Globalization Books

Monbiot's manifesto is a lucid and often elegant call for a radical transformation of systems of global governance. His writing is reasoned and quick, rarely wasting a word, which lends precision and power to his argument. His basic premise is that humanity is doomed to a future of continuing war between nations, increasing inequity between the powerful few and the impoverished many, and environmental devastation unless and until we make the transition to the "metaphysical mutation" whereby we begin to see ourselves first and foremost as a single species rather than as loyal members of mutually exclusive communities.

In the meantime, he argues, the "least worst" political arrangement that provides a balance against the "dictatorship of vested interests" that is the inevitable consequence of unfettered commerce is institutional democracy. The world has already been globalized economically, but the resulting inequities of power and privilege have not been formed by consent of the world's people. What is needed is a global democratic revolution that will establish democratic political institutions measured to the will of the people.

Monbiot believes that the current international institutions are solidly in the grip of a few developed powers, particularly the US, and that they are constitutionally beyond democratic reform. New institutions will be required which are designed to function by democratic consent from the start.

Monbiot suggests three major institutions that could form the basis of a new more equitable global democracy. The first is a world parliament. Every human being on earth would receive one vote. Representatives to parliament would be elected by populations divided by number and not national, racial, or other designation. The world parliament would function as a forum by means of which the existing political and economic powers would be held to account in the formal court of global public opinion. As this parliament is neither formed by nor beholden to existing powers, we can build it now. "This assembly will belong to the people, and we require no one's permission to establish it."

Secondly, Monbiot calls for the creation of an International Clearing House, along the lines suggested by John Maynard Keynes, which would function as a new global reserve system. It would create a new and independent currency as the unit of account of trade between nations, freeing national treasuries from dependence on the US dollar (the current standard for national reserves), and it would provide various financial mechanisms ensuring the balance of trade between nations.

Finally, Monbiot wants to see the creation of a Fair Trade Organization which would "prescribe and enforce the standards to which corporations wishing to trade internationally must conform." By virtue of it's democratic composition, whereby poorer nations may join their interests in opposition to the rich, the FTO would provide a mechanism for the global redistribution of wealth through trade; a leveling of fortunes that is the precondition of global stability.

"Nice ideas, but they will never happen." Maybe, maybe not. But what is clear is that we already live in a globally integrated economic society, and it is lacking the accountability of democratic political governance. Left to it's own devices a few men at the head of a few massive corporations are going to rule the world. Or we will devolve into a chaos of international resource wars. The center will not hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

Why do we establish governments in the first place? To assure that power is subject to the will of the people. The metaphysical mutation has already happened. We as humans are one species inhabiting one shared environment. Unless the existing international institutions find themselves capable of radical democratic reform, we will have to replace them. Whatever you think of the particulars of his plan, at least Monbiot has gone a long way towards envisioning a viable alternative. It's a good place to start.

The idea of a world government is not new, and it is not a novel thought that humans to achieve the species' highest potential must become unified. The trick is how to unify humanity. Here, Monbiot fails to provide a realistic, understandable method for doing so, and thus deserves an incomplete grade. The missing ingredient, of course, is applying the same federalistic principles used to unify the 13 American states.

George Monbiot lays out his proposal for a New World Order which consists of two major points:

1. A global parliament
2. A restructuring of unguided capitalism (ultimately a destruction of capitalism which he advocates in the end) in favor of a more democratically "fair" trade scenario in which people of all economic levels have a greater say in how their economic situation is presented.

Monbiot claims to be an enemy of the usual Marxist or Anarchists who currently seem to dominate the global justice movement. He is instead in favor of highly democratic, global system of economic governance that would ultimately make governments and huge mega-corporations "play fair" in the global economic arena. As he purports, the globalization phenomenon has placed the world in the hands of mega-corporations and has been taken out of the hands of its global citizens where it should be. Rampant, unchecked capitalism has taken the form of an all consuming monster that feeds on the poor nations of the world, says Monbiot, and it is up to every citizen to demand a stop to this unbalanced, raping of poor countries.

Monbiot is well aware that his cause could be construed as some form of Marxist, or socialist foundation, so he makes great efforts to distance himself from that notion and to place himself in a global democracy; a true democracy, as he says. One unlike what we have now where poor nations and our environment are at the hands of unrestrained capitalists. Part of this global parliament would arise mostly out of a revamped economic system that would resemble the current fair trade movement already in play (a trade policy where individual companies, independent from WTO control, demand fair labor laws, fair prices, and consumer awareness in order to create an economic base that is mutually beneficial to everyone in the production chain on all levels: not just beneficial to a corporation and consumer).

To be honest, I didn't really get much out of this book. Monbiot makes some good points about why this world revolution needs to occur, but provides little incentive other than to "get off your duff and do something." Also, while his vision is very specific and elaborate, it is going to take a series of steps that merge in his direction, not a single revolution as he suggests. These steps may not even fulfill his ultimate goal, but could be implemented to satisfy all involved. But by simple pointing out the evils of unbridled capitalism, Monbiot will not persuade anyone in power-positions to listen to him (which, I guess he accepts and is depending on "the average man" to step up to the plate). He attempts, in the beginning, to present a very logical, and non-radical approach to the problem and its solutions, but by the end, he comes off as just another radical, wannabe revolutionary who has nothing really to offer except anger at the system. Anger that is understandable, but his presentation is very similar to Marx's manifesto (in the sense that it is aimed more at those already involved in the global justice movement).
He attempts to bridge the gap between players already immersed in the anti-globalization, and global justice movements, but ultimately only sings to the choir. Monbiot fails to bring in new members to his cause and fails to thoroughly educate one on the basics of the global justice movement, or the ramifications for an average Western citizen. In other words, what's in it for me? I realize that the suffering of poor nations should be enough to get me fired up, but by Monbiot's book alone, I don't feel as though the problem has been thoroughly delivered. If this were any other book on the subjects of global economy and its pitfalls, I wouldn't expect the author to have this responsibility. But putting this book in the form of a manifesto is supposed to do just that: declare to the world your cause, the problems, and the solutions in a clear, concise manner (even at the end of the book, Monbiot admits that he wrote this book in reverse order by mistake. He talks about the global parliament first, and then a restructuring/destruction of capitalism when he should've talked about the new economic systems needed to bring about a global parliament first). If one can't convey one's message to the masses who aren't already on board, then Monbiot will never get the mass revolution he desires.

A lesson in not judging a book by its cover. What looks like a manual for anarchist or Marxist revolution turned out to be a very critical look at both the state of the world and the movements attempting to change it. Monbiot is clearly looking for pragmatic answers to global problems--he utterly refutes anarchy, Marxism and self-appointed world constitutionalists. Buy one for your protestor friend and help them understand how to make a real difference. For those who are looking for a bit of idealism mixed in with their practical politics, however, Monbiot satisfies as well. I was reminded of Emery Reves' Anatomy of Peace from the 1940s and thanked the powers that be for this "updated" version.

George Monbiot's 'Age of Consent', to give this book its original title upon its initial publication in the UK, is a powerful and visionary call to arms from a seasoned campaigner of the Global Resistance Movement. With devastating clarity of thought, the author sets out a detailed and ambitious blueprint for creating a fairer, more just world, while simultaneously exposing the muddled thinking of those who would lead us down the blind alleys of neo-liberalism, Marxism, anarchism, or 'consumer democracy'.

Ironically for a fully paid-up member of the so-called 'Anti-Globalization Movement, one of Monbiot's central arguments is that there is, paradoxically, a need for more rather than less globalization - in the sense of greater connectivity between people beyond national frontiers as opposed to the unrepresentative and undemocratic 'internationalism', which at present merely masquerades as globalization.

Though Monbiot has been, and will continue to be, criticized for his lack of realism, such shortsighted reactions only serve to underline how vital his horizon-expanding views are to defining the early 21st-century zeitgeist. This book's central aim is clearly to inspire its readers to act, a goal in which it will undoubtedly succeed.

To quote the author's opening broadside: "Everything has been globalised except our consent. Democracy alone has been confined to the nation state. It stands at the national border, suitcase in hand, without a passport." Indeed, releasing democracy from its current shackles must surely be the foremost challenge of our times - fortunately, this book may well provide the key!

This is a great book about the fascinating current trend in the global market. Personally, one point I found interesting was about innovation; it gives us a new outlook on outsourcing and off-shoring.
In our company we are talking about "Right Shore": the right resources at the right location at the right time. If reorganization is done successfully and strategy is right, then come Right Shore and smart-sourcing. They leverage the capacity, capabilities, cost advantages and competencies of your company across geographies.
Vital factors in this process of outsourcing are the choice of an outsourcer and the location chosen for outsourcing. The authors remind once again that the trend toward offshore/outsourcing is a lot more complex than simply seeking skills and resources in the lowest-cost locations. For instance the driving forces in the IT outsourcing market are quality and speed to market, not just cost of services.
Last but not least, the book is easy to read and without too much of abbreviations and MBA jargon.

Driving Innovation and Growth Through Outsourcing
Smartsourcing by Thomas M. Koulopoulos and Tom Roloff - is sub-titled 'Driving innovation and Growth through Outsourcing' this goes straight to the point which seems to be an habit of the authors who does not beat around the bush and dive directly into the nuts and bolts of their subject, which makes Smartsoucing a very insightful read.

Like Thomas Friedman, the authors agree that the world is flat, that we are now evolving in a global economy where work flows like water along the path of least resistance, leading jobs to be moved out of the United States and Western Europe and to be reallocated to Asia or whatever other places where wages are more attractive. That is what offshoring and outsourcing are all about, cost reductions. Smartsoursing presents a different approach and is based on the premise that outsourcing for the only intend of cost reductions is highly dangerous and does not yield the return on investment it promised. In the Smartsourcing framework, in order to outsource any organization has to go through a strategic reorganization of itself, to understand what could be, and more importantly what should be outsourced, and of course what is core to the enterprise and therefore should be not only kept in-house, but also invested in.

The point is simple, in order to success on a global scale an organization must focus on what it does the best, and to do so it must shift from the traditional Functional thinking to a Process thinking. Indeed, processes offer visibility, agility and a set of metrics can be used to evaluate their performance and therefore compare them to the industry standard. Doing so, an organization can understand what its strength and weaknesses are. Outsourcing or offshoring non core processes will boost the efficiency of the complete value chain, since the sourcing partner will execute those processes more efficiently because what is non core to an organization should be core to its sourcing partner. Of course this is an high level view, Smartsourcing provides the tools by which organizations can thrive in this new framework, creating value by: keeping the light on for less, creating more innovation for the given dollar, transferring risk between the partners and optimizing risks transference

After a keen analyze of the technical solution available to organizations nowadays, the Authors share their view on that market and the way it will evolve to a new generation of BSPs creating a new generation of smartsourcing hubs orchestrating business components across executable business processes. According to the Authors, the evolution of the software industry will "dwarf the technology industry of the next fifty years" and B2B vendors have a key role to play in that move to a purely efficient market where the transfer cost, that is the cost of "unplugging and plugging back to another ecosystem" would no longer be a measurable impediment.

Once a process has been identified as core to an organization, the rate of the innovation on that given process must increase, allowing it to keep its competitive advantage. And the cash flow to aliment the innovation trend comes directly from the money made out of outsourcing. According to the Authors, for every dollar of work offshored $1.20 to $1.40 is created in additional return and this money should be the venture capital of the innovation economy. Don't underestimate this point, after an agricultural based economy, followed by an industrial age, followed by a service based economy, we are now entering the area of innovation and the "invented in" label will have more value attached to it than the "made in" label. Therefore the innovation process becomes a challenge, and it requires its own set of skills. It is vital for our economy that we learn how to innovate through learning tools such as CPS - Creative Problem Solving for the future begins with the challenges we face today.

Smartsoucing is a hell of a good read and is fascinating because of the insightful, visionary comments of its writers. Thomas M. Koulopoulos, is known for his colon in The Economist, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal and his broadcasts on CNBC and CNN. He is also the CEO of the Delphi Group. Tom Roloff is a leading business strategist, Vice President and CTO of EMC corporation. Both made a very good work with this wake-up call book offering us a glance at what will be the future of the software industry as well as the way businesses will evolve.

As they wrote :

"We apologize for sounding the fire alarm. But don't confuse the inconvenience of being awoken from a sound sleep with the greater threat posed by the flames at your backside."

Outsourcing is a trend that's not going away, at least not as long as companies can save money by hiring other companies to manage some parts of their business, even as they continue to perform their core competencies. This book focuses on the reasons and rules of outsourcing. According to authors Thomas M. Koulopoulos and Tom Roloff, many companies aren't taking the right approach to outsourcing and, therefore, are not realizing its full benefits. The book covers a complex topic and, though it sometimes gets too technical, it will help you take a hard, honest competitive look at your outsourcing strategy, diagnose its gaps and improve the way you outsource. We believe executives and managers should read this book to learn how intelligent outsourcing can help their companies save money, innovate and compete.

The book exceeded my expectations as I thought it to be the University material I didn't have available during my studies. I would very much like to see it hitting the Greek market as well. Very competent writing and numerous opportunities for creative thinking. A very useful tool for people involved in the process of successful business strategy formulation and implementation.

The book takes a slightly different tack on how outsourcing should be viewed and how companies should use it. The overall effect is a little like that described by Hagel and Seely-Brown in The Only Sustainable Edge, but Tom writes a very readable book covering three key trends, all described cogently and without too much MBA-speak. In particular he does a good job contrasting outsourcing and smartsourcing - there is a focus on differentiation over commoditization and on strategic excellence combined with agility (one of my favorite topics). Anyway, the book outlines three themes:

Movement to external economies of scale
Shift from ownership to strategy
The evolution of the placeless job

The overall approach can best be summarized by one quote from the book where he says that an "organization's intellectual resources are maximized because they are not distracted by nonessential work".

A highly recommended book.

Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) comes now with his own addition to the host of literature that describes how the re-distribution of wealth in the United States is harming workers and the nation. This is a vitally important topic: Lee Iacocca wrote about this more than 20 years ago, Michael Moore wrote about this more than 10 years ago, and recently, everyone from Jim Hightower to Arianna Huffington to Al Franken have joined in. With enough voices, perhaps people will finally force their elected policy makers to reconstruct the safeties that were in place to prevent the degradation of the middle class that we are watching accelerate right now.

But will "A Country That Works" convert people from consumers back into citizens? Stern's ideas are good, practical, and positive, but they are not new. What has been lacking is an activism to force these ideas onto the agendas of both parties. To his credit, Stern does not "red-bait" the reader, but his ideas will never make it past the right-wing. Were this possible, we would not be in this fix, with economic and political uncertainty looming with growing immediacy. Stern has great ideas but he presents no plan of action; no intent to mobilize the SEIU toward national momentum.

Stern includes some backstory to his life and some snippets of the labor movement, but nothing in depth. He chooses his words carefully, especially as regards John Sweeney--Stern has been a good, effective leader but this has forced him to become a politician in his own right. There is nothing wrong with this, this is the nature of things, and Stern doesn't want to rock the boat too much.

So, with very little information in the form of memoir or history of labor, "A Country That Works" serves instead as a bullet-pointed list of excellent progressive ideas that were released as a $24.00 hardcover book. Many service workers might have to work three or four hours to pay for this book. It would have helped workers more if it had been published as a pamphlet.

Andy Stern does a great job of addressing the elephant in the room, corporate globalization, that is sold to populations around the world as "inevitable," but is being resisted all over the world. This particular form of globalization (also known as "neoliberalism" - although, not having anything to do with progressive liberalism) has been more of an investor's rights agreement, protecting shareholders while leaving other stakeholders in society - labor, local economies, the environment, indigenous communities - in dire straights. Stern recognizes what concerned people all over the world know, that the policies of NAFTA, CAFTA, the WTO, the IMF, et al, are not laws of gravity and are subject to reform, if not complete rejection.
International Socialist Review

Interestingly, Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado recently recommended Stern's book during an interview on a 50,000 watt station here in Denver. That's the sort of media activism on behalf of labor that all sorts of people need to be doing; to counter the years of anti-labor rhetoric all over the airwaves that are owned and sponsored by Big Business. Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media

While some segments of organized labor have seen declines, SEIU is growing; thanks to the sort of popular ideas in "A Country That Works," and also due to the organizing efforts of both documented and undocumented workers. I imagine the aggressive organizing of the immigrant population is part of the reason why there has been such a harsh dehumanization campaign and an increase in ICE raids, deportations and so forth. Working class people across borders need to recognize that with capital and corporate executives operating transnationally, labor needs to do the same. No One Is Illegal: Fighting Violence and State Repression on the U.S.-Mexico Border

For another good resource to teach people about the importance of labor organizing, I'd recommend the movie starring Adrien Brody that the SEIU helped to produce. Bread and Roses

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." - Abraham Lincoln, speech to Congress, 12/3/1861

Andy Stern deepens and extends previous efforts to describe and analyze the state of America's -- and, implicitly, the globe's -- socio-economic condition, and he supplies suggestions and proposals meant to remedy the more egregious symptoms of our civilization's decline. Long ago, Stern became the first major American labor leader to point publicly to the need for workers' action at the global level, and he turned heads three years ago with the somewhat heretical suggestion that US labor reconsider its monogamous relationship with the Democratic Party, a frequently unfaithful partner. For those who favor social change, A Country That Works provides a thoughtful overview and myriad leads toward a better future for all.

After a long period of corruption, arrogance and distain for American values and American working people, a new generation of leaders is beginning to emerge...fresh voices with solid ideas and much to say to the Amerian people. The author of this book is one of them and he is inspriring the younger generations. Read this to understand how and why! A must read! Those who favor the status quo won't like it at all..those who are more optimistic will love it.

This book spells out in a clear and compelling fashion the challenges that American workers face in our global economy, and what can be done to stop the American dream from disintegrating any further.

You may think of unions as a quaint, irrelevant relic of a bygone era, or perhaps you see them as a blight on business. After you read this book, you'll understand how Stern's progressive union, the SEIU, has the potential to be a real force for good, not just for workers, but for employers and the country as a whole.

The best thing about Stern's book is that it doesn't just describe all the problems plaguing American workers, it offers innovative solutions from a union leader who is, on the one hand, willing to reach out to CEO's and conservatives, while also taking on Wal-Mart and other corporations who shortchange their own employees to boost their bottom line. Stern's even traveled to China five times to get a handle on our competition and how best to handle it.

I got to hear Stern speak at a book party for A Country That Works the other night, and he spoke so passionately and persuasively that I decided I really had to get a second copy of his book to give my dad, who's always held an anti-union bias. Unfortunately, Stern did such a great job pitching his ideas that they sold the forty copies of A Country That Works his publisher had provided before I could get my hands on one. Looks like my dad will have to settle for an unsigned copy!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SOP0F4GZGY9T Erica Anderson's review was made as part of a critical review assignment for the Fall 2008 Honors Colloquium on Creative Destruction at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, taught by Art Diamond. (The course syllabus stated that part of the critical review assignment consisted of the making of a video recording of the review, and the posting of the review to Amazon.)

If you're at all interested in this book, ignore Hoan Chau's review. How does Cowen know Mexicans enjoy the choices available at Wal-Mart? Simple, they shop there and keep it in business. You don't have to like Wal-Mart (I sure don't) to recognize that it doesn't coerce anyone into its store. In an impoverished country like Mexico, it brings in more goods at lower prices than were previously available, thus improving people's standard of living.

On creativity: Cowen isn't writing a philosophical treatise on creativity, so if he ignores the "external influences" on it, that's not a just criticism. But it's surprising that someone could read this book and miss the point: Cowen is arguing that the creativity of others is an external influence on an individual's creativity, so the value of global exchange is that our creativity is stimulated by contact with other country's cultural goods.

Consider the U.S. without Chinese or Mexican food (or, in my case, the nightmare of not having Thai food). Consider the U.S. without the influence of African music. No spirituals, no jazz or blues, no "Graceland" by Paul Simon. Consider how popular Jackie Chan is, not to mention the more respectable Chinese films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." If you're more highbrow, consider the absence of Mozart or Paganini. Imagine no access to Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" or the Tao Te Ching, or the Boddhisatva.

In short, Cowen's point is that the global exchange of cultural goods enriches our lives. Efforts to restrict globalization will restrict the flow of these goods, impoverishing us all in ways that are hard to measure in dollar terms, but are easily understood in terms of cultural vivacity and creativity.

And, importantly, contrary to popular wisdom, America isn't exerting cultural hegemony--the Disneyfication of the world is overstated (easy to do when we have such jarring sights as a McDonalds jammed next to Beijing's Forbidden City. But other countries, including developing countries, export their cultural goods to the U.S. This increases the value of their cultural traditions, making it beneficial for people to hang onto them.

Remember, it's individual people (you and me) making these choices. We don't choose them unless we believe we're benefitting. And while we will make mistakes, it's a bit hard to believe that almost all our decisions almost all the time are actually harmful to us. It's even harder to believe that a small group of elites--whether in government or the self-appointed protectors of culture--will be able to make better choices for us. In short, this book is also an argument for preserving individual liberty.

This book is about how globalization is *changing* world cultures, for better or for worse. One of Cowen's central arguments is that globalization creates less diversity between cultures but more between individuals. So should we be pro individualism or pro collectivism?

His last three chapters on Hollywood, Dumbing Down, and National Culture are the most memorable, and persuasive. I especially enjoyed the chapter on Hollywood. His explanation of how modern cinema is what it is was enlightening.

Overall Cowen does what he set out to do; explained how globalization has changed world cultures. More often than not Cowen thinks this has had a net positive effect, but he does argue the other side of the coin. In my opinion Cowen contributes to the globalization vs. anti-globalization debate arguing that it's really one of collectivist culture vs. individual culture.

Tyler Cowen very adeptly reminds the reader that the world's regional cultures have never been static. What we think of as "native" art is really a product of global influence on a local population. So of course it seems silly to decry globalization as homogenizing cultures, when we understand that cultures have always interacted with each other. Indeed, what we are seeing with globalization is the increasing heterogenizing of cultures. Sure you see McDonalds almost everywhere, but you also see indigenous art from Central America, music from the Congo, movies from France, and food from India.

Tyler Cowen does not dismiss the degredation of certain cultural aspects, but he matter-of-factly points out that the alternative, protectionism, is more destructive in the long run, since creativity is stifled.

What happens when an economist steps outside of his field to don the hat of an armchair cultural anthropologist? Tyler Cowen's "Creative Destruction" is the result - a book that ignores global corporatism and the roles that states and their creations - i.e. corporations have played in corrupting free enterprise and free markets not only by attacking, usurping, and infiltrating the cultural programming centers of target nations: sport; entertainment including music, cinema, and televison; books and magazines; fashion including cosmetics, clothes and accessories; school and university textbooks, but by attacking, usurping, and infiltrating the cultural programming avenues of America itself.

"Ethos makes globalization a nontrivial problem for culture"(p50) writes Cowen, "By ethos I mean the special feel or flavor of a culture" (p48). Cowen maintains that "There is little danger that economic growth, international trade, and the spread of technical knowledge will bring inferior quality hammers, refrigerators, or vacuum cleaners either to the United States or to lesser developed nations" (p50). It would appear that the last time Cowen walked into a Wal-mart, K-mart, or other department store was to purchase a new pair of shoes for his high school graduation - nearly every item for sale in department stores today is produced by slaves in Communist China. Prior to Clinton's late 1990s trip to Communist China, `Made in China' meant Free China - the Republic of China on the Island of Taiwan. How it became legal for Communist slave-produced goods to be sold in the United States is a question that boggles the American mind! When did America ever allow Soviet goods to be sold in America? Never, to my knowledge. But today slave-produced goods from Communist China are everywhere.

Not only that, the quality of these slave-produced goods is greatly inferior to the quality of goods produced by free workers (workers who may safely say to their employer - "Take this job and shove it, I ain't workin' here no more!"). For example, the Delphi spindle bearing plant in Communist China that is supposed to be a reflection of the Delphi spindle bearing plant in Ohio cannot make bearings that will last through the 50,000-mile new vehicle warranty, whereas the U.S. Delphi bearings last 400,000 miles. Pontiac Aztecs and Buick Rendezvous have Communist Chinese bearings on the front wheels and U.S. bearings on the rear wheels. When Delphi was spun-off from General Motors in 1999, the plan was for the Chinese plant to replace the U.S. plant by 2006 because the Chinese government charges Delphi far less a month for a slave worker than an employee demands in the United States through union negotiation. Now Delphi is stuck with a U.S. plant it doesn't want because General Motors needs the bearings but the Chinese duplicate cannot produce the quality to meet even minimum standards. Delphi, and Cowen, should know that slaves have no incentive to do a good job. Only freedom creates incentives.

Cowen's six chapters in his 179-paged book are 1. Trade Between Cultures 2. Global Culture Ascendant: The Roles of Wealth and Technology 3. Ethos and the Tragedy of Cultural Loss 4. Why Hollywood Rules the World, and Whether We Should Care 5. Dumbing Down and the Least Common Denominator , and 6. Should National Culture Matter? These chapters are followed by a section labeled References followed by an Index.

Cowen sidesteps the issue of the role states play in cultural planning and their relationship to corporations, which are nothing less than creations of the state themselves. Cowen's book is short on cultural theory, cultural policy and planning, the political framework, national identities, and statist cultural planning to include arts administration and practice, tourism, media, the sports industry, or even urban and regional planning. He never mentions the statist UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the ways that governments use cultural resources to integrate development of towns, regions, and countries. And he is silent on the role of the soldier in globalization. Cowen's book is simply the mixing of apples and oranges, of the theoretical free market and today's global corporatism, with the effect of providing camouflage for what is really happening - i.e. economic fascism on a global scale, as uninformed anthropologically as it is mistaken. This is all a shame because Cowen's prose is quite artful and could have been a delight to read.

A book that does a much better job introducing readers to the processes of globalization is Tony Spybey's "Globalization and World Society" (1996), which should sit on one's bookshelf next to a copy of Paul H. Weaver's "The Suicidal Corporation" (1988).

This book is a short collection of articles or speeches by President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Reading it is a window into the world of a torn country: the poorest in the western hemisphere. But rather than being depressing, it leaves you with hope as you celebrate the triumphs of the Haitian people as they struggle for democracy and peace.

Take a trip to Haiti. And you may still notice the mountains of garbage at every street corner, drug and crime lords on the loose, the prison system a mess, the economy...what economy? electricity...only when it's for the "Wold Cup", the absence of Police Officers...the condition of the roads! the airport! the beggers, the robbers and the fast and growing numbers of Haitians leaving either by plane or boat! now, instead of publishing a book and trying to convince those who's never lived in Haiti of the President's good heart, he should have taken that money and spent it on the country instead! Nothing has changed from when the Duvalieriste's were in power! Actually, the new President bares an eery resemblance to Papa Doc lately! oh! did I forget to mention the President's mansion in "Tabarre" and the perfect condition of the road in front of his house...we wouldn't want his Excellency to feel a bump now, would we?

I never gave Aristide much credit, but after reading this book I'm beginning to think that there might be hope for Haiti after all. This is a compelling and well written book that goes at the core of Haiti's problem. In the era of globalization, a nation with a past such as Haiti should think twice before jumping the bandwagon of the free market economy and look for a third way. While the capitalist system generates wealth, it also broadens the economic and social gaps among class constellations. Yet, at the same time, we have Cuba as a model of social justice and equity, if judged by the criteria of universal acces to education and health care. I think that Haiti should aim at striking a balance between those opposing ideologies and Aristide made it clear in Eyes of the Heart that there is a third way. Rather he follows through with this idea during his second term as president it is yet to be seen. Overall it is an insightfull book.

hmm. interesting point our President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has. but guess what,it's not enough. in essence,he represents the dream-like state that a lot of my people have:we dream of what we were,of what we could be,yet do nothing about it. he is an intellectual without action. i have lived too long in haiti to hear all of the 'ansanm,ansanm,nou se lavalas'speeches of our DEARLY BELOVED president while continually seeing the misery of my people. good book,"titid". but i don't expect to see anything realistic come of it. (:

By all accounts, life for Haiti's desperately poor majority is difficult. By most accounts, that life is hopeless- newspaper reports see only squalor, development strategies see only economic enslavement as the lesser of evils, even supporters of Haiti cannot see the country escaping the rut of its history.

President Aristide, as he has always done, finds hope. He finds hope in his people's almost unfathomable strength in opposing repression over three centuries. He finds hope in economic activities discarded by the "builders". He finds hope, despite the horror inflicted on Haiti from the outside from slavery to the present, in us, the citizenry of the world's powerful countries.

This hope, and practical strategies based on it, has always been Aristide's gift to Haiti. That is why he, and candidates perceived to be loyal to him, have received overwhelming support in just about every electoral contest since 1990. That is why Aristide should receive the support of the international community, and anyone who cares about social and economic justice. That is why you should read this book.

Let's get right to the point. This book, or one just like it, should be required reading for anyone who wants to be a member of the human race.

I am only through the first two chapters and so far I am highly impressed with this text book. It's well written and easy to follow as the author created the book so that each consecutive chapter builds on the previous one. Okay so that is how it should be but I have read some text books that seem to jump from one subject to another with each chapter. And as text books go this one actually keeps my attention and I am enjoying it, so far.

I've given this three stars simply because it would have to be astounding good to be worth $77, and it's not. It is very good however, and if the price was more like $20 of less, which would be reasonable for an oversized paperback, I would have given it 5 stars. Evidently, because it's a textbook the publisher can get away with this. However, I happened to find a used copy at a college bookstore, and felt I should get it because I have been wanting to better understand globalism, CAFTA, NAFTA, the WTO and the protests against it, the World Bank and how it both helps and interferes, the jobs that are being outsourced to Asia (btw, last time I spoke to Amazon customer service, it was with someone in India!), the seemingly endless reach and power of certain multi-national corporations, etc., and I thought this book would fit the bill. I haven't finished it yet, but it certainly does, and I've been learning a lot from reading it. Thought it definitely has a point of view, I feel it's a more balanced introductory book than the many highly opinionated books written by particular economists and think-tankers who are inevitably trying to persuade rather than educate.

This text was required reading for a political science class dealing with developing nations. The only major problem I have from this book being in a political science class is that the content is overwhelmingly normative--the reader is given the impression that capitalism and capitalists are unanimously responsible for nearly everything terrible that has happened, including war, disease, famine, etc. The author spends a great deal of time talking about the resurgence of mostly benign protestant fundamentalism, while devoting only a few pages to discussing Islamic fundamentalism (it's really the West's fault, for spending a few million to support the mujahadeen). While there is a case to be made that market failures do lead to starvation, no mention is given to famines by progressives like Josef Stalin or Mengitsu (they aren't even listed in the glossary).

The book is written through the prism of Marxism and dependency theory by bourgeoisiephobe Richard Robbins, someone who should owe some gratitute to capitalism for getting this piece published.

On pages 42-43, one can see good examples of his economic illiteracy: the production function is "the black box" and he ignores conventional economic terms by designating "C" (which denotes consumption in economics) for commodities. Perhaps none of this is relevant, since he is a political scientist who seems to be making up his own economic models.

This book does give good insight into the structuralist perspective on international political economy. The solutions presented towards the end are, however, unrealistic (zero-economic growth, a "maximum wage," on income, revoking corporate personhood, etc.) Use this book to complement your studies on IPE/sociology/whatever suits your fancy and incorporate texts from the liberal and mercantilist schools if you want a real understanding of how the world workds.

This is an excellent book even if it is outrageously over-priced.

To be sure it is polemical and passionate, neither of which are necessarily bad things and certainly not in this case. Professor Robbins argues clearly and cogently for viewing capitalism as another culture and not as an inevitable evolutionary outcome of economic history.

Perhaps the book over-emphasises the dangers and difficulties of capitalism but it is not inaccurate in describing them. Here is a history of capitalism laid out in well-written prose and it is not a pretty history. We have much to answer for and much to do to put things right.

Highly recommended.

Globality describes the next phase of globalization and gives advise for how businesses should deal with it. In the authors view the first phase of globalization was companies building factories overseas and outsourcing manufacturing and labor intensive work to low cost countries in the developing world. The "Globality" phase will see companies from both the developed countries and the developing countries competing as peers. There is no longer a lack of talent in the developing countries.

In this new global economy companies must deal with seven "struggles" according to the authors. They are: minding the cost gap; growing people; reaching deep into markets; pinpointing; thinking big, acting fast, going outside; innovating with ingenuity and embracing manyness. Each of these topics makes up a chapter and is elucidated with examples and anecdotes. While each struggle was explained by itself, they did not seem to hang together as a coherent whole.

The authors are consultants at the The Boston Consulting Group; they were clearly writing for clients or potential clients. The text offers several examples of companies which had embraced the particular idea under discussion and a description of how they had benefited from it.

Of course we don't see examples of companies which had tried these ideas and not had success from them. Nor do we see companies that were successful with different strategies. What else had the companies that they profile tried before they came to these ideas? We would have learned a lot more from seeing these different attempts and out comes. Structuring the book as a list of companies that had succeeded by using the authors ideas makes it seem like a long advertisement, not a book that was intended to study a topic, or report on a phenomena.

The advertising nature of the book aside, it was well written and offered and intelligent view of an important topic.

this book is reviewing the development process of companies started in emerging countries until they become global. Initial competitive advantages as well as the acquisition of strategic features are described. This book is providing a flavour of the necessary ambition of the traditional western company in order to sustain upcoming market competition.

The authors of Globality have captured well what we are just now beginning to recognize in US corporations. For the last 20 years, globalization has symbolized the outpost approach American corporations have adopted to opening markets outside the US, while remaining stateside centric in our planning and execution. Globality is a sharp reminder that those markets are not just open, but thriving so well that American business must recognize the need to incorporate the issues, challenges, and opportunities into their strategic planning. Now is the time to put aside our pride, and learn the strategies and tactics that given our global neighbors a competitive edge. Most of all, we must recognize the risk of not doing so.

This book is a must for anyone competing in the rapidly changing global environment. The authors provide story after story of current companies creating exceptional growth and value in some of the previously least expected places in the world. It is humbling to recognize how much business success is occuring using many nontraditional and diverse business strategies. There is so much to be learned from these companies and countries. The authors provide a vivid picture of why that learning is so needed if one expects to compete. The book does not leave the reader without suggesting ways companies can join the success.

Globality is an excellent book for corporate executives, business unit leaders, and entrepreneurs. If you are an investor or want to read about the culture of world business, this isn't going to be your cup of tea.

We are in the middle of the great business convergence, an event so epochal that it will be written about as one of the great turning points in world history over the next several hundred years. What's it all about? Simply, every organization will complete with virtually every other organization on the planet. In the process, the dominant companies of the 21st century will be built.

In Globality, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) partners Harold Sirkin, James Hemerling, and Arindam Bhattacharya take the view primarily from enterprises founded in China, India, Brazil, and Mexico to show how those with the fewest resources, least skills, but lowest costs, are building important global positions in major industries. I compared this writing to what BCG founder Bruce D. Henderson used to write in the 1960s about Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese companies being poised to deflate profits for companies in the U.S. and Europe, and I was pleased to see that Globality is much more articulate, better defined, and easier to understand.

Although the book is very much about the evidence brought by the challengers, the information is presented neutrally in terms of describing opportunities available for anyone. In addition, there are specific suggestions for what well established companies in developed countries might do to best take advantage of these opportunities.

For me, the best parts were the case histories of companies in China and India that I don't know much about. You'll find many interesting stories.

In terms of analyzing the opportunities, the major themes are:

(1) Minding the Cost Gap

(2) Growing Human Capabilities

(3) Reaching Deeper into Markets

(4) Geographically Pinpointing Resources and Capabilities

(5) Thinking Big

(6) Acting Fast

(7) Getting Help from Outside

(8) Innovating the Business Model

(9) Embracing Global Diversity

(10) Being Prepared to Attack Everywhere and Be Attacked from Everywhere

The chapter titles in the book aren't quite this clear. You'll have to read the material to grasp the key concepts, but you'll get it.

I liked that the book has strategic, organizational, and tactical dimensions. If you want to get a quick look at the overall themes, head to page 239 to read the Nokia story and to page 249 to read the Emerson story.

Overall, I thought that this book did a very good job explaining all of the different topics disscussed in the book. I thought that it had a wide varitey of topics and I thought that the author always knew what he was talking about very well. However, sometimes I always didn't agree with him and I thought that he was very close minded and that what he thought was the only right way. Overall, the book didn't a very good job explaining many of the problems we have in America today and I learned a lot from it and I'm sure you would too.

This book could easily be misconstrued as a litany of whining. But John Tirman is a bright enough guy to have avoided that. He has worked in and out of the government for many years - it seems he knows his subjects well.

And it comes to pass that no one escapes Mr. Tirman's thunder - conservative, liberal, and everyone in between (although the Clinton's don't take as much heat as the heavy salvos directed at Bush One & Two).

Globalization; evangelism; consumerism; terrorism; Reaganism - from Fidel Castro to Paris Hilton, from SUV's to Vegas - the litany of screwups and new twists on old stupidites just keeps rolling along.

Each of these 100 vignettes is succinct and well delivered; the facts are cogent and convincing.

Yet what is glaringly missing are suggestions about undoing all this chronicled damage that "Americanism" has unleashed (although there is a 12 page addendum: 10 Things that America does right in the world).

Tirman should be credited with speaking out on this wide range of issues, most of them damaging to our credibility as the American people. Is it any wonder that the rest of the world is pissed off with the continuing arrogance and disrespect for their ways and cultures? After reading this book, one is left feeling a bit numb at how badly we have mismanaged our superpower role in the world.

This read is a real head shaker - and hopefully a wake up call.

The Cloud Reckoner

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

I've read most of this book and I've enjoyed what I have read. The points John Tirman makes are valid ones and I think a lot of people should read this book.

The chapters are, necessarily short, and Mr. Tirman gets to the point quickly and concisely.

For those interested in combatting Americanism, this book is a good place to start.

Be it 'AIPAC', 'Big Pharma', 'Consumerism' or 'Disney, Inc.', John Tirman's celebration of democracy provides the reader with much food for thought. In 'Altering the Earth's Climate' and 'Television', the leadoff chapters of 100 Ways America Is Screwing Up the World, the author sets the tone for his fascinating book and shows how a fresh perspective of some common topics can easily set your mind spinning.

Tirman is a well respected political scientist who has written widely on foreign policy, politics and human rights. This book takes a long look at broad range topics that you are probably well aware of but may never have really given them this kind of thought. His very personal style of writing makes each topic quite understandable and sensible at the same time. He also packs a lot into just a few pages on each subject. I have paraphrased some of his reflections on 'Agribusiness' below to provide you with what I feel is a good example.

'The lower cost of Government subsidized corn in the US has created an incentive for processed food manufacturers to substitute high-fructose corn syrup for other sugars, which now strongly correlates with obesity and an epidemic of diabetes that offsets any intended good of the subsidies. Genetically modified foods are sure to be another health-related problem of farm subsidies that's just over-the-horizon. And to make matters worse, such subsidies end up costing the developing world some $300 billion annually with actual assistance being only $50 billion! And just because Europe is as guilty as we are on these issues doesn't make it right.'

In 'We Don't Do Body Counts', Tirman shows how, with our current policy in the Middle East, we have callously attempted to deflect attention from the moral consequences of our war of choice, which are always inconvenient. It makes us remember the Vietnam Nightly News and the failure of past policies. 'America as Victim', 'Damsels in Distress', 'The Weapons Habit', 'The Killing Fields of Death Row'; the list goes on. Each topic is a masterpiece of insightful analysis. I feel that his discussion of 'Consumerism' should be required annual reading for people of all ages until 'we get it.'

As the current Executive Director of MIT's Center for International Studies, he is obviously no pessimist and he demonstrates that by ending this work on a positive note with a wrap-up called Ten Things America Does Right. I encourage you to read this book; it will definitely open your eyes.

Bob Magnant is the author of The Last Transition... - a fact-based novel about Iran, Iraq and the Middle East...

Any well-read person knows all that is between the covers of this book. Having said that however, because of its brevity and concise topics, this marvelous compendium of 21st century uniquely American disease symptoms qualifies as an extremely useful source book for the new millennium.

All of the familiar suspects are here: Las Vegas #85, consumerism #45, Reaganism #8 & #17, Wall Mart #10, etc, etc, etc. Obviously the reader will have thoughts about what was left out and what should not be there at all. The inclusion of SUVs #28 will no doubt cause as much outcry in America as was caused here when our former Prime Minister publically catigated these monsters some months ago for the same reasoms. Tirman was diplomatic enough not to even mention the engine driving many of his 100-the the onerous American style of capitalism or the Free Market or free enterprise, or whatever moniker the beast hides under. Virtually everyone of Tirman's 100 disease symptoms was mothered by this one evil-at least as it exists in the American variety.

Every evil in his book can be traced to a rampant market driven curse; there is too much of everything from bad Hollywood glamour #90 or gun stalls selling AK47s #37 to virtually anyone that wants one. Only days ago, Brazil voted down a proposition to curb gun sales. Why, because the National Rifleman's Association mounted a major campaign against the legislation-an American organization influncing political events in another country. Foreign interference like that would not be tolerated in Kansas or probably anywhere else in America.

This book brings all the problems together; if you read a newspaper and ever wonder how most of the world's problems started, get yourself this wonderful book and educate yourself. It will be money and time well spent.

This book is awesome. Buy it. That's all there is I have to say about it.

This is the greatest book I've ever read. It gives great advice. BUY IT!

WAITE IS A GENIUS WHOS IDEAS ARE OUT OF THIS WORL

As a member of the financial industry, I'm always looking for hints as to which sectors of the market will do well in the future. This book is exactly what I was looking for. Using demographic trends, the authors have come up with some scenarios which will definitely change my outlook on the future.

Imagine that you are perusing one of Yahoo's stock message forums, say symbol SSI and some guy with the moniker "catofan" posts a message like this: "CATO is going through the roof, sell SSI short, it's a Ponzi scheme and pile into CATO before it's too late!" What sort of credence would you give such a poster? For me, I wish I had hit the "Next" button, but no, I was unfortunate enough to buy the book.

If you like regurgitated CATO Institute ideology, you'll love this book. Gems like: *Social Security is a Ponzi game; let's put all the SSI money in a safe place---like the stock market. *America has too many low paid workers; lets' do away with "destructive" minimum wages and give generous tax subsidies to employers that pay low wages instead.

All written in the style of: "See Dick. See Jane. See Dick and Jane put all their retirement money in the stock market. See Dick and Jane go dumpster-diving in New Jersey for retirement."

There are actually a few concepts about the Boomer generation that could be useful---when the Boomers all try to sell financial and real estate assets all at once to fund their retirements there *could* be a bear market, just like there are bull markets when they are all buying at the same time.

However, most of the ideas in this book are like some kind of horrible pop song, repeated so much in the press that you find yourself almost unconciously humming along. Save yourself some money and time by surfing over to Cato to get "enlightened".

I had to buy this book for a class, expecting it to be disinteresting. Yet it was amazing and very informative. I enjoyed it very much. I recommend it.

The chapters are succinct and the author has a global, over-reaching perspective that captivates the reader. I looked forward to reading it every night for a week. Bound Together surpassed my expectations. I initially ordered it along with three other books on similar topics about capitalism and globalization. I read the others first because I thought they would be better. However, Bound Together was the best of the bunch.

Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization

The book is an interesting read with great historical account. However, at times with so much of flipping dates in one section somewhere Mr. Chanda has not been able to tie all the strings together. I wish each chapter would have followed some time sequence to build better perspective and genesis of Globalization.

The book ends up being an intersting tid-bits about globalization. I would still recommend reading this to anyone, in fact, I have done it.

What made this book fascinating is that it's told entirely from a non-Western point of view, yet it ties in perfectly with current events. We Americans get bound up in our view of history, which is primarily Europe's, but as Chanda so wonderfully tells the story, much happened of which the Europeans were not aware. I highly recommend this book as an essential primer for those not familiar with the global history of globalization.

The central thesis of this book is that crossing borders - or what is now called globalization - is actually nothing new, it has been going on since the first humans left their African homeland at the beginning of time. The difference between now and then is that new technologies have expanded the volume, speed and content of border crossings. Nayan Chanda has given us a sweeping overview of the history of globalization from the perspective of traders, preachers, adventurers, and warriors.

Chanda's approach is descriptive rather than prescriptive. He is well aware of the current debate on who glo