Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 2003: Investing to Unlock Global Opportunities (Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries)

Book Description

Productivity increases and efficient investment are essential conditions for rapid growth and poverty reduction. Establishment of those conditions requires improvement of the investment climate--that is, the policy and institutional environment that fosters entrepreneurship and productive investment. Global Economic Prospects 2003 analyzes both the global and the national dimensions of the investment climate for developing countries.

This thirteenth annual edition:
* explores the current state of the world economy and how it affects developing countries' exports, access to capital, and growth prospects
* examines recent changes in the organization of global business, notably the proliferation of multinational companies and associated production networks
* argues that sound national policies, particularly to encourage competition, are needed for countries to reap the benefits of globalization
* discusses ways that the international community might help developing countries establish competitive investment environments
* considers the potential for a new World Trade Organization agreement on investment and competition.

Global Economic Prospects 2003 provides essential information for those concerned with developments shaping today's global economy.

Greater involvement in the world economy can offer new opportunities for poor people in developing countries. But it can also create dislocations and risks. Global Economic Prospects 2003 describes steps that rich countries and developing countries can take to foster the increased opportunities and entrepreneurship that make it possible for poor people to improve their lives.--Nicholas Stern, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, World Bank

Book Description

Comoros has recently come to the attention to global strategic planners. This report puts these executives on the fast track. Ten chapters provide: an overview of how to strategically access this important market, a discussion on economic fundamentals, marketing & distribution options, export and direct investment options, and full risk assessments (political, cultural, legal, human resources). Ample statistical benchmarks and comparative graphs are given.

Book Description

`Developing countries are again, as in the early days of UNCTAD, becoming a major focus in the discussion of world trade reforms. Their sense that the Uruguay Round and the WTO system failed to address their concerns is a major factor behind the current problems in mounting a new multilateral round. This book addresses the key concerns of developing countries and suggests a number of reforms that will enable them to become equal partners in the world trading system.'

- Peter J. Lloyd, University of Melbourne, Australia

Experience suggests that trade liberalization has contributed substantially to the remarkable growth of industrialized countries. However, for various reasons many developing countries have not yet been able to integrate successfully into global markets and reap the growth-inducing and poverty-reducing benefits of trade. This book argues that while developing countries are heavily represented in the WTO - accounting for about four-fifths of its membership - there is still plenty of scope for the world trading system to work more effectively in their interests.

The book examines the achievements of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations in reforming the world trading system and the challenges to future reforms. It begins with an overview of the genesis of the world trading system and moves on to examine the key issues as they relate to developing countries. These include: further liberalization of agricultural trade; abolition of the Multifibre Arrangement; environmental and labor standards; competition policy; regional integration in South East Asia; and the implications for developing Asian countries of the liberalization of the Chinese economy and its WTO membership. Furthermore, the book discusses the links between trade liberalization and poverty reduction - drawing on the experience of Asian countries - and puts forward arguments on how trade liberalization could effect a greater reduction in poverty.

This is a timely and succinct presentation of the critical issues relating to the world trading system in the context of developing countries in general, and Asia-Pacific countries in particular. It will interest and inform a wide readership including scholars and students of development and international economics, and practitioners and policymakers concerned with international trade issues and global trade relations.

Amazon.com

Starting out in 1986 with practically nothing, book packager and cyberentrepreneur Seth Godin has created a new- and old-media business that now employs 40 and generates around $5 million in annual revenue. In The Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business with a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money, Godin shows precisely how his own venture, and a slew of others like Dell Computer, Burton Snowboards, Bose Corporation, Starbucks, and many lesser-known companies, ultimately managed to turn that nothing into something quite substantial. "Bootstrappers built this country, and they continue to make it great," he writes. "Virtually every business--from IBM to the local dry-cleaner--was bootstrapped, usually by people with far less smarts, less money, fewer connections, and less vision than you have right now." He elaborates on specific practices that he believes are critical to entrepreneurs who may have great ideas and boundless enthusiasm but lack the financial resources to launch their businesses in the traditional way. Writing in a clear and straightforward manner, he lays out Nine Magical Rules (such as "Find people who care about cash less than you do"), Ten Commandments (including "Don't forget where you came from"), and lots of other helpful tips. --Howard Rothman

Customer Reviews:

Not a "How to start a business in 7 easy steps" book..........2002-04-29

I read this book a few years ago and once again I reread it recently (ok, some areas I grazed over but I reread most of it.) Not only does this book cover a wide variety of issues about starting a business on little money, it also provides you with examples of how other businesses started (including some of the big brands that exist today.) From stretching your existing cash to finding your niche, this book is not a black and white "how to start a business in x number of easy steps" but instead a book that can be applied to whatever business you want to start. Or if you have already started and want to go back over some of the fine points it can also be helpful.

all this book will do is change your life.......2000-04-26

if you think you need a lot of money to start and run a successful business... you're wrong.

This book changed the way I look at business. And it worked. I'm making more money and having more fun. BUY IT! It works.

A classic........2000-01-30

Again and again, I find myself going back to this book to find things I missed. Goden has produced a resource that's essential for anyone starting or running a small business. I really can't recommend it highly enough.

Bootstrapper gives this book the big thumbs up........1999-12-06

As an experienced bootstrapper myself -- having tried it twice and failed, and then another twice and succeeded -- I give Godin's book a massive vote of confidence.

I had several jolts of recognition seeing things to avoid, and a whole lot of smiles at things I've been doing right in my latest venture. But more than that, I was given practical advice and strategies to use and use again.

It's clear that Godin knows what he's talking about, and the book offers clear and helpful advice, with templates for success (such as the employee handbook), and to-do lists that really do mean business.

I'm presently consulting the book for tips on getting my product ready to take to market.

I'm glad I bought the book, and I have strong suspicions that the naysayers among us are sour graping our good man Godin.

Blue skies love Roy

Another Big Let-down.......1999-07-13

Fluff. Piffle. Regurgiation. How long did it take the author to "write" this tome? The answer is probably one evening. Don't waste your money.

Average customer rating:

Great service

Superb text on a vital topic- basics everyone should know

Personal Finance Update and Workbook Package (3rd Edition)
Arthur J. Keown
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Financial Planning Workbooks | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Prentice Hall's Federal Taxation 2006: Principles (19th Edition) (Prentice Hall's Federal Taxation Individuals)

ASIN: 0131191381
Release Date: 2004-04-01

Book Description

Teaching the readers how to manage their personal finances, this book concentrates on the fundamentals and underlying principles of personal finance, rather than focusing on equations and specific tools that are more easily forgotten. Building on 15 fundamental principles of personal finance, the book helps the readers develop an intuitive understanding not only of the process of financial planning, but also the logic that drives it. This book starts with the basics of financial planning and goes on to such topics as managing your money, protecting yourself, managing your investments, and handling life changes. For financial planners and analysts, or those interested in personal finance management.

Customer Reviews:

Great service.......2007-01-09

This book was sent in a timely manner and was in excellent condition as stated.

Superb text on a vital topic- basics everyone should know.......2005-03-04

Personally, I think that we would all be better off if we spent more time in our education process teaching people about the realities of their economic lives. This is especially true of their choice of careers, managing those resources, and preparing for their "golden years". I could nominate a few topics I think we could cease teaching in order to have room for the necessary classes to provide people with real life financial management skills that can have a direct impact on the improvement of all aspects of their lives.

This book, "Personal Finance - Turning Money into Wealth" is a fantastic tool for students and ANY interested reader. I wish everyone would work through this book (or one very much like it). While it is never too late to develop these skills, the younger a person gets a plan for their economic life in place, the more power it has and the better off they will be long term.

I like the way Prof. Keown emphasizes basic principles (he has 15 of them) and planning. He begins the book by providing the foundation of financial planning, teaching the student how to measure their financial health and using that to inform their plan, understanding the Time Value of Money (a topic so vital that no one should graduate high school without knowing, in my opinion), and the basics of tax planning.

The author then provides some great information on managing money by understanding the realities of cash and liquid assets, credit cards (open credit) and the traps it represents, using consumer loans in PLANNED BORROWING (another important topic that is almost unknown to most consumers because of the misuse of open credit), and buying homes and automobiles.

I really enjoyed his next discussion on insurance. He talks about the various kinds of insurance, the kinds of protection they provide at what costs, and especially the situations in which buying insurance makes sense and when it does not.

The section on managing investments is good, solid, but BASIC information. Anyone doing anything beyond a few basic retirement plans will need to study other materials. This section is the one where I have a tiny quibble with the author. He differentiates investing and speculation by saying that investing involves putting money in assets that provide returns - stocks, bonds, etc - but that speculating is putting money in things like baseball cards that only have a price based on what others are willing to pay. I sort of understand what I think he is trying to say.

However, all investing is in some sense speculating. The buyer and seller have different views of the future (speculating about the future) and so they make opposite choices at a certain price. Either of them would change their view, presumably, at some other price. Stocks do not have a built in return and many do not pay dividends and too often nowadays their residual value is zero. Too often people buy stocks simply because they are going up (the greater fool theory) and get badly burned as we saw in the Internet Bubble collapse in early 2000. In any case, the caution the author advocates is sufficient and sound. I am just concerned that others use the terms "investment" and "speculation" differently than the author and might confuse those trying to enter the fray for the first time.

This fine text ends with a discussion of life cycle issues such as retirement planning, estate planning, and how all the pieces studied fit together into the grand plan.

The author also provides online helps such as problems, quizzes, and especially many useful spreadsheets that the student can not only use, but study to help them build their own that will be tailored to the student's specific situation. There is also a workbook with the basics of using a financial calculator and the worksheets called for in the text.

This is a superb text on a vital topic. Strongly Recommended for general readers as well as students in a class on this subject (which EVERY college student should be REQUIRED to take - or pass out of by test).

Average customer rating:

masterpiece on the industry

Hang on for a rough and tumble ride!

An in-depth and fascinating look at the airline industry

Outstanding Book on the History of American Aviation

Book not in the best of shape

Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos
Thomas Jr Petzinger
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Southwest Airlines Way

ASIN: 0812928350
Release Date: 1996-12-24

Book Description

In this updated paperback edition of a "rich, readable, and authoritative" Fortune) book, Wall Street Journal reporter Petzinger tells the dramatic story of how a dozen men, including Robert Crandall of American Airlines, Frank Borman of Eastern, and Richard Ferris of United, battled for control of the world's airlines. 416 pp. Radio drive-time pubilcity. 20,000 print.

Customer Reviews:

masterpiece on the industry.......2007-04-27

I've worked in the airline and airplane game all my years and bought this book from Amazon a while back. It sat on the shelf until I got time to read it but when I picked it up I couldn't put it down. My biggest regret is taking so long to read it - a travesty. Having sat in rooms as part of negotiating such deals as taking over an airline, all the shady stuff is true and yet believable and entertaining. Add to that a great author with superb writing skills and I rate this one of the best. Buy the book!

Hang on for a rough and tumble ride!.......2007-02-23

The fundamental story of commercial aviation in the United States, as Eddie Rickenacker, aptly if not crassly said, is of "putting bums in seats."(175) At first there were no airline companies with aircraft or routes to transport those seats in which to place the bums. The public's early perception of flight as reckless and dangerous was not unwarranted. It took time for people to become comfortable with the concept of air transportation. Whether commercial aviation would have eventually emerged on its own, without the encouragement of federal involvement, is one of the great unknowns of modern times.

In any case, it was the Post Office Department that was the seedbed of America's commercial aviation industry. Under the tutelage and bulldog determination of Second Assistant Postmaster General Otto Praeger, a rudimentary experimental mail system took shape, proving scheduling reliability, if not profitability. From this tenuous beginning private commercial aviation took root within a permissive system of federal oversight. Until the DC-3 came along, a mail subsidy was the key to making a profit. The remarkable DC-3 was the first aircraft capable of operating profitably without carrying the mail.

The challenge of building a system capable of reliably and safely carrying people by air was, by the late nineteen thirties, largely resolved. Airlines were flying aircraft over established air routes to airports at cities across the country. An unanticipated consequence of this success was that ironically there were now too many seats! Carriers flew in direct competition in prime markets. Consequently none were making money and the industry was threatened by total collapse. What was the answer? Well of course, government help! The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 brought monopoly rights to air routes and direct federal economic regulation to the industry. This state existed for forty years, until the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 was enacted. The law removed the government from responsibility for awarding routes and establishing fares. What happened next is the subject of Thomas Petzinger's, Hard Landing.

Hard Landing is the story of the airline industry in the United States following deregulation. It is a rough and tumble ride typical of an airplane flight through bad weather. There was no doubt that the industry would survive, but there would be some sick passengers in route. New carriers emerged while some old-line pioneers disappeared. In command during this turbulent time the older generation of executives gave way to a new cadre of younger leaders. Petzinger focuses his story around these dynamic new leaders.

Fundamental to understanding the story is the power of the market place; "putting bums in seats." Once the aircraft leaves the gate any empty seat represents a lost opportunity. Airlines "sell one of the few products consumed while it is being produced." (xix) How an airline CEO managed his enterprise to fill those seats after deregulation would determined his company's success or failure. Operating an efficient airline in the post-regulated environment pitted managers in conflict externally with each other and internally with their own employees.

In the deregulated era, in addition to unregulated competition, executives had to deal with the controller's strike, recessions, accidents, fuel cost spikes, bankruptcies and wars. What kind of personal attributes attract individuals to aspire to leadership in this type of business and competitive arena? They are extreme types with some common denominators: a huge ego, an obsession with control, a single strategic vision, and a need to be at the center of all decision making.

At the highest level, at the airlines that matter, barely a dozen people have played this game in the past 25 years - a small group of white men who made the industry their sandlot from the late 1960s to the mid - 1990s. Although it was through their efforts that flying became inexpensive and commonplace, they entered the industry at a time when flying was special and when the men in charge were looked upon as demigods of the industrial world. (xx)

Airline executives are aggressor types. Indeed, Crandall's nickname was "Fang," though it was not used to his face. But not all executives were cutthroat. Kelleher and Marshall (British Airways) "distinguished themselves with dignity."(478)

Within the pages of Hard Landing there are few successes and many failures. Frank Lorenzo (Trans-Texas Airways, Texas International, Continental, New York Air, Eastern) was a central figure throughout the period. But not only did he lose out at the end of the game, he also ended up being remembered as a remorseless villain within the aviation community. Herbert Kelleher (Southwest), on the other hand, emerges as an innovative, charismatic leader of a perennially profitable carrier. Bob Crandall (American) earns our respect, if not our endearment. The peripatetic Stephen Wolf "turned around, and reaped tremendous profits at more airlines than perhaps any executive in aviation history" (479)

Petzinger's writing carries the reader along with the action but one of his strengths is in his explanation of airline economics. The competitive circumstances are made clear and the critical decisions are placed in context with marketing principles. The economic relationship of price and capacity are explained in understandable terms.

Trippe [Pan American Airlines] discovered what might be called The First Rule of Economics: If a plane is going to take off anyway - once the fuel is purchased and the pilot paid and the interest rendered on the money borrowed to buy the plane in the first place - any paying passenger or payload recruited to the flight is pure profit. The fare paid by the last passenger taken aboard represents a fabulously lucrative rate of return. (7)

Another rule of marketing was used by Southwest briefly when Braniff undercut its already low fares in an attempt to drive Southwest from the market. Southwest matched the fares but gave anyone who paid full fare a bottle of Chivas Regal.

For a time in 1973 Southwest had discovered another lesson in airline marketing: giving the expense-account customer something for free that he could take home instead of to the office - in short a kickback - won his undying loyalty. (37)

Southwest managed to hold on and prosper. Under deregulation Braniff filed for bankruptcy only to reemerge as a smaller Braniff II, which eventually failed completely.

Crandall combined American's informational technology advantage from its powerful Saber reservation system to create a method to win the undying loyalty of business travelers. Frequent Flier points rewarded frequent business travelers. In competition with the new entry and upstart carriers, yield management programs enabled dynamic carriers like American and United to compete against new lines such as People Express. People Express did not have a reservations system and would not pay to use American's. Passengers could not get through on the phone lines and customer service suffered. Donald Burr eventually was forced to sell People Express to his former boss and archrival, Frank Lorenzo.

People Express was folded into Continental just as were parts of Eastern. Eastern Airlines became another victim of deregulation under Frank Lorenzo`s heavy-handed style of aggressive management. In the process, former astronaut Frank Borman, departed the scene as well. Charlie Bryan, of Eastern's machinists union, dragged the carrier to the ground by his refusal to consider any labor concessions.

In Hard Landing, Petzinger discusses the effects of new aircraft such as the Boeing 767 as a smaller and more economical aircraft to use on long thin routes rather than the larger Boeing 747. He covers the controversy and ill will generated by Crandall's b-scale employee pay program. United's Boeing 737 featherbedding issue (two crew design, but third pilot required by a union contract) and employee buyout are explained. Pilot slowdowns and strikes, mergers and buyouts, and a myriad of other issues generated by deregulation are extensively described.

While Hard Landing traces the actions of a few dominant actors, not spoken about are the many employees who lived, prospered or suffered from the decisions made on high. The forces of the market place hit them too. Many of them lost jobs without any severance. Of all their bosses, only three executives, Herb Kelleher, Sir Collin Marshall, and Bob Crandall remained at the time Petzinger`s book was published. The others lost their executive positions but took some solace from their acquired wealth.

An additional point, which Petzinger makes, is the importance of the safety issue. All through this unsettled time, the executives and managers universally upheld the need for safety. While accidents occurred, the causes were not attributed to any broad industry problem. It should be noted that deregulation did not change government oversight of safety and operational scrutiny. Indeed the FAA conducted an extensive investigation of New York Air after it was reported that safety practices were being violated. None were found however.

The airline industry is experiencing another cycle of distress. As a consequence of the attacks on September 11, once again too many seats are available for the bums that want to fill them. Petzinger would well be advised to write a sequel entitled Harder Landing. In the history of the airline industry in the United States, each succeeding peak and valley seems to eclipse the one that came before. One day it is certain that the good times will return but for now, fasten your seat belts!

An in-depth and fascinating look at the airline industry.......2006-10-25

Thomas Petzinger's Hard Landing is an in-depth and fascinating analysis of the history of the airline industry. Petzinger takes the reader from the birth of the airline industry just after World War I to the rise of industry giant Southwest Airlines. The book is not short. Including Petzinger's "Postscript to the Paperback Edition," Hard Landing is just short of five hundred pages long. The length of Hard Landing should not be a deterrent to the reader but rather an incentive. Petzinger filled Hard Landing with so much information that one is surprised he completed the book in five hundred pages. Petzinger's research is also noteworthy. Petzinger filled the bibliography with books, articles, papers, and primary source interviews that give Hard Landing a historical authenticity that many current books lack. Hard Landing should be read by anyone who has an interest in politics, the airline industry, history, and the combination thereof.

In Hard Landing, Thomas Petzinger transports the reader back the glory days of the airline industry. Early on, Petzinger introduces the mythological giants Herb Kelleher, Frank Lorenzo, and Bob Crandall early in their respective careers. Petzinger introduces most of his characters directly out of their respective Ivy League school. All men are classic airline giants--hard drinking, cursing, smoking, demonstrative men of the airline industry. Petzinger uses profanity-laced quotes to show the vigor with which the heads of the various airlines competed against each other. In some books, writers inappropriately use profanity to underscore points that ultimately require no underscoring. In Hard Landing, Petzinger selectively drops profanity filled quotes into the narrative to place the reader "in the action" of the story. This method works quite well as the reader will find him/herself unable to stop reading this insightful work.

The airline industry is a complex monstrosity. Petzinger deconstructs the industry with masterful precision. As an editor of the Wall Street Journal, Thomas Petzinger is likely accustomed to deconstructing complex stories. A search on Amazon.com reveals that Petzinger wrote two other books on complex subjects. Petzinger's other books deal with men and women in the modern marketplace and the large oil companies. Petzinger may not have aviation industry experience but it is quite clear that he researched Hard Landing meticulously and gave his subjects the utmost respect.

Some reviewers have criticized Petzinger for his focus only on America's airlines, specifically his focus on Texas-based airlines. This is an unfair criticism because it displays a lack of understanding of the history of the airline industry. Texas International, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Continental Airlines all have strong roots in Texas. Furthermore, Walter Folger Brown and the eventual Civil Aeronautics Board built the most extensive and successful airline structure in the world. Petzinger is correct to focus exclusively on the American airlines.

Beyond the history of the airline industry, Petzinger also shows the collusion between the airlines and the United States government. When the Carter Administration took office in 1977, the corruption and collusion between the airlines and the government reached a monumental scale. Petzinger's account of the political wrangling involved in the deregulation of the airline industry is simply fascinating. Many major political players of today played a major role in deregulation. Even George W. Bush's former Transportation Secretary, Norman Mineta, appears to provide the decisive vote needed to pass deregulation. Petzinger's political history is as fascinating as his airline industry history.

Petzinger makes an interesting point in his postscript. When he completed Hard Landing in the late 1990's, the airlines were in a period of relative calm. In the final lines of Hard Landing, Petzinger says, "Only when the economy again moved into the minus column would anyone know for sure whether the leaders of the industry had changed their war-mongering ways, or whether at last, they, and their industry, had matured." Subsequent to the tragic events of September 11, it is safe to say that the airline industry has moved into the "minus column" once again. The amazing airline drama continues.

Outstanding Book on the History of American Aviation .......2006-08-25

"Hard Landing" is a well written book that is delightful to read. The book gives critical insights into the airline industry focusing on its history and describing the various players highlighting the different individual management styles.

It was fascinating to learn how the USA airline industry went through deregulation and some of the lessons are very useful to the African airline industry which is gradually going through profound changes. I particularly enjoyed the story of the aviation industry from its very beginning through the First and Second World Wars, the emergence of the low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines, the emergence and disappearance of several airlines, the deregulation of the USA airline industry, the computer reservation system, the hub and spoke networks, discounted pricing, among others.

Among the most interesting characters I enjoyed reading about include Frank Lorenzo, Bob Crandall and Herb Kelleher. This is good reading particularly for those that wish to learn about the history and development of the aviation industry. The book would be greatly enhanced if the author updates it to take into account the profound changes that have taken place since its publication.

Book not in the best of shape.......2005-09-19

although the book probably started in good condition, the seller did not package it properly and it came with cover and first 100 or so pages horribly bent.

Hard Landing: Epic Contest for Power & Profits That Plunged Airlines into Chaos

Average customer rating:

Hard Landing: Epic Contest for Power & Profits That Plunged Airlines into Chaos
Thomas, Jr. Petzinger
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQH478

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