Easternisation: The Spread of Japanese Management Techniques to Developing Countries

Book Description

Japanese industry has shown its superiority in a range of traded goods sectors. It was thought that this competitive advantage arose from the use of electronics-based flexible automation technologies, but it is now clear that the major source of this industrial strength is in the development and diffusion of new management techniques such as just-in-time production and total quality management.
A number of Western firms have begun to introduce these management techniques and have begun to reap significant benefits, not just in lowering costs but also in improving product variety and quality, and in being able to satisfy customer needs more effectively. This is a practical and relevant book for those involved in the areas of policy and production, as well as being of relevance to those in the teaching and research communities.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Analysis of Industries in Developing Countries.........1998-07-12

I have worked in Indian industry for the last 4 years and also have learnt a lot in my masters program at Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai about Japanese Mgmt Techniques.

The problem I faced was there were too many books for the developed world and their industries, but there was virtually no book available on developing countries and the problems thereof...

This book came as a pleasant surprise and I felt how effectively the authors have captured the change process and the hurdles faced in countries like India.

For example, JIT in Japan might require a kanban restock time of less than an hour because of the vicinity of the suppliers, but in India (where suppliers are located at distances over 1000 miles), kanban has to be larger to offer economical restock times.

All other books mention the low kanban times in Japan, but nobody points out and analyses the realities in developing countries. Owing to the increasing labour costs in developed world, it is essential that some solid literature emerges to help industries develop their operations in developing countries and this book is a grand start...

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, published by Western Michigan University, School of Social Work on December 1, 2003. The length of the article is 529 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Randy Martin, Financialization of Daily Life.(Book Review)
Publication: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2003
Publisher: Western Michigan University, School of Social Work
Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Page: 208(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

FINANCIALIZATION OF DAILY LIFE
Randy Martin
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6QMA8

Book Description

A major contribution to the study of bankruptcy and to our understanding of debtors and creditors who end up in bankruptcy court.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Study.......2007-02-19

The authors add a lot of substance to the basic tautology that people who are broke declare bankruptcy. Not only do they both acknowledge and recognize this basic tautology, for the first time, in quantitative terms, they define just what it means to be broke. For the authors, merely coming up short at the end of the month does not qualify one as being broke (though most of us wage earning schmucks would tend to disagree). They demonstrate exactly what level of indebtedness generally forces people to seek the protection of the bankruptcy courts. Based on their work, the key metric appears to be the debt to income ratio, and their analysis shows that the bankrupt tend to have debts that exceed their gross annual income, or in quantitative terms, a debt to income ratio greater than one. Finally, they establish a tipping point based on the debt to income ratio that specifies the point in time at which the indebted fall into the abyss of bankruptcy, which appears to be when debts are eight-tenths of a household's most recent full employment annual gross income.

Honestly speaking, although the material presented is dense, and the text is top-heavy with citations, footnotes and whatnot, the book still reads well. The authors manage to provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic without sacrificing readability. The reader learns about the history and function of US bankruptcy, the various debtors in bankruptcy and also gleans a fair bit of knowledge about creditors in bankruptcy. One slight improvement to the text would have been a summary chapter for the time pressed which could have highlighted the major findings of the study. Otherwise, the authors succeeded admirably in contributing something of value to the bankruptcy literature and to general scholarship.

The book does have several severe limitations, most likely put in place by a colluding cabal of federal agencies and private banking/financial institutions (one could speculate with giddy glee as to why these parties would not want a clear picture of bankruptcy to emerge). I noticed that the sample size, which stood at about 2400, was barely adequate for good statistical inference. The authors pulled the sample from records obtained in three states. A more appropriate (and comprehensive) study would have obtained samples of about this size from each and every state of the union. A statistically literate observer would note that any inferences about the larger population based on such a small sample size would be highly suspect, given that obvious socioeconomic and demographic differences exist within each state, and also that bankruptcy laws tend to vary from state to state. Still, at no point did the authors reason beyond the limits of the available data, nor did they engage in any speculation. In the authors' defense, I must concede that subsequent studies into the US bankruptcy conundrum have affirmed all of their conclusions and most disturbingly, their predictions. The other crippling limitation of this study was the inability to glean the actual reasons for and the progression toward bankruptcy in each particular case. This particular handicap could not have been addressed based on the methodology employed by this study; however, the authors did address these specific points in a follow-up study, which they published in 2000 titled, The Fragile Middle Class- Americans in Debt.

Still, the amount of information that the authors uncovered, as well as their findings based on this information, caused me considerable discomfort. Throughout the narrative, the authors skillfully slay several myths surrounding bankruptcy, and lay bare some disturbing truths about who goes into bankruptcy, and just how bankruptcy comes to pass, albeit in general terms. I found the following observations and conclusions from the book to be the most disturbing:

Bankruptcy is largely a middle-class phenomenon, and generally is not an avenue available to the poor. By middle-class, I mean those that have upwardly-mobile economic aspirations, generally some education beyond high school, and gainfully employed, wage-earning schmucks (the authors present their own more elaborate and more comprehensive definition in the text).

The powers-that-be have progressively made bankruptcy less generous and more difficult for the debtor to obtain. Additionally, the system has steadily funneled more debtors into chapter 13 and fewer and fewer into chapter 7, while simultaneously depriving the debtor of a fighting chance to emerge from bankruptcy and achieve the promise of a fresh start.

The likelihood of bankruptcy increases not only with debt levels, but also with marital status and homeownership. Apart from the obvious observation that married people tend to have higher incomes and assets than their single counterparts, and that homeownership (by this I mean mortgages) go hand in hand with higher debt, the major finding of the study was that a married homeowner was way more likely to go into bankruptcy than a single renter. As such, the results seem to support the counter-intuitive notion that marriage and homeownership are far from being the safe harbors and islands of stability that all of us generally consider them to be, and usually are the key ingredients for a bankruptcy. I do not mean to say that marriage and homeownership cause bankruptcy; they merely tend to be pre-existing states which in more than a few cases further exacerbate, rather than ameliorate, a financial crisis, which in all honesty is usually caused by some other precipitating event. A critical reader should, as a given, bear in mind that other forces are always at work (such as divorce, job loss and illness to name a few).

Women tend to seek bankruptcy protection more frequently than men, and both sexes tend to seek bankruptcy protection in equal frequencies after a divorce. Interestingly, single men (who may also rent) tend to have the lowest bankruptcy rates, while single females as a group (inclusive of all marital and childbearing combinations) have the highest bankruptcy rates (note also that married women have lower bankruptcy rates than unmarried women). This disturbing outcome seems to strongly imply that from a financial standpoint, marriage is a stabilizing force for women and a de-stabilizing force for men.

In sum, the authors have produced a detailed analysis of the socio-economics and the demography of failure, both economic and financial, in America. As such, I believe the book should be required reading for anyone looking to own a home or get married in this great nation of ours.

SELF-FULLFILLING PROPHECY OF DEBT.......2004-03-07

This book does an outstanding job of delivering the message that Americans are tapped out of money. From record setting personal bankruptcies to U.S. government's pension for borrowing, it is very easy to see that we as a populis and as a nation are on the edge of a new financial depression. An Excellent Read for Anyone interested in the Truth. - Mason Johnson, President, www.tomorrowsgold.com

A Federally-Funded Tautology?.......2002-07-29

The federal government funded this "empirical" study of the "choices" available to those who have filed for bankruptcy.

The principal finding? People who file for bankruptcy are broke. A true revelation.

So where is Senator Proxmire when you need him?

Landmark Study of Consumer Bankruptcy in the U.S........2000-05-16

As We Forgive Our Debtors is a result of a landmark study of bankrupt debtors in the 1980s. The authors, three of the leading experts on bankruptcy in the United States, focus on who files for bankruptcy. Contrary to widespread myth, most bankrupts are not irresponsible spendthrifts who could afford to pay their debts. Instead, they cross all income and occupational levels. What they do have in common is they have insurmountable financial problems resulting from crises in their lives, including divorce, job loss, and medical problems.

What is perhaps most disturbing is that single women have been and are increasingly filing for bankruptcy, thanks to their much lower salaries to begin with. It is this group who would suffer most from any kind of so-called bankruptcy reform.

This book, while it is geared for an academic market, is actually highly readable, with copious footnotes at the end of each chapter. The book, while originally published in 1989, is more timely than ever as Congress is considering a fatally flawed bankruptcy reform bill which would be devasting to the vast majority of people filing for bankruptcy but a boon to the credit card industry.

I highly recommend this book and its sequel, The Fragile Middle Class.

Average customer rating:
As We Forgive Our Debtors - Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America
Teresa A. and Warren, Elizabeth and Westbrook, Jay Lawrence Sullivan
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OKIUM6

Average customer rating:
As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America
Teresa A.; Warren, Elizabeth; Westbrook, Jay Lawrence Sullivan
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OKQCM6

Average customer rating:
As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America
Teresa A.; Warren, Elizabeth; Westbrook, Jay Lawrence Sullivan
Manufacturer: Oxford Univ Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000KPXUS4

Book Description

This updated and revised fourth edition covers all topics in mechanics from elementary Newtonian mechanics, canonical and rigid body mechanics to relativistic mechanics and nonlinear dynamics.

In particular, symmetries and invariance principles, geometrical structures and continuum mechanics play an important role. Scheck’s Mechanics enables the reader to develop understanding of the general principles from which equations of motions may be derived, to appreciate the importance of symmetries as a basis for quantum mechanics and to get practice in using theoretical tools and concepts that are essential for all branches of physics.

The book contains numerous problems with complete solutions, and some practical examples. This will be appreciated in particular by students using the text to accompany lectures on mechanics. The book ends with some historical remarks on important pioneers in mechanics.

Customer Reviews:

A very complete book.......2006-05-11

Although I agree that one might be scared by the presence of sophisticated chapters like the one devoted to differential geometry, I find that this book is the best for an undergraduate level. It begins with Newtonian mechanics (some knowledge on linear algebra and calculus assumed) and covers all the fundamental points of modern mechanics in a rigorous and straightforward way, including a chapter in special relativity and another on dynamical systems and chaos. As it emphasizes the relevant concepts and formalism of simmetries, it naturally leads to quantum mechanics and can be used by advanced undergrad or graduate students interested in the geometrical foundations of mechanics.
Even though it is certainly not the easiest book available, if you have to buy just one, buy this!

Excellent, but not as a first contact with Mechanics.......2001-11-20

I would agree on the rather high quality of the present
book, as pointed out in the other review.

However, the books seems not appropriate for a first contact
with Newtonian mechanics.

While the book makes every effort to introduce the reader to
modern concepts used in Mechanics, notably its setting in a
differential geometric context and an introduction to nonlinear
dynamical systems, the very basis of vector mechanics receives
only attention from one chapter.

This is clearly inadequate and a thourough understanding of
elementary vector mechanics and a good round of problem solving
is certainly essential before addressing even the simplest
Lagrangian mechanics.

The reason I want to point this out, is that the book is used
at an early level in German universities.

That is scary. I can well imagine people attempting to walk
through tangent spaces, but not able to integrate a simple
dynamics problem in R^2.

Please be careful!

The greatest undergratuate book in Mechanics........1999-11-28

This book is the greatest there is for a study of mechanics on an undergratuate level. This book covers alot of subjects with a unique combination of strictness and easyness. It's a must for all physics and mathematics students. It's index: 1.Elementary Newton Mechanics 2.The Principles of Canonical Mechanics 3.The Mechanics of Rigid Bodies 4.Relativistic Mechanics 5.Geometric Apsects of Mechanics 6.Stability and Chaos 7.Continuous Systems

Mechanics: From Newton's Laws to Deterministic Chaos

Average customer rating:

Fast paced but clearly written

Mechanics: From Newton's Laws to Deterministic Chaos

Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 354052715X

Book Description

The present second edition is now identical to the fourth German edition and includes both small additons (e.g. in Chap. 2 on canonical mechanics, in Chap. 3 discussing the tippe top, and in Chap. 7 on continuous systems) and revisions of details. Moreover, new problems have been added, and complete solutions to all problems are presented. This will be appreciated in particular by students using the text to accompany lectures on mechanics. The main features of the book remain unchanged: the coverage extends from elementary Newtonian Mechanics to the discussion of deterministic chaos and continuous systems. The book ends with a mathematical appendix, a guide to the literature and some historical remarks on important pioneers in mechanics.

Customer Reviews:

Fast paced but clearly written.......2003-05-10

For the listed price of $38US this book is indeed a bargain. It is clearly written with a rational organization of topics and most sections are accompanied with meaningful examples. I especially enjoyed the development of the Hamiltonian. On the other hand, this is not an easy text - you may not be able to watch Jerry Springer as you read it; a basic familiarity calculus, vector analysis and physics will be needed to make any head way at all. I wish I had used this text in college.

Book Description

HEART OF DARKNESS*AN OUTPOST OF PROGRESS*KARAIN*YOUTH The finest of all Conrad's tales, 'Heart of Darkness' is set in an atmosphere of mystery and menace, and tells of Marlow's perilous journey up the Congo River to relieve his employer's agent, the renowned and formidable Mr Kurtz. What he sees on his journey, and his eventual encounter with Kurtz, horrify and perplex him, and call into question the very bases of civilization and human nature. Endlessly reinterpreted by critics and adapted for film, radio, and television, the story shows Conrad at his most intense and sophisticated. The other three tales in this volume depict corruption and obsession, and question racial assumptions. Set in the exotic surroundings of Africa, Malaysia. and the east, they variously appraise the glamour, folly, and rapacity of imperial adventure. This revised edition uses the English first edition texts and has a new chronology and bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

Deep.......2006-07-29

The four tales in this collection are beautifully composed; they are art, not just stories. Each story is deep in its unique complexities. Each one has plots and subplots and paints an impeccable image of the story upon the reader's mind. And when I look back upon the book as a whole, upon the adventurous stories, the excitement and emotion that the author presents so exquisitely, I can't help but be extremely impressed.

4 Monkeys.......2004-06-26

If you gave an infinite number of monkeys an infinite number of typewriters, would they eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare? Who knows?

What I do know is that "Heart of Darkness" could be the result of 4 monkeys doing about 2 hours of work. To read the book is a chore.

My daughter had to read this book as part of a summer assignment for English. I, being one to read classics, looked forward to reading another good book.

Conrad's rambling tale is difficult to follow, but even more, BORING to follow.

I can more easily read a book on quantum physics. To require someone to read Conrad is more like punishment than education.

Actually haunting..........2004-06-21

The word's thrown around a lot, but this is the only case where I've actually been literally haunted by a book. It surfaces in the mind when I don't intend for it to, and its disturbing. I've never been really psychologically messed with by a book like this. I mean, not bad, but I get chills thinking about it. Like someone said, the images are great. The ship firing into the continent is one of those I can't get out of my head. And for those of you who are curious after seeing Apocolypse Now, I think they really messed up the Kurtz character. Its one of, if not the one of, my favorite movies, but he's so overacted and the script never really tells what the horror is. From the movie I got that it was the situation and man's situation, but from the book it is definitely the mind and soul, in my opinion. Any social commentary in the book is secondary to the more philosophical and psychological, here, I feel.
I also enjoyed Lord Jim and every one of his other short stories I've read, but none have been as good as Heart of Darkness. I'll probably read Nostromo pretty soon, too. If you want another take on a somewhat similar situation in colonial Africa, check out Journey to the End of the Night by Celine. I didn't so much care for the book as a whole, but that part has stuck with me.

Full of crazy characters and vivid images.......2004-05-03

Heart of Darkness is, without a doubt, one of the best and most confusing books ever written. It is probably the most discussed book of the 20th century, and an obscene number of academic papers, criticisms and interpretations have been written about it. What does it mean, everyone wants to know. It is so impenetrable, to use one of Marlow's favorite words. Even if you don't want to spend the time figuring out the "message" (if there is one), this is a great novel simply for the characters and the images.

Our narrator, Marlow, is a fascinating character in himself, and he always makes me smile with his wit and insight, though he can be a little pretentious. Kurtz is an enigma, a man who has set himself up as a god with unclear motives. He is taken care of my a Russian harlequin, a hilarious idealist who forgives that Kurtz once threatened to kill him (you can't judge a man like that by ordinary standards!) Marlow comes across many others, such as the fat Englishman who cannot stop fainting on their way to see Kurtz. The imagery is evocative and haunting. A group of starving indiginous men are referred to as a "bundle of acute angles." The scenery is described better than a movie could portray (Apocalypse Now does the jungle no justice.)

It's a short book too, so you have no excuse for not reading it!

Book = great - durability = awful.......2003-08-31

I was assigned Heart of Darkness as part of my summer reading regiment for my english class. I usually don't enjoy assigned books because I often try and pay attention to all the details rather than just read it for fun. However, this book, albeit a bit confusing, is definately good. It really gets your brain going as you question your own opinions on imperialism. Plus, it contains explanatory notes in the back, which definately help to understand the context. However, its MAJOR fallacy with THIS exact publication is its shoddy manufacturing. I've had the book only for one month and the pages that Heart of Darkness are on are already falling apart from the binding of the book. And I treated it well - all I have done is placed it in my backpack when traveling to a few places. Overall, the literary piece is good and so are the explanatory notes, but if you can't stand your book falling apart (trust me, it's really annoying), then search elsewhere for a different copy of this book.

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