Exports Books

As opposed to most of the literature on the topic (de jure/formal/full dollarization Salvadorean style; NOT de facto financial dollarization that characterizes many developing countries), this volume succeeds in presenting a balanced compendium of papers that summarizes the main issues, informing the reader without trying to sell a particular option. The Primer is particularly helpful for dollarization curious policy makers and economist without an emerging market orientation. While briefing on the contents of the different chapters of the volume, it tackles a number of diverse and related topics, ranging from old-style optimum currency area criteria to modern-style developing-coutries-cannot-manage-their-own-currency type of arguments (the so called monetary credibility argument), to non-economical political considerations, always avoiding easy simplifications of generalizations. For that reason, it may read as a little derivative sometimes, but a second reading and a long reference list provides a fairly comprehensive unbiased introduction that is difficult to find elsewhere. For those whose want more, the chapters elaborate on particular themes discussed in the introductory primer. The language is as diverse as the authors of the papers, going from an analytical presentation of the credibility-flexibility tradeoff by Chang and Velasco to a down-to-earth step by step guide for a prospective dollarizer by Gruber and co-authors, to a descriptive account of the political aspects by Frieden. All in all, a nice introduction for the lay and an up to date reference book for the initiated. (True, papers can be downloaded, some even in the final version, from the Internet. But this happens to be the rule rather than the exception in these days. At least, MIT Press has done an unexpectedly creative job with the cover.)

As opposed to most of the literature on the topic (de jure/formal/full dollarization Salvadorean style; NOT de facto financial dollarization that characterizes many developing countries), this volume succeeds in presenting a balanced compendium of papers that summarizes the main issues, informing the reader without trying to sell a particular option. The Primer is particularly helpful for dollarization curious policy makers and economist without an emerging market orientation. While briefing on the contents of the different chapters of the volume, it tackles a number of diverse and related topics, ranging from old-style optimum currency area criteria to modern-style developing-coutries-cannot-manage-their-own-currency type of arguments (the so called monetary credibility argument), to non-economical political considerations, always avoiding easy simplifications of generalizations. For that reason, it may read as a little derivative sometimes, but a second reading and a long reference list provides a fairly comprehensive unbiased introduction that is difficult to find elsewhere. For those whose want more, the chapters elaborate on particular themes discussed in the introductory primer. The language is as diverse as the authors of the papers, going from an analytical presentation of the credibility-flexibility tradeoff by Chang and Velasco to a down-to-earth step by step guide for a prospective dollarizer by Gruber and co-authors, to a descriptive account of the political aspects by Frieden. All in all, a nice introduction for the lay and an up to date reference book for the initiated. (True, papers can be downloaded, some even in the final version, from the Internet. But this happens to be the rule rather than the exception in these days. At least, MIT Press has done an unexpectedly creative job with the cover.)

Table of content:
1. Dollarization: A premier
2. Dollarization: Analytical issues
3. Using balance sheet data to identify sovereign default and devaluation risk
4. Dollarization and the lender of last resort
5. Measuring costs and benefits of dollarization: An application of Central Americana and Caribbean countries
6. Dollarization: The link between devaluation and default risk
7. Implementation guidelines for dollarization and monetary unions
8. The political economy of dollarization: Domestic and international factors

Most of these old papers (from the academic time line) can be downloaded from Internet for free by searching from google.com, for example. These days Economics books by MIT Press tend to collect old papers and keep the table of content secret. What a good strategy.

When I saw the authors were the authors of "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" I immediately bought this book. It was disappointing, because the authors have shown they can write good books.

The biggest problem is with keeping current. (The authors allude to this issue in their preface.) This book was based on 1999 material and published in 2001. There's a lot of material that has very limited shelf-life, such as a list of government officials in Italy. They publish a list of national holidays for each country, listing both date and day of the week. (Where was their editor?) Obviously that information is only good for one particular year.

Treatment is superficial in many aspects. Under "currency" they only state the name of the currency, with no reference to pegging or exchange rate volatility. Under "Intellectual Property Rights" they discuss the treaties the country has signed. You would never learn there is an intellectual property issue in China from reading this book, because China has signed all pertinent treaties.

Their treatment of cultural issues is not structured. They list five cultural tips per country. These tend to focus on manners issues such as being (or not being) on time. I'm more attune to the method that Geert Hofstede uses in his books where he defines a cultural trait, discusses its implications, and then states how strong that cultural trait is in the country. For example, Hofstede introduces "power distance" as a measure of hierarchy and respect for authority. He then discusses implications for the decision making and negotiation processes. Finally, he gives the scores for each country, leaving the reader to draw conclusions. The authors of this book do discuss one cultural trait for all countries, defined as "Time." To them it means attitudes toward promptness. There is no discussion of the inverse relationship between attention to promptness and flexibility in scheduling, which is a hugely important issue in buying or selling.

Finally, and this is a personal issue because I am a purchasing consultant and educator, there is a heavy emphasis on selling in other countries but almost no attention to buying there. They could have given GSP-status for imports into the US, for example.

I recommend spending your money elswhere. Buy "Kiss, Bow" to learn about manners issues. Get "Culturegrams" to get annually updated information on history and geography. If you really want to study a country it will take more depth and more current material than this book carries.

Here is the best single-source I have come across thus far which provides information about trade opportunities, tariffs, risk factors, negotiating styles, investment climate, protocol, and cultural tips. (I refer to the revised and expanded version.) The authors discuss 40 countries (in alphabetical order, from Argentina to Venezuela), then provide five appendices: Contracts and Websites, Documents Used in International Trade, Abbreviations of International Organizations, Corruption & Bribery Index, and Conversion Factors. I am now convinced that almost every company throughout the world will eventually become involved, directly or indirectly, with e-business. Here is a comprehensive guide which contains invaluable information and hard-headed recommendations based on real-world experience. Other volumes are now available which provide more information about a single county (eg Stuttard's superb The New Silk Road whose subject is China) but none, to my knowledge, which is comparable in terms of global coverage.

This book provides valuable information on the social, political, economic and marketing aspects of the 40 major trading partners (countries) of the United States. It rates the credit worthiness of each country based upon its trade and monetary policies, climate for foreign investment, import duties and taxes, political climate, and attitude towards protection of intellectual property rights. It does an excellent job of addressing the cultural aspects of doing business abroad. Our staff uses it often as a resource for conducting international market research and working with consulting clients. Recommended for purchase by John R. Jagoe, Director, Export Institute

I've used this simulation for several years. You really have to dig into it to fully understand how it works and there are some warts in the game. The trip is worthwhile, however, in terms of student learning of diverse topics from financial accounting to logistics. Playing the game takes a lot effort out of the instructor - but I think it is worth it in the end.

I must disagree with the other reviewer! I use this simulation in my class and it works very well. However, it isn't simple and the base documentation isn't the best. The software is quite robust. The complexity of the simulation means this isn't just a game in which you can casually drop in some figures and see what happens - each team needs to spend at least 8 hours preparing and then about 2 hours deciding each set of moves! The reward is in simulation that faithfully reproduces and simplifies competitive and global forces.

NOTE - this software is totally useless to you unless it is offered as part of a class. You need at lest three teams AND the special administrator software only available to teaching professionals.

As a project in one of my MBA classes, we had to make 8 decisions in this "simulation" game. Over the semester, I have grown to hate the game and the book. The biggest problem with the game is that it is too rigid and does not mirror real life. The problem with the book itself is that it does not contain any information to assist you in making decision. There are also some misprints in the book as well. Avoid this book if you can, and if you can't, I wish you the best of luck!

I have a number of goldfish books and am in search of the "Goldfish Bible". I was hoping this was it but will have to keep looking. This is an interesting book - no doubt about that. The author is a German enthusiast who spent a number of years in Japan and China and developed a clear passion for goldfish. The photos are first class and among the best photos of goldfish I've seen. The book includes a large poster of goldfish varities- too large to be practical (unless you're planning to frame it and put it on your wall....) but, with close study, it might help you work through the varieties. The information is interesting- especially the explanation of the different varieties and what to look for. No much you can't find in the other specialist texts but it certainly is quirky. Some of the written English is clumsy but charming in its own way. There are spelling and punctuation errors here and there. Overall, I have to admit I was expecting more from the book in the way of information because these were billed as the "specialist texts". So i was disappointed. But, if you're really into goldfish and can't get enough pictures or enough of the same information explained in a slightly different way, then this book is for you.

The 1st half of the book was pretty dry about the history and the last half was very informative. This was to be a present to a person who loves goldfish and would only like the last part of this book as it would answer her questions. I wouldn't give this to a beginner but to an experinced hobbist.

All of the Aqualog books are excellent value, although they are not particularly cheap. They are full to the brim with first class colour photographs and to reproduce these in a book is an expensive process. Whether they are about many of the different beautiful fishes now coming into the aquarist trade or in this case specifically the cold water species Goldfish and Fancy Goldfish which are among the most beautiful cold water fishes. They are first class for identifying that fish that you have had for some time, but have not been able to put a name to.

This is a really beautiful book with some stunning photographs and for anyone interested in Goldfish in particular and fish-keeping in general it is a book to be treasured.

Unfortunately, the fonts, layouts, and poor editing make this book painful to read. It does contain useful advice for collecting and applying cultural information about your users.

Our consulting staff has recommended this valuable publication to many of our clients over the years. It provides a step-by-step process for creating effective international technical documents in electronic, printed, graphic and verbal formats. It is easy to understand and use. Communicating technical information worldwide is critically important to the success or failure of any international marketing program. Securing this book is wise business investment. John R. Jagoe, Director, Export Institute

More than a writer's guide, though it provides that service admirably. Hoft covers the entire localization process, with model projects that include essential milestones (reviewer signoff on terminology) and costing guidelines. She provides a solid discussion of the potential cultural hazards of hasty localization, far beyond the facile "Don't use white in China, 'cuz they associate it with death!!!" layer. And Appendix C, the Resources list, is worth the price of the book.

If I were going to assign a single book to every project manager, marketing manager, and documentation developer involved in global marketing, this would be it.

Most histories are about countries, cultures, or some social unit tightly bounded in space and time. Following the history of opium allows Trocki to show the inherent connection between regions (Europe, India, Southeast Asia, China), policies (free trade, monopoly, war), development of capitalism and the material basis of colonial exploitation, and the European hand in the creation of the Third world. Trocki's great strength is that he tells the story with evidence: numbers, charts, photos, and documentation. The result is that a complex, organic, and fascinating world opens up to the reader.

This is not a polemical work. However, its evidence and narrative undermine what ever is left of the European claim to bringing civilization. Trocki opens and closes the book with Joseph Conrad's peerless vision into the European heart of darkness.

This book is an excellent study of the infamous opium trade, `the most long-continued and systematic crime of modern times'. And who committed this crime? The pious, canting, hypocritical Christian rulers of the British Empire!
Throughout the 19th century, the British ruling class paid for its ever more expensive empire by producing opium in India and exporting it to China. The British state promoted, protected and profited from the trade. Revenue from the opium trade financed all its governments in Southeast Asia.
By the 1830s, opium was the largest commerce of the time in any single commodity. In 1860, the British Indian government legalised India's narcotics trade with China as a government monopoly, run by the Opium Department. It became the Indian government's second largest source of revenue.
Trocki wrote, "So long as there was considerable profit in the drug, the enterprise was protected and given a safe haven in British India. ... the continued legal production of the drug in British India effectively prevented the eradication of drug use elsewhere." "if Britain did not provide a safe and legal haven for the trade, it could not flourish."
"The records show that the Indian government and the Colonial Office were constantly at pains to maximize profits and to protect, at almost any cost, the opium revenue of India. ... British authorities fought tenacious battles throughout the 1890s and into the twentieth century to preserve the opium system against reformers or opponents. So long as the British government profited from and perpetuated the opium industry, there could be no stopping it. It was the persistence in protecting the trade and preserving the revenues that seems the most reprehensible element of British policy during these years."
He concludes, "without the drug, there probably would have been no British Empire." "In their dreams, the empire, the Raj, was a great and glorious enterprise. It was also a global drug cartel which enslaved and destroyed millions and enriched only a few. The image of the Raj was itself a delusion created by opium."
And now the present pious, canting, hypocritical Christian rulers of Britain have the gall to praise the global drug cartel that was the Empire!

If you are one of those who appreciate sweeping generalizations, unsubstantiated declarations, and retrospective morality this is the book for you. One has to give Trocki credit for a concerted effort, and it is clear that he chases his mission with a vengeance. The thesis is controversial to say the least: "Without opium there would have been no British Empire." Many will be turned off by such a bombastic declaration, and, knowing this, Trocki does go in with all guns blazing. But no question, he shoots wide of the mark.

Besides the simple question of layout and direction of argument (which does not support the declared thesis) there are out-of-context and simply wrong quotations both of secondary authors and his own primary sources. Trocki makes extensive use of sarcastic remarks to drive home is own (presumably Marxist) political views and they can really irritate, especially when he is factually wrong. Trocki is not a historian but has tried his hand at historical research, and from this point alone he certainly made a poor impression.

To be fair, some of his later chapters are thoroughly interesting, as they concentrate on the author's own research area of South East Asia where he has undeniable expertise. Also, unless you reject post-modern historiography out of hand, it is always interesting to see a scholar attempt to create an entire weltbild out of his research and tie it in to other major developments worldwide. Personally, I think this is what historical research should be about. Trocki, however, could easily have damaged the entire budding genre with this book. If you want to read about British-Indian opium production, stick with Singh, or better yet, Amar Farooqui's new book 'Smuggling as Subversion.'

The Piranhas is a story that only ole' Harold could write. It is explosive with sex, violence, betrayal, and corrupt Wallstreet dealings. The book, as with most of Robbins' work deals with the issues of power and lust, how a man can achieve them, and how a man reacts when it has it all. The characterization is titanic, as well. Robbins illustrates his characters with all the temptations and emotions a man must face. The Piranhas proves again that Harold Robbins is the best American writer of modern time.

One of the more exciting books of fiction from the godfather of pop fiction. harold robbins has written more than 20 novels, all of them best sellers.

That summary reflects this book's displacement of Cussler's Sahara as tops in the "Did Anybody Edit This Book?" category. I don't know what possessed me to complete this novel. The (accidental?) switch from first person to third person narrative voice for a couple of chapters in the middle should have signaled me to stop. For light reading, stick with Nelson DeMille or old Ludlum

There is no passion to write an excellent book here. It might be a good book for geeks. Perhaps Chapter 4 (Engaging Audience) is the reason that I am left with this feeling. That chapter is particularly shallow. Or may be because the author Jefff Slutsky uses the powerful phrase "street fighter" so banally. The book is often very superficial in its advise. Just one example at bottom of page 30. "Humor should be funny." The title of this books touts three objectives. Overcoming fear is one of them. It never gets around to fear in any meaningful way. It is an easy book to read but partly because it does not get intense about any subject. This is a good book if you are going to be talking to very conventional run of the mill crowds where you can be contrived and shallow because you are not going to develop into a great speaker. If you address high powered people this is not the book for you. Co-author Michael Aun won the Toastmasters International championship in 1978. I have listened to this speech several times and it is greatness. Just to be a finalist is a glory--ardently admired. To win is beyond my ability to extol sufficient respect. Their are many good points to this book but they are found in quiet little places and if you have read a number of books on speaking this book can be read to advantage.

Michael Aun and Jeff Slutsky deliver a practical guide to using the skill of speaking to move your business forward, whether you're a speaker or not. A lot of great information packed into an easy read. David DeCurtis, Executive Vice President, Enanti Corporation

This book seems to be more directed at those who wish to promote themselves through public speaking. For the rest of us who just want some good, straightforward information on how to become better at speaking in front of a large group, it falls short.

This book gives us an insight of key players behind some of the great successes of Asia's mega massive Billionaires Club

This book is okay as an introduction but is really just a list of people, some of whom couldn't possibly be as wealthy as the author suggests. The book is in the 'gee whiz' genre - it's Asia, so therefore it's exciting but also beyond serious analysis. There are better books on the market that deal with Asian business in a thorough and less excitable way.

This is a good reference book if you go to South Korea for business or do business with Koreans in your own country.If you would like a book with more information and references, than I would recommend the book Korean Etiquette & Ethics in Business by Boye Lafayette De Mente. This book goes indepth with the Korean national character, its tradition and the personal coonnections that are essential to Koreans.

Extremely thin PAMPLET, NOT the detailed book you would expect. Interesting reading, but you can find everything it has to say on the net with a simple search. Don't waste your money.