Exports Books

This book worth its weight because Mangabeira Unger reclaims Marx's category - Market-value (Das Kapital, chapter 10, vol. III) - which has been untouched till the present day, and this category does revert the predomination of the market-price.
Mangabeira Unger makes the deepest critic of the "globalization", "commodification" by bringing up, indirectly, this Marxist category that also revitalizes the "producers association" (the original regulating agencies), and the "liberty reign".

This is a frustrating book. Fans of Robert Mangabeira Unger (RMU) will surely acclaim it as brilliant. In many ways it is, and particularly its critique of current conceptions of free trade is terrific. But its constructive ideas are expressed with such generality, and much of the rest of the book with such opacity or even clumsiness, that few other people will be persuaded.

A. SUBSTANCE

Some of the main themes:

@@ There is more than one way of organizing a market system, and more than one way of organizing a democracy. Politics is more fundamental than economics -- government sets the conditions in which markets function. The current free trade regime seeks to entrench the particular forms of North Atlantic democracy, of its intellectual property regime, and of a market system based on the current Western-style financial markets; it seeks to enforce global institutional convergence. RMU calls the principles of the current trade regime the "functional equivalent to the [19th Century] gold standard," e.g. @157ff.

@@ A better free trade regime should encourage and tolerate experimentation with market and political institutions. Developing countries should be able to experiment with "heretical" ideas, to construct "shields over heresy" through use of government interventions, and even to opt out of trade arrangements through specialized bilateral agreements. In one of his few concrete comments about the trade regime, RMU says that he favors a regime that is more like the GATT than the WTO.

@@ The goal of a trade regime should be to encourage diversity and experimentation, not just efficiency. The movement of people and ideas is vastly more useful than the movement of things and capital as a source of greater equality, as well as of greater wealth and power, for all mankind (@209). Free trade isn't a goal in itself, but rather should be a means for improving the lot of humanity, especially for working men and women.

I especially enjoyed RMU's pointing out that defenders of free trade take it for granted that the world is divided into separate nations, when obviously trade would be more efficient if nations didn't exist (@44ff). Similarly, trade would be more efficient if people could move freely to wherever they could get paid more; yet the current regime relies on this not being the case, and on there being great inequalities in how wage laborers are compensated for their efforts.

RMU doesn't actually advocate the abolition of national borders, or that free international movement of labor be permitted in one fell swoop. Rather, his point is to show that current market system and free regime trade aren't "natural facts" -- they rest on a foundation of contingency and choice, on "our wills and imaginations" (@45, echoing Schopenhauer). This opens the door to re-imagining them.

B. PRESENTATION

1. Unfortunately, RMU's literary style is more often mind-numbing than stirring, even when he seems poised to rile us up: E.g., @138:

"A fateful question is thus presented to us. Shall we remain condemned to attenuate the inequalities and exclusions produced by the division between advanced and backward sectors of each national economy? And to attenuate them through the two traditional devices of state support for the diffusion of small-scale property and business and of governmental commitment to compensatory redistribution through tax or transfer? Or will we, instead, succeed in overcoming this division through governmental, social, and private initiatives that enable the accelerated experimentalism of the advanced sectors to flourish far beyond the boundaries of the limited social and economic terrain in which they have flourished so far?"

If your heart beats faster to read that, you'll love this book.

2. Most arguments are presented with a Talmudic intensity of dialectic. The good of that is that RMU anticipates and replies to many objections to his arguments. The bad of that is that you'll need to hack through those layers of objections and counter-objections without first being given any roadmap of where you're headed. Nor are there any typographical cues to remind you that you're in the middle of, say, the second of "three roots of plasticity" described in the reply to the 3rd of 4 "objections" to the first of 3 "theses" (@128). Also, there's a great deal of repetition in the text. E.g., Chapt. 3 could easily have been edited into oblivion, since most of its ideas are already in Chapts. 2 or 4 (or both). Or consider the "twin evils" haunting restraints on trade, which are twice defined @139.

3. The book's terminology is often quaint. You'll find Adam Smith's pin factory, a reference to Ford's assembly lines, and plenty about "machines", but nothing about chips, software or the Internet. Sentences like "[The established forms of the market economy] make the goal of expanding access to the means of production hostage to the eternity and the absoluteness of the conventional property right" (@192) made me nostalgic for my college days in the '70s, when you could impress girls by quoting György Lukacs. (And remember RMU's gold standard analogy? Another rhetorical misfire is the pallid echo of W.J. Bryan's 1896 "cross of gold" speech in the book's concluding sentence, "We will not shackle humanity to free trade," @221.)

4. Aside from a few broad references to China and India, there are almost no references to modern examples. Not that there are many references to much else -- there are only 6 non-discursive footnotes in the book, four of which point to other writings by RMU. If you agree with RMU and want to back up his arguments with facts, you'll need to find them on your own.

Since RMU has spent the past 30+ years on the faculty of one the top US law schools, it's surprising he's so lacking in the persuasive techniques that are lawyers' daily bread, such as easy-to-follow arguments, a strong evidentiary foundation, and vivid, concrete images that stick in the mind. I was hoping until the end for a modern parable to replace the pin factory, but no such luck. The best RMU can muster, a "factory of innovation" (see @96ff), remains an abstraction.

Readers who are disposed to agree with RMU will read into his innumerable abstractions examples that confirm their beliefs. Those who aren't yet convinced may read something entirely different into the text, if they stick with reading it at all. Sadly, the latter group includes most of the folks who help maintain the status quo -- exactly the people whose minds need changing.

C. BTW: Finally, I'm told by the publisher, who owns the copyright, that the entire text of the book will be available for free online at RMU's Harvard website during the first year of the book's release (though you'll need a search engine to find the link). I found the link by accident after I had bought the book. I confirmed that the publisher consented to this; RMU's goal was to make the book available to readers in poorer countries. (RMU could have chosen a publisher who'd let him retain ownership, so the praise goes to Princeton for their generosity.) I'm not sure why RMU couldn't have had the free access period precede the book's release in print, rather than overlap it. But now you know.

Sicco Van Gelder has written the definitive textbook on analyzing global branding strategy. Packed with examples, in-depth case studies and hypothetical branding projects, this book will prove useful to companies entering global markets or launching global brands. From the stunning worldwide success of the Sony Walkman to the dismal global failure of New Coke, Van Gelder scrutinizes the factors that shape a global brand. He issues a timely reminder that local cultures and consumers differ, and that branding must account for local differences in multiple markets. Note that this is a textbook, not a manual. The author explains his "global brand proposition model" in minute detail, which can get a little dense and repetitive at times. While the final chapters contain several useful illustrations of the analytical model in action, this is not a how-to book. Nevertheless, we believe this thoughtful tome deserves a spot on the reference shelf of brand specialists and marketers, as well as the executives of any company that operates in more than one country.

Sicco van Gelder is the expert who runs Brand Meta, a Netherlands-based global branding consultancy. In Global Brand Strategy: Unlocking Brand Potential Across Countries, Cultures & Markets, Gelder draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to write an authoritative and "user friendly" business guide to creating brand expression, develop marketing strategies and implementations in a global market. Especially recommended reading for business managers seeking to master an international legacy of name recognition, individual chapters deftly cover the importance of brand reputation, affinity, name recognition, the unique roadblocks to making a local brand global, and so much more in this hands-on advisory guide written directly from experience and a proven record of corporate success.

Ayse Oge took a very complex subject feared by many of us, subdivided into smaller elements and prepared a handy guide. This guide is the product of her extensive experience in this field that she has acquired by working in different global organizations.She has also done long and tedious research and interviews on the subject. The guide also contains handy forms to evaluate your company's potential global success and a long list of usefull references. Congratulations for a very well done guide ,Ayse Oge !

"Go Global to Win" by Ayse Oge contains many invaluable tips for any business owner planning to take his or her business into the global market, set in a logical and concise framework. Ideas are presented and expanded upon, and then summarized in one or two sentences. There are sections dealing with types of businesses; use of the Internet as a resource; and discussions of several agencies that aid businesses that are trying to go international, as well as some private institutions and international organizations that do the same. The author identifies six "ingredients" for a successful business: quality (necessary for any business); employee empowerment; teamwork; customer satisfaction (again necessary for any business); innovation; and leadership. The author's ideas on employee empowerment are interesting; many companies ignore ideas and suggetions from employees, regarding them at best as inexperienced--often to their own detriment. Regular "brainstorming" sessions with all members of the company are advised. Entrepeneurs who want to get into the global market are advised to be sensitive to cultural differences--e.g. selling beef burgers in India where cows are sacred, is a no-no. There are chapters devoted to the exact methods needed to get into the international market--and on how to collect the money due. The book ends with a questionnaire for business owners planning to go into global marketing that will set them up for international commerce.

I've been looking for this book for a couple of years. My grandmother used to read this to my brothers and sisters and I when I was very young. It is a shame that it is no longer in print. This is a very insightful book of poetry. It tells the story of Blacks in the early days. The sad part is.....not much has changed in society in all of that time. This is a treasure and a must have in any library.

This is a charming poetry anthology. Although it has the flavor of another era, it is an excellent collection of Black(African American) poetry for younger (pre-k thru 3rd) children. It has examples of poetry from different sources, including traditional songs and spirituals, which may be hard to find. It has many poems from various African-American poets etc. The poems selected are excellent, and well-suited for children. It can be used as a cultural resource for many purposes.

This book will not only tell you everything that you need to know to import textiles and apparel from Pakistan but also provide great travel tips. It is a practical guide with excellent tips for entrepreneurs with real world examples. This book even includes negotiation techniques. A must read for anyone engaging in international trade. I salute the author for writing a unique book that will immensely benefit both the importer & exporter.

I found this book helpfull. In this book, You can get all the information and resources of Textile and Apparel industry without wasting your time and money. Thanks.

This is a well written book. It explains all the ends and outs of exporting. I would have given book 5*, but I don't like to read, and you have to read a lot in this book. End of chapter exercises are really good.

The book was delivered in a timely manner and was in great condition and well packaged. I was very pleased.

This book is not for people who are seeking for magic formulas to achieve global marketing success. It compiles scientific articles from top academic researchers. As a whole, these papers can provide a broader view of global markets, as well as invaluable insights for marketing managers. A must for students, professors, marketing managers and entrepreneurs. The article from Sumantra Ghoshal and Christopher Bartlett, entitled "Building the entrepreneurial corporation: new organisational processes, new managerial tasks", is one of the highlights of this book.

A very well constructed book that ensures the reader understands what international marketing is and how it can add value to an organisation. The examples are interesting and give students plenty to discuss.

This book can be used in the international trade component of a two-semester ug course in international trade and finance (as the editorial review points).

The book uses - at least for me - an extremely useful approach to studying the rudiments of trade theory: after reviewing the standard concepts from consumer and producer theory, it provides a set of sufficient conditions that jointly determine the no-trade world. The core of the text then relaxes each of the mentioned conditions while keeping the others valid, showing why trade arises and at the same time providing a very clear overall picture. All models are discussed in a non-technical way but still with a fair amount of rigour, clearly stating the assumptions and proving the propositions.

The idea of using the revealed preference to show the existence of gains from trade in various settings is defenitely sth worth examining.

The trade policy part offers a chapter on strategic trade policy to shake the validity of the standard "trade barriers are harmful" belief from a perpective that is usually not presented by competitive texts.

Still, two elements could be improved: the part on the link between trade and economic growth is not very readable. Maybe the authors could do sth more about it by using algebra. Secondly, although the concept of intra-industry trade is discussed on many occasions, the authors could consider devoting an additional chapter to it just to summarise the already mentioned ideas.

To conclude: I consider the book as being better than, say, Krugman's or Salvatore's probably more popular texts.

We used this as a textbook for a one semester course in international trade relations. The writing is clear and the book is well-organized, making it very readable. It has very few errors, perhaps that's why a new edition hasn't come out lately. Most of the analyses of the models are done graphically and using only algebra, so it is suited for beginners of international trade theory/international economics. The questions at the end of each chapter vary from very easy to difficult, but the difficult ones can be answered after reading the text about two or three times and digesting its contents. This book is aimed primarily for undergraduates but first year graduate students can use this book as a review for more advanced texts in international trade such as "Lectures in International Trade",(1998) by Bhagwati et al. This textbook is highly-recommended and could be a better alternative than Krugman and Obstfeld's popular text ("International Economics: Theory and Policy").

Written by renowned historian Robert Blake, this commissioned history of Jardine Matheson presents a sweeping history of this primus inter pares among British hongs, whose 171-year existence helped revitalize an Empire, and irrevocably changed the face of Asia.

Jardine Matheson is a British company whose prodigious trading activities were responsible for helping maintain a delicate balance of trade for Great Britain during the nineteenth century. A unique tripartite trade arrangement, bullion for tea and tea for opium, emerged, and the story of how this came about is as interesting as the story of Jardines.

During the 1830s, Chinese tea was in great demand in Britain, which consumed about 30 million pounds per annum. Tariffs on tea imports contributed about three million pounds annually to the British treasury; therefore, tea commerce held great political and commercial significance. However, this happy state of affairs presented a conundrum. Because the Chinese would only accept specie metals, such as silver, in payment for what an observer called 'the deleterious produce of China', the ever-increasing importation of tea from China began to considerably--and negatively--affect Britain's trade balance with that kingdom. To the Chinese kingdom's detriment and regret, the traders learned through trial and error that Indian opium was the key to maintaining the lucrative tea trade with the Middle Kingdom.

Jardine Matheson did not devise this three-sided trade, but the firm was in the right place at the right time, and was thus poised to profit immeasurably from this sort of arbitrage. The China trade made Jardines immensely powerful--so powerful, in fact, that its lobbying efforts to exact an indemnity from the Chinese government, which tried to stop the opium trade, led to the First Opium War.

This book makes an enthralling addition to business historiography, and considerably illuminates the role of private firms in economic and colonial adventurism in the Far East during the nineteenth century. For further reading, I recommend "Merchants to Multinationals: British Trading Companies in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries" if one wants to delve more into how the great British trading companies adapted to a changing economic landscape.

The book clearly gives a very accurate account on the setup and running of the Great Firm right up to after WW II and its facts true amazing!

Have ordered lots of books through Amazon.. this is my first review. And only because only I see only one previous review and it is not good enough in my opinion!

I first bought the book some years ago at a used store, then traded it for other used books (I read A LOT). AND .... regreted it ... badly! Finally a few years later I found another copy. Boy was I glad. Read it once more in 2002, and have just started reading it again now (March 06). My favorites are Sindey Sheldon, Baldacci, Ken Follett, Wilbur Smith plus plus, but NO ONE BOOK is in my opionion a greater read than Madame Cleo's Girls. Wish so much she would have written more like this. Are you still out there, Lucianne? Please ... one more book?

Goldberg writes a fast easy read similar to Sheldon, whom I just love. Very interesting topic, gets you going, but the end leaves something to be desired. Too cliche.