Why Syria Goes to War: Thirty Years of Confrontation (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)

Customer Reviews:

Unconvincing attempt to explain Syrian foreign policy.......1998-01-09

This book could potentially have made considerable contributions to two areas of study: first, the relative roles of domestic and external factors in explaining foreign policy, especially conflictual, and second of Syrian foreign policy in particular. Unfortunately, on both counts Lawson fails to convince. Lawson starts out by dismissing conventional explanations of Syrian foreign policy, and especially why it engages in conflictual foreign policies, basically engaging caricatures of straw men. He then offers his own explanation, based on obtuse Marxian analysis that he admits is not applicable to Syria. The basic thesis is that as a country sufferes economic problems that increase domestic opposition to the regime, the regime's coalition begins to fray. The result is that the regime either angages in external conflict to divert attention or seeks to conquer other territory to increase resources. Plausible, and if sustained in the Syrian case a significant coup for the domestic school of explaining foreign policy, given that Syria is a weak state in which external concerns should dominate. It is not sustained. While there are many reasons the argument falls, three should be sufficient: First: Any book with the title "Why Syria Goes To War" that does not analyze the 1973 War has a lacuna big enough to drive a tank through. The absence of any discussion of the Gulf War, in which Syria's mercenary actions were consistent with the thesis, is also odd. Second, Lawson's contention that severe domestic problems accounted for Syria's escalation to war in 1967 and that lower level of domestic conflict accounts for the limited intervention in Jordan in 1970 suffers on both accounts. In 1967 Syria reigned in the Palestinian terrorist attacks during May, precisely when the domestic turmoil was greatest, and Syria also sought to stay out of the war. As to 1970, the intervention was serious and highly risky. In short, the facts seem to contradict Lawson's thesis, and while he might have rescued it by drawing on Simmel or Coser, alas there is no mention of these theorists. Third, Lawson claims that the Marxian theory of crises in accumulation offers potentially falsifiable hypotheses. What these are is never made clear, and when domestic conflict is assuaged by Syrian peace efforts in the early 1990s, this too is explained by teh theory. Alas, a theory that explains everything explains nothing, and if Lawson was to be scientific about it he would have searched for disconfirming evidence rather than shoring up a theory in tatters. This is a missed opportunity. Rather than engaging in extensive analysis, Lawson basically presents fact after facts without incorporating it into a explanatory framework. Repeated references to Syria's ruling coalition appear without any explication of its constituent parts. Extensive discussions of economic minutia are followed by short statements that, a ha!, this explains Syrian foreign policy. Absent convincing connections, the book falls into assertionism. Ironically, the conclusion raises some interesting questions about the interaction of domestic and international politics, specifically concerning fears of instability spilling over. Had Lawson started with the conclusion he would have written a different book--and a better one.

Executive Report on Strategies in Fiji, 2000 edition (Strategic Planning Series)
Average customer rating:
Executive Report on Strategies in Fiji, 2000 edition (Strategic Planning Series)
The Fiji Research Group , and The Fiji Research Group
Manufacturer: Icon Group International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Fiji | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0741824728

Book Description

Fiji 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

This book provides the first in-depth analysis of the relationship between exchange rates and the prices of internationally traded goods, using Australian imports of manufactures as a case study. The study is conducted in two stages: first, exchange rate pass-through elasticites are estimated by applying an econometric procedure which avoids the pit-falls in previous studies to a unique data set comprising 50 product categories; second, the determinants of pass-through are investigated within a model which accounts for market structure, product differentiation, non-tariff barriers and the pricing practices of multinational corporations. Separate chapters provide reviews of the theory and evidence on pass-through, and recent developments in time-series econometrics.

Book Description

You too can survive the roller coaster ride of running your own business! This powerful collection of examples, insights, and practical management strategies from award-winning Wisconsin entrepreneur Donna Gray will show you how to hang on when it's tough, and how to handle it when you're at the top.

You'll discover what works -- and what doesn't -- with customers, employees, and with your own daily actions as owner.

Written as a promise to her son who died at age 33, Donna Gray stirs your heart and challenges your mind with the obstacles, frustrations, triumphs, and togetherness of running a family business.

Never Quit is a one-of-a-kind book by a businesswoman who has been through the ups and downs -- and lived to tell about it!

Customer Reviews:

Practical advice for any would be entrepreneur!.......2004-11-01

A practical straight forward look at the hectic world of small business. It speaks to both the joys and frustrations of business ownership. An absolute must read for anyone starting or thinking of starting their own business. You will find both practical advice and energy-giving inspiration between the pages of this very easy to read book. Thank you Donna Gray for sharing!

Never Quit! The Ups and Downs of Running a Family Business.......2004-04-04

I picked up the book Never Quit! The Ups and Downs of Running a Family Business thinking that I could read it between flights, hoping that in the pages of the book, I'd find some little piece of sales wisdom to restate at the upcoming sales manager's meeting - that's where I was flying. I was looking for a quick-read, something that would be in my hands and in my briefcase only long enough to hold in front of my sales staff as proof that I'd spent my travel time wisely -- a lesson to them. And so I began reading in the terminal.

Even after the plane settled into its altitude, I couldn't put Never Quit! down. I continued to read, even forgetting to make a few notes in a margin. The notes were already made - the author has bullet list after bullet list of helpful pointers. But what kept me engrossed was the story of running a family business. Gray offered personal glimpses of challenges as well as successes, and then held them both up as examples of opportunity for positive growth.

Here's one example: ''Syndicated columnist Sydney Harris said, 'Few men ever drop dead from overwork, but many quietly curl up and die because of under-satisfaction.' I can always tell when someone on our team is under-satisfied during times of repetitive work. We try to liven things up when that happens by switching tasks. Or we have a five-minute teaching break so that the person can share the pride in what's been accomplished so far. Sometimes, the projects we work on seem impossible, and that's when I'm reminded of something Walt Disney said: 'It's kind of fun to do the impossible.'''

This is a business book, yes. However, it is a family business book. The title Never Quit warns there will be reasons to, and readers see those reasons in every chapter of the book. They are the real stories of real people. But the real art of this book is the encouragement it provides to small business owners to define core principles and when those are challenged, to use those core beliefs to find another method to achieve the desired right results. And so, when a business owner comes up against something they believe is beyond their control, they will re-define success or the ways they might get there. They will never quit.

The focus on customer service also came at a good time for me; this is a huge talking point at our company, which is struggling to maintain excellent customer service at a time when sales are (thankfully) outpacing customer service rep availability, and so customer interactions are being timed and evaluated. It's a challenge, but I found something in almost every chapter of Gray's book that boils customer service techniques down to something as simple as a customer-friendly greeting. It makes it seem do-able.

This book is going to be a hit with family business owners everywhere. It is well-written, but more important, it is a good read. I thought I was buying a book which would later languish on our company bookshelf, but I've decided instead to buy a copy for everyone in our sales and service department, and to keep it in my briefcase to refer to again and again.

Splendid job, and thank you, Ms. Gray.

Book Description

Have you had any of these thoughts in the past week?

I wish I had more time.

I don't have time for that.

I'm running out of time.

This is a waste of time.

This is taking too much time.

I need more time.

Sound familiar? For most of us, juggling too much to do with not enough time in which to do it is a painful, exhausting reality. But out of the cacophony of conflicting advice on scheduling and multi-tasking emerges a resonant voice that goes to the root of our problem with time and offers a fascinating new solution. In this revolutionary book, George Lawrence-Ell looks past superficial approaches to time management and illuminates the very essence of what time is and how we actually experience it. With questions and illustrations as a guide, he takes us on a scintillating journey through our assumptions about clock time, how we actually feel time pass, and ultimately leads us to a practical model we can all use to become time's master instead of its slave.

Customer Reviews:

Huh?.......2003-03-09

I picked up this book hoping to understand the intricacies of time management.. a new approach. That thought was quickly shot down in the introduction.

I flipped through the chapters and was drawn to a few paragraphs.

What a disappointment. The idea that time can pass quickly or slowly determined by the circumstances you face, whether it's enjoyable or not, is about as much as I got out of this book.

The basic premise is that we should approach our daily lives in the present moment. Plan only for what is immediate and in front of you at that moment, give your all to that moment. Don't worry about the past and what you could or should have done at some other time.

Great. But then he goes on to say we should have no thoughts of some "idealized future" and no lists or plans for the day.. allow inspiration to drive your work.

In my eyes inspiration is only a starting point for something you want to achieve, after that it is necessary to have a plan. How can you run a business or even go about family duties.. washing clothes.. going grocery shopping and picking up the kids from the grandparents, driven only by inspiration?

That's madness.. you need some sort of logical timetable to work with.

And as for an "idealized future" isn't that like having a vision
of where you want to be in life? You absolutely must know where you want to go in life, what you want to do, and must maintain a positive vision or you will get to nowhereland on the express tracks.

The actual steps to achieving the vision are made in the present, by the actions you take today, but I didn't get that he meant it that way.

I'm new to this time management thing. Looking for ways to stem my own procrastinating ways, the stutter stepping on the journey to an "idealized future" but this book just confused me.

A first-rate book and enthusiastically recommended.......2002-07-12

The Invisible Clock: A Practical Revolution In Finding Time For Everyone And Everything by George Lawrence-Ell (Founder and Director, Human Intelligence Research Institute) is a straightforward, "reader friendly" guide to wisely budgeting one's time in order to best make time for everything one wants to do. Questioning basic assumptions about clock time and offering practical models and techniques for making the most of limited time, The Invisible Clock is a first-rate book and enthusiastically recommended reading -- especially for busy students, overworked parents, and stressed-out businessmen!

Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well, Fourth Edition
Average customer rating:

Easy and Fun to Read

This book is right......you DON'T need a million!

Not a bad overview, has some good ideas, but beware...

An excellent handbook for holistic retirement planning

A few comments

Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well, Fourth Edition
Ralph E. Warner
Manufacturer: Nolo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Financial Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor

Work Less, Live More: The New Way to Retire Early

How to Retire Early and Live Well With Less Than a Million Dollars

Quicken Willmaker Plus 2007 Estate Planning

Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0873378377

Book Description

Not true, states Warner, the author of Get a Life. Although a sensible savings plan makes good horse sense, many other actions and decisions will determine whether you enjoy your retirement years.

Get a Life shows you how to beat the anxiety surrounding retirement, and to develop a plan to make your golden years the best of your life by:

* developing family relationships
* maintaining and creating friendships
* improving health
* keeping active
* developing a robust curiosity for the world
* realistically calculating how much money you need and how to secure it

Interviews with successful (and successfully) retired people illustrate how to put Warner's advice into action.

Download Description

The financial-service industry wants you to believe that in order to avoid financial destitution, you need to put aside huge amounts of money that you -- let's say it together -- "should have begun saving years ago." Not true, states Warner, the author of Get a Life. Although a sensible savings plan makes good horse sense, many other actions and decisions will determine whether you enjoy your retirement years. Get a Life shows you how to beat the anxiety surrounding retirement, and to develop a plan to make your golden years the best of your life by: developing family relationships maintaining and creating friendships improving health keeping active developing a robust curiosity for the world realistically calculating how much money you need and how to secure it The 5th edition provides the latest research and studies that show physically and mentally active retirees live longer and enjoy happier lives.

Customer Reviews:

Easy and Fun to Read.......2006-11-11

I enjoyed this book so much, that my boss, brother & sister all wanted copies, so I gave them each their own to read!

This book is right......you DON'T need a million!.......2006-05-02

I have to admit I would have been far more skeptical about the points made in this book if I hadn't seen people already living on far less than a million dollars...and doing just fine.
One lived independently for years (admittedly, not on a champagne and caviar budget, but not poorly,either) and then moved into a nursing home, all expenses paid. This person is happy. Health costs have not driven that person to poverty and the medical care is just fine.
Another friend lives modestly but has family and friends nearby, an active social life and lives in a lovely Arts and Crafts style bungalow, bought for a modest amount and very tastefully decorated. She lives (as this book suggests) a life full of meaningful activities, many of them free, some of them volunteer work, some of them low-cost or free programs such as concerts in the parks or nature programs or lectures. Again, not an expensive lifestyle.. but fully satisfying.
ONE SUGGESTION: If you read this book, it is quite possible that you can start NOW to learn to live on far less money than you may be spending mindlessly today - and not feel deprived. If you do that, of course, you may save even more for your later years, when health issues and other concerns may impact your finances in a less predictable manner than today.
In any case, this is a refreshing change from the books which promote worry and anxiety about not being able to afford retirement. This book advocates finding a happy medium, neither advocating a "no savings" plan or needless worry and obsessions about the future and doomsday scenarios.

Not a bad overview, has some good ideas, but beware..........2006-01-09

The 'Where will the Money come from' chapter , pgs 240-244 on Social Security, is delusional. The author seems to think that Social Security is safe, that pending boomers will get full benefits, and nothing is further from the truth. The author should check the annual letter from Social security that states that withdrawls will exceed contributions within the next 10 years unless something is done. Nothing will be done because our politicians have no spine and are afraid of not being around to milk the tax payer and receive endless kickbacks and graft, all the while being exempt from the very system created as a last resort.

His other ideas are good, however, and worth a read. Id get it from the library first before I decided if I wanted to keep this book around.

An excellent handbook for holistic retirement planning.......2005-11-26

I read this book along with several others two years ago as my husband and I contemplated early retirement. It was by far the best book I read. Most other books were the author's personal musings about what makes for a good retirement. In contrast, Warner's book backs up his views with both solid research and compelling testimonies from actual retirees. He doesn't downplay the importance of financial well-being in retirement, just puts it in context as ONE element of successful retirement. As someone who's now been retired (at age 52) for a year, I can attest to the usefulness of this book. It helped me honestly analyze my own life situation and has been a catalyst for some of the choices and decisions I am making as I create a life without (much) work. Warner's admonishment that you have to start integrating good practices in your life BEFORE retirement is particularly important; for example, if you don't foster close and healthy relationships with your family and friends when you are younger, they aren't going to magically happen once you're retired. Likewise for good health and spiritual habits. I highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of age, who wants practical and sage advice on building a fulfilling life in retirement.

A few comments.......2005-10-02

Like all "royal road to retirement" advice books this one is a mixed bag with some very sage and wise advice on some topics, but weaker on other topics with a lot of facile generalities and waving of hands in regard to how actually to do it on less than a million bucks. Overall though, I applaud the author's emphasis on quality of life vs. a life devoid of meaning and quality personal relationships but with plenty of money--which is what the financial types will try to sell you. As some wag once said, real money is easy to come by--it just takes a lifetime of hard work. Of course, by that time, your wife has left you, your kids hate you, and you have no friends. What's the point of that? I think a compromise is therefore in order, with a downscaled, more modest retirement but with having preserved one's family and friendships intact. On the other hand, this is America, the land of the Almighty Dollar, to which we all bow and scrape and perform obeisance, and if you've got a gadzillion bucks up the wazzoo you can always buy friends, if you can call them that. And I've discovered that in the U.S., money truly does buy friendship of a sort--at least you'll never be bored and alone on a Friday or Saturday night. Anyway, whatever you decide, this book offers an alternative. The decision is up to you.

Yellow Steel: The Story of the Earthmoving Equipment Industry
Average customer rating:

Informative but dry

Fascinating Chronicle of Earthmoving History

Excellent history book

Yellow Steel: The Story of the Earthmoving Equipment Industry
William R. Haycraft
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Mechanical | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

PayLine: International Harvester's Construction Equipment Division

The Caterpillar Century

Giant Earthmovers: An Illustrated History (Crestline Series)

Caterpillar Chronicle: History of the Greatest Earthmovers

All In a Day's Work : Seventy-Five Years of Caterpillar

ASIN: 0252071042

Customer Reviews:

Informative but dry.......2007-10-01

This is an informative book for folks who are in the construction equipment industry. It may also have some pointers for folks who are in the B2B distribution business. However, the writing style can be dry to some.

Fascinating Chronicle of Earthmoving History.......2001-01-01

Mention the words "yellow steel" to just about anyone and the image that most comes to mind is that of Caterpillar, whether bulldozer, excavator, or grader. And just about every child has been awed by the size and abilty of these large machines; witness the huge amount of toy bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, etc.

But it has been this childlike awe that has prevented a serious look at the earthmoving industry and, especially, its history. When I look at a documentary or a book on the Ford Mustang, for instance, I will see the history, the roots, and the legend of the car, as well as several past year models which led to the present model. Now, if I watch a documentary or read a book on earthmoving equipment, all I see are the biggest trucks, shovels and tractors. Books are listed with title adjectives like "Giant" "Huge" "Colossal," and the like. It's as if no one really wants to take this industry seriously.

The irony, of course, is that if it weren't for the earthmoving industry, there would be no interstate highway system, Hoover and Grand Coolee Dams, housing projects, sewer systems, or flood control. Perhaps a case could also be made that the environment would also be in better shape, but I rather doubt it.

William R. Haycraft, a former employee for Caterpillar Tractor, has written the first comprehensive history of this fascinating business. He covers the history of the earthmoving industry and the forces, economic and social, that contributed to the development of mechanized earthmoving equipment. The intelligence of the book reveals itself in its detailed coverage of the development of various types of machinery and the companies that manufactured them. From Adams road graders to Volvo wheel loaders, Haycraft informs the reader every step of the way, from company formation to (all too often) dissolution at the hands of both supply and demand - and other companies via merger. He also tells us how the strength of the American dollar, combined with fatal mistakes by the likes of International Harvester, Allis-Chalmbers and Bucyrus-Erie, and near-fatal mistakes by Caterpillar, allowed Japanese companies like Komatsu and Mitsubishi to not only gain an entry into the American marketplace with lower priced equipment, but, through mergers and buyouts of existing companies, to nearly achieve a complete dominationation of the marketplace.

Lavishly illustrated and intelligently captioned, Yellow Steel is an indispensible volume for industrial historians, social historians, and everyone who always wanted to drive such a machine.

Excellent history book.......2000-05-31

This book gives an excellent history of excavating equipment and it's history. The pictures were detailed and interesting to look at. Couldn't put this one down!

Yellow Steel: The Story of the Earthmoving Equipment Industry

Average customer rating:

Yellow Steel: The Story of the Earthmoving Equipment Industry
William R. Haycraft
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPYCZU

Average customer rating:

Yellow Steel: the Story of the Earthmoving Equipment Industry
William R. Haycraft
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPY3FY

Book Description

Net Strategy shows the direction of the online economy as it moves from one stage to the next, revealing who will profit, who will lose and why, all from the perspectives of investors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate managers. While Spiegel reviews what the most successful companies have done so far, he also predicts what changes are imminent as one stage of the Internet economy evolves to the next, including: the future of Internet retailing; the coming IPO boom for exchanges; the emergence of European, Asian-Pacific & Latin-American e-commerce; the venture capital market; and B2G, or Business-to-Government e-marketplaces.

Book Description

The new global environment requires new approaches, new ideas and innovative tools to address new challenges in areas as different as weapons control, climate change, genetic engineering, and labor standards. Critical Choices looks at one such tool: global public policy networks. In these networks, governments, international organizations, the corporate sector and civil society join together to achieve what none can accomplish on its own. The authors explore both the promises and the limitations of this new form of global cooperation. They discuss how such networks might contribute to better manage the risks and make use of the opportunities that globalization presents. Finally, they offer provocative advice and solid recommendations on how the United Nations can foster such networks in the years ahead.

Metallurgical Coke: Baseline Analysis Of The U.s. Industry And Imports
Average customer rating:
Metallurgical Coke: Baseline Analysis Of The U.s. Industry And Imports

Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0788136186

Metallurgical coke baseline analysis of the U.S. industry and imports (SuDoc ITC 1.12:332-342)
Average customer rating:
Metallurgical coke baseline analysis of the U.S. industry and imports (SuDoc ITC 1.12:332-342)
U.S. Dept of Interior
Manufacturer: U.S. International Trade Commission
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00010L846

Product Description

This document synthesizes the principal characteristics of National Public Investment Systems in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago as a representative picture of the situation in the entire Caribbean sub region.

Barbados Ecology & Nature Protection Handbook

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Barbados Ecology & Nature Protection Handbook
USA International Business Publications
Manufacturer: Intl Business Pubns USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Sustainable Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0739789589

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