Exports Books

This is a unique and interesting business travel guide and gives a lot of value for its pocket size. As a former military attache to Japan, I was impressed by tips it offered in areas that even seasoned Japanophiles struggle with such as the fine art of giving presents and expert dining etiquette that goes way beyond the standard business cards and bows. The reader gets a rare peek into the minds and hearts of the Japanese people. It's also a sociological and cultural study in value-shifts that are occurring in today's Japan and business changes in foreign investment policies and deregulation. A lot of emphasis has been placed on behavior and language in interpersonal relations, even to the extent of how many seconds to wait before responding to a question! Clear and easy-to-use charts are an excellent feature. The book also begins with a humorous quiz on Japanese famous figures, history and food, and shows how we really do need this new book and the information it provides. Examples of advice are: "When you get in trouble, apologize profusely" and what to do if you're staying near an active volcano. This guide is easy to read and helps us understand the Japanese character and way of thinking. It's also very enjoyable. We loved it! Thank you Brian and Sue!

Because of my work as an interculturalist, I enjoy reading various books on cultural preparation for Americans, et al, going overseas. This book is by far the best quality to prepare a business traveller or even a tourist for life in Japan. It is concise, yet informative, and supplies plenty of pertinent anecdotes which assist the reader in understanding values which we, as Americans, typically find too foreign to comprehend.

The text is aimed at practising international marketers, although also of benefit to students of more advanced or specialised international marketing programmes. The material is developed from years of line management and international marketing consultancy, including with many blue chip multinational corporations, across many global markets. Much of the material has been used, honed and customised, on many in-company team development programmes run by the author.

The author clearly is a hands on international marketer, sharing his experience across many markets and aspects of international marketing. Whilst is is of good use for students of international marketing, particularly those of CIM and Institute of Export professional exams, I think it is particularly relevant for practisng marketers.

This book does a good job of describing typical small business activity in a city that the author lived in for a couple of years.
I have long been puzzled by the reports that China has a booming economy in spite of widespread corruption and hardly any rule of law, when those problems seem to ensure poverty elsewhere.
This book does a good deal to resolve this mystery. It suggests that Fukuyama's claim that "there is a relatively low degree of trust in Chinese society the moment one steps outside the family circle" is misleading because the Chinese notions of family ties aren't as rigid as in the west. Family-style trust is more like a commodity that can be readily acquired by most people who have decent reputations, via friend of a friend type connections between people. And the networks of reputation do well at ensuring the reasonableness of corrupt or arbitrary actors.
It would be nice if we could copy the good parts of these aspects of Chinese culture, but I suspect that's as hard as copying the social capital that Fukuyama describes in his book Trust.

Economic activities are embedded in social relation. In his criticism of economics, Mark Ganovetter (1985) pointed out the "atomised and undersocialised view of human action" held by neoclassical economics tended to undermine the role of institutions on economic activities. This view of embeddedness has long been noted by economic sociologists (Ganovetter, 1985; Dacin, Ventresca, Beal, 1999) which theorised organisational embeddedness.

Prof. Wank's interesting book "Commodifying Communism" provides an excellent context for readers to understand the concept of economic embeddedness. Drawing from years of ethnographic research in Xiamen, the author vividly illustrated how institutions both formal and informal collectively influence the cognition and behaviour of agents during the process of transformation. Observation in the field led to what the author believed institutional commodification of Communism which as a process refutes simplistic views on market transition.

Methodologically, the multidisciplinary approach adopted by the author not only successfully integrates sociology into institutional analysis but also skilfully incorporates different theories into an eclectic paradigm. Practically, the book also sheds lights into the business process and culture in southern China and helps readers to understand the context Chinese business.

As a reader from Xiamen, I felt familiar with various characters described in the book and wondered whether they had managed to survive the latest anti-corruption campaign centre-staged there. The ethnographic approach adopted by the author possesses much power of story telling, and as a result, the research had not drained analysis of life compared with the formalist's account on China. Methodologically, the deconstruction of language truthfully illustrated how norms, values and belief were construed and constructed by various actors. Indeed, one strength of this book that I found particular enlightening is its power to reveal what most Chinese would think as "common sense" but turns out to be incomprehensible to most foreigners.

Theoretically, these penetrating insights have helped distinguish the "institutional commodification account" from the normativism of political economy. I consider these aspects thoughtful and revealing, trully capable of providing an distinctive informal approach to conventional analysis. This approach not only acknowledges the importance of social institution beyond market but also highlight the degree of complexity in transitional economies.

Structurally, the book consists of three parts. Part one familiarises readers with contenting arguments, outlines the research design and introduces its central argument: `institutional commodification'. Part two explores the process of commodification in the context of agents' behaviour response to formal and informal institutions. Finally in Part three some interesting comparison were made between China and Eastern Europe while the major argument was further pursued in the context of politics, economics and sociology. The time scale of research was set in one of most dramatic period in modern China demarcated by the event in 1989.

The institutional commodification account is certainly an innovation in the sense that it captures the reality and dynamics of growth and most importantly presenting the complexity in its wider social context of network. Indeed, I really admire the angle where the author choosed to present the context of arguement. From there, the reader may appreciate how ingrained value, belief and relations have collectively shaped the process of transformation.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Timothy A. Wise, Hilda Salazar and Laura Carlsen, Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration And Popular Resistance In Mexico presents informed and informative essays from a variety of expert contributors pondering diverse labor, agricultural, and environmental issues within the context of contemporary globalization. Looking at the social and environmental costs that globalization extracts upon Mexico's land and people; exploring grassroots searches for alternate paths; and ranging from sweatshop workers' struggles for basic labor rights to the efforts of corn farmers to keep the influx imported grain from forcing them off their land, Confronting Globalization is very highly recommended reading for students of international economics, social activists, and governmental trade policy makers.

A Review:
Confronting Globalization:
Economic integration and popular resistance in Mexico
Wise, Timothy A., Salazar, Hilda, Carlsen, Laura eds., 248 pages (paper),
Kumarian Press, Bloomfield, CT 2003
....)

Globalization and trade policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have had disastrous effects on Mexican communities Confronting Globalization is about what some of these communities are doing at the grass-roots political level to defend themselves. The setting is contemporary Mexico. This book provokes discussion of the lessons of the social and environmental costs of the NAFTA. The editors have gathered the real stories of real communities and the community members organized to address conflicts. The book ends with thoughtful guidance for us to ponder as corporations and governments sally along with new hemispheric-wide economic agreements. This kind of guidance is very rare these days as most of us hunt for workable paradigms to guide social justice actions in the future.

The basic premise of the book is that increased trade and investment result from reduced barriers, but these should not be an end in themselves. National governments should go further than global economic integration and judiciously use the fruits of free trade as a means toward an end of improving their own society, environment, and economies. This book not only shows how communities and local democracy have been weakened by globalization, but lessons are examined and recommendations are offered as important considerations for future agreements. The promise that globalization can strengthen us all has proved hollow, and here we see how and why it has failed - and we can see what must be different in our immediate tomorrows.

The editors use nine case studies of actual communities that have been impacted by neo-liberal trade policies. The setting of this book is stories of how these communities are defending themselves from the onslaught of corporate power and stories of how laws have weakened the national ability to protect the people of a country. Locally-based alternative policies can be viable alternatives but they must be protected and nurtured by national and international agreements.

With a focus on environmental, labor, and agricultural issues the book documents how the past ten years of free trade have resulted in an exclusive focus on corporate profits. This book shows how, with detailed citations, these agreements result in a weakening of democratic government, deterioration of the environment, and declining labor conditions. For example, the authors document how rural Mexico, heavily dependent on small-scale agriculture, is in crisis. Grain imports from the United States and reduced supports to small farmers have resulted in four-fifths of the rural Mexican population living in poverty, and half of those people live in extreme poverty. Small farmers just can't compete on such unequal terms. Is this free trade? Who benefits? Who loses?

These authors do an excellent job of supporting their thesis with facts that are annotated. For example, the editors of Confronting Globalization document how Mexican per capita growth was 3.4% from 1960 to 1980. Since 1985 Mexican per capita real growth has been just 1%. Job creation in Mexico does not nearly keep up with the increase of the population. New workers are entering the economy faster than jobs are being created. Manufacturing has seen a net loss of jobs since NAFTA took effect. NAFTA critics predicted American jobs would migrate to Mexico. Some did. But the jobs created in Mexico are not good jobs - manufacturing wages are down 12% under NAFTA, and about 60% of the Mexican workers do not receive any of the benefits legally mandated by their government.

How can this increasing impoverishment of our neighbor be good for the United States? Who gains from international trade agreements and who are the real losers? Read this book and you will come away with a solid grounding in the basic lessons of free trade. Talk of globalization usually means talk of economic conditions, but costs to the environment, agriculture, and worker well-being are ignored. States must include these sectors when considering future agreements such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The student of global trade agreements will be familiar with challenges of national pressures as the regions struggle to integrate. There are many articles and books about trade agreements of the 20th and 21st Centuries but documentation of how these changes have impacted contemporary Mexican civil society, and in turn our society, are not common. Confronting Globalization is important because these stories detail how communities have responded at the grassroots level with a wide diversity of social responses. It should be required reading for the university-level scholar, the politicians who create trade policy, and social activists who seek to ameliorate the harm caused by globalization. The clearly delineated recommendations are essential considerations for future action.

2003-08-15
...

The book provides a hard hitting summary of both the risks and opportunities of the developing countirs. It also included a lot of solutions to the problems one faces. I liked the way in which it addressed issues from an operating company, equity investor's, and lender's perspectives. Nobody else does that. The anecdotes on various regions were entertaining.

Former investment banker Jeffrey C. Hooke now carries out financial deals in the developing world. He describes the potential for doing business or investing in the world's 156 emerging markets. Hooke is realistic about the great risks - such as unstable governments in impoverished countries - but he highlights future potential. His book is a solidly researched and clearly written guide to assessing the business climate and deciding what types of products make the most sense in different developing countries. After an overview of the nature of emerging markets, why companies want to participate in or avoid these markets, and how to invest and make loans there, he looks at particular markets in Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. We [...] recommend this worthy book to those considering working or investing in emerging markets, but academics or readers interested in how business is conducted in foreign places may also be intrigued.

For the dictionary on Japanese economy, ¡®MIT Encyclopedia of the Japanese Economy¡¯ has been widely used. Such a dictionary is needed for you can¡¯t read all the material on the Japanese economy. Literatures on Japanese economy are still flooding on the market. Moreover, there are so many sub-disciplines that you can never read through them all, and even making a reading list is prohibitively time-consuming.
MIT Encyclopedia was updated in 1999 to the 2nd edition. It deals with mainly big topics such as unemployment with some length. But this book, published in 2002, tackles not only general economic subjects, but business affairs like Sony, Japanese business in US, and Chalmers Johnson, as title implies. And that I think the quality of articles is not behind MIT¡¯s. This book¡¯s contributors are well-known figures in Japanese studies. And like MIT¡¯s at the end of each article is the reading list on that subject.

This book is the most comprehensive reference I have seen on Japanese business related topics. Entries cover business history, leaders, management, technology, and company profiles. The authors appear to be well informed and up-to-date on what is happening in Japan, the writing is concise and the citations are helpful for research. I highly recommed this as a must-have reference for anyone interested in Japan and/or global business.

Did you know that marijuana is not only legal in Cambodia, but is often used as a flavoring in soups? Or that traditional Chinese law in the fifth century forbade merchants from wearing nice clothes in public? Did you know that in Japan, giving a potted plant to a sick patient is a bad omen, a sign that a malady may take root? Or that Laos produces some three hundred tons of opium annually? How about the fact that the Philippines is the word's third largest English-speaking country (in terms of population)?

In Leo Paul Dana's new book, Entrepreneurship in Pacific Asia: Past, Present & Future, the countries of the far east are presented with both the precision of a shrewd business man, and the sensitivity of one for whom this region of the world holds an obvious and ineluctable charm. Covering the ten countries that make up what is known as the "far east" - Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam - Leo Paul, in short erudite chapters, attempts to convey both the complexity and appeal of a region that harbors extremes of material wealth, divergences of spiritual practice and histories as rich in flavor as they are in turmoil.

The book is the first of its kind, pulling together a wealth of knowledge that will be required reading for anyone - student or professional - interested in getting to know either the culture or the business possibilities that abound in Pacific Asia. In Indonesia, for instance, a carefully constructed balance has been created between the country's massive reliance on agriculture, and the need to modernize and create more opportunities for entrepreneurship. Development programs have been set up to bridge the gap between traditional village life and the needs of a growing world economy. Considering the tensions in East Timor, it is important for entrepreneurs and western businessmen to be sensitive to climates that are undergoing such radical changes. And while it is perhaps impossible to retain the sort of agriculturally based economies that have led us to the present day, it is a worthy cause, as Leo Paul shows, to try and save those cultures within a broader context. Even in France, where the world economy is clipping along, there are fierce battles raging over how to manage GM foods and how the cultural inheritance for today's children will be defined. Leo Paul's book testifies to the presence of an Asian entrepreneurial spirit, and at the same time attempts to show the importance of paying attention to the cultural values that define that spirit. In Singapore, for example, "clan associations" were founded in an attempt to foster co-operation among people who spoke the same language. As Leo Paul says, "Mingling with other members helped individuals understand trends in product development as well as price fluctuations."

The complexity of entrepreneurship in Asia is astounding. The importance and preponderance of Chinese immigrants, for example, is a phenomenon which Canadians and Americans have witnessed on their own shores, but whose effect, perhaps, they have been ignorant of in other regions of the world. The Chinese brought both Mandarin Script and Chinese Medecine to Singapore; and in the Philippines, although they comprise only 2 percent of the population, they control more than half of the market capitalization in that country. Often, despite prejudice from local populations, as well as from colonial powers, the Chines have not only fostered, but helped expand an entrepreneurial spirit throughout Pacific Asia.

Filled with stunning photographs, taken by Leo Paul himself on his trips to the various regions detailed in the book, Entrepreneurship in Pacific Asia is a must read for the business minded of the next generation. That is, those who recognize that the world of business is no longer an isolated one, that to be successful you have to understand, or at least be interested in the whole world. An exciting time indeed to be an entrepreneur!

Pacific Asia has become a very important region for commerce since the easing of trade barriers and expansion of the global economy. The effects of globalization have had a tremendous impact on Pacific Asia, not only through the creation of big multinational corporations, but their effects on social values and nature of doing business resulting from this increased competition. In Entrepreneurship in Pacific Asia Past, Present and Future, Professor Leo Paul Dana gives an in-depth description of the entrepreneurial events that have been occurring in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Professor Leo Paul Dana is the deputy director of the MBA International Business Program at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, as well as a Senior advisor for the World Association for Small & Medium Enterprises and the Associate Director of the ENDEC Entrepreneurship Development Center. Along with his expertise on entrepreneurship, Professor Dana has personally visited each location and therefore each chapter is written from his personal travels and experiences.

This book answers all your questions about how countries in Pacific Asia are dealing with the internationalization of entrepreneurship in the new global economy. This includes new and exciting incentives governments are providing to encourage entrepreneurs and create new opportunities for locals as well as the need for foreign experts to help train and work with local talent. The support programs that local governments are beginning to implement and the increasing amount of venture capital that is now more readily available for entrepreneurs, has made Pacific Asia a very attractive region for new business enterprises.

Each chapter begins with a countries historical overview that is essential in understanding the specific events that tailored and shaped the entrepreneurial activities and opportunities in each individual country. By acknowledging the past, we can better understand what strategies need to be implemented in order to support a strong entrepreneurial spirit in the future.

Professor Dana has shown how culture can greatly affect the business practices of a country. From the work-loving, motivated Buddhists in Thailand, to the multicultural, diverse and efficient Singaporeans, each country has its own cultural diversity that has shaped the economy and business community.

One of the main stresses of this book is on the role of the Chinese in entrepreneurship. The Chinese have deep entrepreneurial roots in each of the chapters described. For example, there are one million ethnic-Chinese in Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh they compose 12% of the population yet control up to 50% of the local economy. Usually making up only a small percent of a country's total population, the Chinese have historically been very active and influential on their economies.

This book is perfect for both new business students who want to gain insight into the field of international business and entrepreneurship as well as more advanced students who can gain a more clear insight into the characteristics of Pacific Asian economies and business opportunities available in these 12 countries.

After reading this book, one will be able to see the limitations and advantages offered in each country and compare how these governments have attempted to expand there efforts into stimulating new business opportunities and remain competitive in the new global economy.

The following are examples of the hundreds of positive reviews that the Export Sales and Marketing Manual has received since the first annual and updated edition was introduced in 1988. The 2001 version is the 14th continuous edition.

Full of meat and potatoes - and meant to be used. The manual skillfully covers every step needed to become a successful exporter. Journal of Commerce

Congratulations on your outstanding manual which has become the standard of the U. S. export industry. We also appreciate the cooperation you have extended to the SBA over the years. U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Absolutely the best publication in the field of exporting. We recommend it for purchase at all of our international trade events. We are proud to be able to offer it to our membership. National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

A "must" acquisition for businesses that are exporting regularly or thinking of doing so. The chapters on export pricing and budgeting are excellent! Journal of Accountancy

You have succeeded in writing the proverbial "cookbook" for U. S. exporters. Your publication will definitely help many U. S. companies and individuals become successful exporters. U. S. Senate Small Business Committee

Thanks to your manual, our small company is now in the export business for the long run. What seemed to be impossible is now an enjoyable career that I look forward to every day. Dafina Biteye, Making Connections Work, Inc.

Outstanding manual! We plan to have a copy available at each of our U. S. field offices. Federal Express Corporation

EXPORT SALES & MARKETING MANUAL REVIEW IN CHOICE MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Issue: February 2001, Page 1122

John R. Jagoe (Director of the Export Institute) provides comprehensive and authoritative information on exporting from the United States in this publication. Available in four formats (softbound text, CD-ROM, Internet and Classroom Package for Educations), it can serve as a step-by-step guide for the beginner or as a reference for the experienced individual. The printed version contains 640 pages of information-filled text. The electronic versions provide excellent search capabilities (via Acrobat) and very easy access to numerous links to additional sources of information.

Information on the manual, including the table of contents, and the professional qualification of the author, are available at ....

Although other recent works are also available, e.g., Amy Zuckerman and David Biederman, Exporting and Importing (Choice March 1999), Beley Seyoum,Export-Import Theory, Practices And Procedures (Choice November 2000), and David Neipert, A Tour of International Trade (Choice March 2000), none focus solely on the export side or offer as much detail on exporting. Moreover, the availability of the electronic versions gives Jagoe's publication a decided edge.

The manual guides the reader through the entire export procedure, and the marketing approach the author uses makes for interesting reading. Supported by tables, figures, charts, checklists, extensive appendices and a 30-page glossary, libraries are advised to acquire the Internet or CD-ROM version in addition to the print manual.

A very useful resource for businesses, government agencies, and professional associations involved in exporting or in international trade. The manual is also recommended for upper-division undergraduate and above collections that are supporting strong programs in exporting or international trade.

W. C. Struning, Seton Hall University

Reprinted with permission of the American Library Association.

Exporting is potentially a complex subject. Export Savvy, keeps it simple, easy to understand and as an extra feature, this book is an excellent reference. For the executive, this is an outstanding single source "fast read"; a key aid to help establish export policies and strategy. For export, import, compliance and international business development managers, Export Strategy is a great refresher and reference. For the college professor involved in international management/marketing classes this could be an excellent text with obvious inherent opportunities to assign "let's look into this further" student research projects. This is a well done body of information presented in an inviting journalistic style.

If your company is in international trade, international business, or exports, this book will give you and your staff the tools and common language for developing strategy and running your operation. I would recommend giving each person on your team a copy of this book.

I have read this book and find it to be one of the most comprehensive books on the subject. It develops the subject very gradually and provides solid material for understanding e-business for small companies. It provides nice and useful examples and case studies that help the reader to understand the nuts and bolts of e-business for small companies in the global market. I recommend it as the first reading on the subject to readers interested in IT and international business for small companies.

Mr. Da Costa's book is an intelligent, realistic and motivating resource for global small business owners and entrepreneurs -- as well as software vendors, industry analysts, and development agencies following small business development. This realtively small volume is stuffed with cogent and straight-forward discussions of the cultural factors and business climate that effect ecommerce success for small business ecommerce operations. He makes the inspiring argument that such developments change lives, as well as significantly affect the health of nations and economies.

More than theoretical, the book is replete with well-drawn examples and lessons - written in a thoroughly unstuffy manner. Truly useful for those of us who are actually about to launch into the ocean of global e-business, or seeking to improve our approach. Mr. Da Costa has done us all a favor, sifting through a huge pile of facts and cautionary tales. There is much here for all to learn and enjoy. Enthusiastic endorsement of Eduardo!