it that way? Been there. Christi Youd explains how to organize things in a way that they will STAY organized, such as "make it easier to put away than it is to get out."

I went to one of Mrs. Youd's lectures and she explained that in her professional organizing business, she guarantees that your home will stay organized for SEVEN YEARS or else she'll come back and re-do it! Amazing. I loved the ideas and it helped me see why I'm having problems in some areas. Great read! Well worth this great price.