The Nature of Capital: Marx After Foucalt (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought, 20)

Book Description

The Nature of Capital: Marx After Foucault overturns the received wisdom on the incompatibility of the thought of Marx and Foucault to develop an original synthesis based on a critical realist re-reading of their work, and to understanding the postmodern condition.

Amazon.com

From the advent of electronic communications, there's been talk about how the world has been shrinking. Frances Cairncross, senior editor for the Economist, makes her case from an economical standpoint: The growing ease and speed of communication is creating a world where the miles have little to do with our ability to work or interact together. Cairncross predicts that it won't be long before people organize globally on the basis of language and three basic time shifts--one for the Americas, one for Europe, and one for East Asia and Australia. Much work that can be done on a computer can be done from anywhere. Workers can code software in one part of the world and pass it to a company hundreds of miles away that will assemble the code for marketing. And with workers able to earn a living from anywhere, countries may find themselves competing for citizens as people relocate for reasons ranging from lower taxes to nicer weather. Cairncross discusses about 30 major changes likely to result from these trends, including greater self-policing of businesses, an unavoidable loss of personal privacy, and a diminishing need for countries to want emigration.

Book Description

In this paperback edition of the acclaimed book The Death of Distance, journalist Frances Cairncross of The Economist shows us how the world is changing with the introduction of the Internet and wireless technology. First published in 1997, Cairncross's provocative book-based on evidence from two sweeping surveys on telecommunications-argues that new communications technologies are rapidly obliterating distance as a relevant factor in how we conduct our business and personal lives.

Now, the author has substantially rewritten and updated the book, with 70 percent new data, fresh analysis, and new company examples to offer a look at the economic landscape ahead. Cairncross argues that the story today is not only the diminishing importance of distance, but also the mobility and ubiquity of technology. New material covers the implications of recent events and debates including:

Ø the rise and fall of the dot-com phenomenon;
Ø the spread of mobile telephones and other wireless communications;
Ø the wave of technology mergers;
Ø the authenticity of the "new economy;"
Ø diverging trends in business-to-consumer and business-to-business e-commerce;
Ø the restructuring of the organization in the wake of the Internet;
Ø the increasing impact of patent law on the communications economy;
Ø the so-called "digital divide";
Ø and the democratizing effects of communications technology on companies, governments, and society.

With an updated "Trendspotter's Guide" that offers a snapshot of the new opportunities and challenges we face in a wireless world, this timely book will help all of us envision and enjoy an increasingly connected future.

Customer Reviews:

Prudent Optimism.......2002-03-30

I recently read this brilliant book before reading Cairncross' more recently published The Company of the Future. I highly recommend both and suggest that they be read in the order in which they were written.

In this volume (first published in 1997), Cairncross carefully organizes her material within ten chapters following a Preface in which she observes: "The new ideas in this book are about the many ways in which the most significant technological changes of our time will affect the next century -- and your life. You will find a preview of the most important in 'The Trendspotter's Guide to New Communications' that immediately follows this preface; the rest of the book sets out to interpret and elaborate these key points." in which she identifies and then briefly discusses "Ten Rules for Survival." I have a minor quibble with the title because I think that technological changes to which Cairncross refers have not caused the death of distance; rather, they have re-defined it.

With regard to the aforementioned important developments, Cairncross identifies and then briefly discusses 30 which range from "The Death of Distance" to "Global Peace." All are valid even as some readers may believe that others should be added to the list or replace some of those included. There are several in which I have special interest, including #27, "Communities of Culture." Cairncross suggests that "electronic communications will reinforce less widespread languages and cultures. not replace them with Anglo-Saxon and Hollywood. The declining cost of creating and distributing many entertainment products and the corresponding increase in production capacity will also reinforce local cultures and help scattered peoples and families to preserve their cultural heritage." Once again, many readers who agree on the importance of such trends may disagree with the implications which Cairncross derives from them. Fair enough.

In the final chapter, "Government and the Nation State," Cairncross duly acknowledges that being able to communicate may not be enough to keep the nations of the earth at peace with one another "but it is a start." Thanks to new technologies now available or which will soon become available, people will become less susceptible to, indeed dependent on propaganda from politicians who seek to stir up conflicts. Cairncross concludes, "Bonded together by the invisible strands of global communications, humanity may find that peace and prosperity are fostered by the death of distance." She held out that possibility in 1997. Whether or not it remains a reasonable possibility is for each reader to determine. As I compose this review, violence continues to erupt in the Middle East and elsewhere; extensive poverty worldwide persists and could become even worse. Death does indeed have many faces.

A look into the future.......2001-10-04

In this updated paperback edition of the 1997 original, Frances Cairncross of The Economist expounds the theory that, with the introduction of the Internet and new communications technologies, distance as a relevant factor in how we conduct our business and personal lives is becoming irrelevant. This, she claims, will be the single most important economic force shaping all of society over the next half century.

This revised version covers more topics than the original. It explores the rise and fall of the dot-com phenomenon, the spread of mobile telephones, the wave of hi-tech mergers, the lasting power of the new economy, trends in e-commerce, organizational restructuring to adapt to the Internet, the impact of patent law as it pertains to communications, and the democratizing effects of communications technology on worldwide societies as a whole.

Francis Cairncross writes eloquently and convincingly about the cataclysmic changes sweeping through our means of communication. She discusses how the consequences of such changes will tilt the balance between large and small, rich and poor, as they influence where companies locate, what kind of work people do, how governments raise revenue, which businesses succeed etc.

Amongst the most striking trends, she sees citizens with a greater freedom to locate anywhere, thus leaving governments to reduce tax burdens in an attempt to attract higher income-earners. She sees, too, the continuing rise of English as a global language in business and commerce. She foretells, too, of new opportunities and challenges we will face in a wireless world.

I disagree with those who claim that, just because we have the ability to do something, doesn't mean we will do it and change society. If people don't want mobile phones, why do they buy them? If people don't like the Internet, why do they use it? My own experience (Brit living in France, working in various European countries, employed by an American company) tells its own story. Twenty years ago, my situation would have been considered almost unique. Today it is commonplace. AND YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET !

Written by an economist? No kidding........2000-04-12

It would appear that this book continues the line of technological revolutionists/determinists - who provide no reasons as to why this new 'communications revolution' should be able to change our society apart from wide-eyed 'look at what this technology will allow' type suggestions. Just because we have the ability to do something, doesn't mean everyone will do it and thus change society.

A book like Winston's "Media Technology & Society" highlights, with academic integrity, how SOCIETY drives technological change, not some group of engineers sitting round 'inventing stuff'. This is surely the first revolution dictated by commerce & economics rather than actual social need. As Nasdaq stocks fluctuate wildly, the crash and burn of Iridium surely shows that market driven technology isn't as simple as these types of books make it sound.

This book provides nothing new to the topic and as one reviewer previously noted, fails to come to grips with the true power of money.

What could happen in a world without borders.......1999-05-26

The Death of Distance Frances Cairncross presents a compelling and thought-provoking analysis of a rapidly shrinking world as she presents a story of a revolution - a technological revolution, where three technologies namely the telephone, the TV and the networked computer are literally making everywhere here. As the senior editor of the Economist magazine, her analyses of world markets not just from an economics perspective, but from cultural, emotional and societal viewpoints is breathtaking. Distance will become irrelvant, she argues and it won't be long before people across the globe will organize their work on the basis of language and three time shifts - one for the Americas, one for Europe and one for East Asia and Australia. She discusses the implications of workers able to earn a living from anywhere and countries finding themselves competing for citizens as people relocate for reasons ranging from lower taxes to nicer weather. Cairncross discusses about 30 major changes likely to result from the technology-driven revolution including a shifting landscape in terms of freedom, privacy and intellectual property, the changing role of government and the implications for the concept of the nation state, citizenship, regulation and laws in a world without borders, in a world where distance is irrelvant.

Thought provoking and ambitiously broad ranging!.......1999-03-22

This is an up-beat view about how technology will ultimately transform every aspect of life. Focusing on future trends, its chapters cover: the telephone; the television; the internet; commerce and companies; competition, concentration and monopoly; policing the electronic world; the economy; society, culture, and the individual; and government and the nation state. This is a thoughtful work. It conveys a wealth of information. Its scope is ambitiously broad ranging and I have found it highly readable.

Book Description

The Microwave Way to Software Project Management takes you on a fast, entertaining and essential tour through the jungle software project managers can and will walk in to. For a lot of readers one conclusion still comes as a big surprise: doing projects is a peoples business. It¡¯s all about keeping everyone involved in the project happy by supporting their stakes. The trouble with stakes is, no one tells you what they are. You have to guess, negotiate, anticipate and manipulate to get past the requirements directly through to the fears and wishes of people. Software project management is more about psychology than technology.

This book presents how in the real world of enterprises the ¡®traditional¡¯ techniques of project management, like Gantt-charting, can be used as communications techniques to keep some persons happy. The Microwave Way is not about knowing you have a deadline, but about how to move it. Naming a date is easy, telling you cannot e it, is the real job.

Average customer rating:

The Microwave Way to Software Project Management
Bas De Baar
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7EHB8

Book Description

A complete survival guide for mid-career professionals now "on their own"

Your company is downsizing and you've been let go. Or maybe you've left your job to become an entrepreneur. Whether by fate or choice, you've left the corporate life behind and are now on your own. What's your next step? This indispensable reference explores what options are available to you, and tells you where—and how—to begin. On Your Own is packed with invaluable advice and practical ideas on everything from job search techniques to tips on becoming your own boss. In addition to helpful worksheets, actual case histories, and useful references, you'll find essential information on:

Reinventing yourself as your own "personal enterprise": assessing your skills, finding and exploiting your strengths, making your passion part of your career plan
Self-investing to build your personal value: committing yourself to ongoing education and training
Ways to promote your personal enterprise: writing articles, lecturing, creating seminars, teaching courses, networking
Conventional—and not so conventional—employment options: reemployment within your present company, working at home,care giving, working on contract
The four routes to business ownership: buying a business, owning a franchise, starting a business, and forming a consulting practice

Customer Reviews:

A terrific book for the money.......2000-10-21

Ms Yonge has put together a nice, affordable, helpful book. Its strength is in its ease of use and its compact size. Easily worth the price.

ýA Must Read for On-Line Jobseekersý.......2000-04-03

The Internet Job Search Site is repository of literally hundreds of thousands of job openings around the world. This particular Websites provides companies and jobseekers an instant access to today's global job market. The 110 Best Job Search Sites on the Internet highlights the brightest and the best of the International Job Sites now available on the Internet. The author of this book focusing the discussion on the whole job search process, using the 110 Best Job Search Sites ever. This comprehensive guide will also equipped you with some useful tips to coduct an effective On-Line Job Search from self assesment until salary negotiation. Up-dating with the current information on today's on-line job search, this book is a must read for every on-line jobseekers.

Average customer rating:

Check Your Back Forty

Forfeiture

More on property seizures

Take advantage of the hottest financial trend today!

Protect Yourself from Parasites Looking for Deep Pockets

Protect Your Assets: How to Avoid Falling Victim to the Government's Forfeiture Laws
Adam Starchild
Manufacturer: Books for Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0894992341

Book Description

It's the middle of the night, and suddenly you're awakened by a swarm of armed, black-clad law enforcement agents storming through your front door with a warrant to search your property. After ripping the place apart, they've found nothing illegal, but based on information they've obtained elsewhere, they inform you that property is being seized.

:Never. Not in America,: you're probable saying. But if you think this couldn't happen to you, you'd better think twice. The advent of America's "war on drugs" in the 1980s greatly expanded the power of law enforcement to seize private property based on suspicion of illegal activity alone. While recent laws have attempted to curtail this type of government authority run amok, property forfeitures continue unabated for the most part because the financial incentive is so great: no U.S. tax has ever approached the revenue-raising potential of the asset forfeitures that have taken this country by storm---to the point that they have become a routine part of law-enforcement procedure.

In this book, author Adam Starchild, recounts the appalling true stories of countless innocent citizens whose lives have been turned upside down and torn apart by government confiscation of their homes, businesses, vehicles, and bank accounts---without due process. You'll find out how others like you have unwittingly fallen victim to this outrageous abuse of government power, exactly what circumstances can place you and your property at risk, and what you can and must do to protect your assets before it happens to you.

Customer Reviews:

Check Your Back Forty.......2001-05-27

One of the graces of living in the United States is the ability to buy affordable real estate. The open market provides both buyer and seller a plot of Mother Earth in order to raise their children or develop a nest egg for the future. One of the casualties of the War on Drugs is legislation aimed at the drug dealer, could deeply effect the land-owning taxpayer. The following example will give you a clearer understanding. In the summer of 2000, state police discovered 517

marijuana plants growing in an isolated hollow in eastern Kentucky, unbeknownst to the property owners, Dale and Diedre Hall.

Authorities suspected the family, based on a tip from a drug informant. According to the Hall's family lawyer, police were unable to get enough evidence to make an arrest, let alone to secure an indictment or a conviction. Nevertheless, the Halls owe the state a little more than $1 million under a 1994 law that taxes marijuana dealers $1,000 a plant and penalizes those who do not pay the tax before they are caught. The law, upheld by the Kentucky Supreme Court, was modeled on statutes in other states that has passed muster with the US Supreme Court. The law has brought in close to $300,000 in revenue, at least some of which came from drug dealers who made confidential payments to the state.

The tax assessment does not require a conviction. The law is enacted when police report on the seizure or discovery of illegal drugs, which they are required to do within 72 hours. The Hall's lawyer said the tax blocks his client access to the judicial system, challenging the provision of the law that requires suspected dealers to post a bond equal to the amount owed before they can file a protest.

The area where the Hall's reside is located in coal country near the Kentucky-West Virginia border. The depressed coal industry has left many out-of-work coal miners to fend for themselves. Usually they do it through the cash crop of marijuana grown on parkland or, in the Hall's case, private property. According to an article by APB News, the 1994 law requires marijuana growers and dealers to buy tax stamps at the rate of $3.50 per gram or $1,000 per plant. While the process is confidential and payment of taxes cannot be used as evidence in a criminal case, the civil penalties are added to any criminal ones once someone is caught, along with an additional penalty for failure to pay, said state Rep. Charles Geveden. "It's not a ruse or an attempt to legalize marijuana," said Geveden, a Democrat from Wickliffe, in western Kentucky, who was one of the law's sponsors. "What it does is it creates a monetary penalty as well as the criminal penalty."

Too little too late for the Halls, who acquired the American dream of owning land through hard work and sacrifice. What saved them from total financial ruin was Dale's decision to follow Diedre's advice

about offshore asset protection. Now the Hall's life savings won't be burned up in tax levies from the discovery of some hemp plants.

Forfeiture.......2000-10-30

The following case concerning property forfeiture comes from Rhode Island and is very illustrative as to the real goal of such government action: greed. Luz Rivera of Providence, RI was arrested in 1995 and charged with drug dealing. The police also confiscated $860 from her apartment after a search. Ms. Rivera had the charges against her dismissed in 1996 after she successfully proved she was at work and not at her apartment at the time of the alleged drug deal. Being found innocent of the charges, she naturally requested that her $860 be returned and obtained the necessary court order for this to happen. The state refused to honor the court order and Ms. Rivera contacted the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties union to assist her in obtaining the return of her money. The ACLU has threatened the state with a contempt order but the state attorney general's office has filed a motion to have the 1996 order requiring the return of the confiscated cash null and void. The state meanwhile maintains Ms. Rivera's cash was lawfully forfeited. Considering Ms. Rivera has been cleared of any charges of illegal activity, what is the basis of the state's claim? Very simply, it is the basis of greed. The state government wants Ms. Rivera's cash and has decided to keep it, all moral considerations, notwithstanding. A more clear example of the real reason behind property forfeiture could not be given. It is money pure and simple. Citizens have it and the government wants it.

More on property seizures.......2000-10-14

The New York City Police Department has learned a valuable lesson from state and national law enforcement agencies. The Department will implement its "Zero Tolerance Drinking and Driving Initiative" sometime within the next month according to Police Commissioner Howard Safir. The stated goal of this new program is to discourage drunk driving and means anyone arrested for drunk driving in NYC will have their car seized until acquittal of the charges. The policy is based on the fact that city code permits police to seize "instrumentality's of crime." Commissioner Safir expects the program will result in thousands of cars being seized in the near future. According to criminal lawyer Gerald Lefcourt, this is a serious misuse of the forfeiture laws as they were not intended for this type of situation.

Mr. Lefcourt is right in his supposition that the forfeiture laws were not originally intended to address crimes such as drunk driving. Originally they were to punish drug dealers by confiscating the goods they bought and used with the proceeds from the drug trade. However, it has not taken government agencies long to realize the full potential of forfeiture laws since any property used in committing a crime or that results from illegal activities can be seized. This provides government an easy way to take from the public whatever it wants and is a natural motivator for unscrupulous, unethical and illegal actions by the government. In this case, if the city of New York wishes to discourage drunk driving it can increase jail time for a conviction, but its much more lucrative to confiscate a nice car.

Take advantage of the hottest financial trend today!.......1999-06-15

An offshore haven is simply a country other than your own. To an American, it's anywhere you bank outside of the U.S. Why invest in offshore havens? Because when you invest outside your own country, you are no longer tied to its restrictive financial laws, and can protect your assets, save taxes and build your wealth easier.

Most of us have been hoodwinked into thinking that offshore havens are illegal, too risky, or otherwise unworthy of consideration. Don't believe it. Financial expert Adam Starchild will dispel myths and misconceptions about offshore banking and reveal how you can:

Achieve total secrecy and and financial privacy
Transfer your money offshore, and keep it safe from lawsuits, creditors, the IRS, etc.
Use offshore havens to legally avoid, defer or minimize taxes
Invest globally and build your wealth
Pick the offshore haven that best meets your objectives
Choose the right offshore bank and maintain an account -- easily and safely
Do business offshore -- and reap extraordinary benefits
And more!

Protect Yourself from Parasites Looking for Deep Pockets.......1998-09-29

There are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from many dangers -- frivolous lawsuits, predatory taxes, thieves, and greedy bureaucrats, just to name a few. A good place to start is with Adam Starchild's book.

This book will give you everything you need to completely safeguard your home, your family, your money, and your privacy. In other words, everything that's important to you.

You'll also find out how to create "invisible wealth" and how to use trusts for wealth protection... how to use family limited partnerships... how to structure a corporation for the greatest safety... how to go offshore with your wealth... and how to use foreign bank accounts.

Book Description

The Fundamentals of Corporate Communications gives professionals and students in marketing a comprehensive and incisive overview of what modern corporate communications is, and what it can achieve.

The author has drawn on extensive business experience in the area and wide ranging research in major corporations to produce an authoritative account of best practice - backed by numerous cases and examples.

The book demonstrates how corporate communications affects today's marketing mix and explains how it can support wider marketing objectives. The key elements are covered in depth:
* Who are the key audiences in the present business climate * The role of Corporate Image and Identity in the communications process * How communications informs and affects corporate strategy development * What are the tools of modern communications- from lobbying to brand building * Using communications in a crisis
* Who should be communicator and why

The book is both highly practical, it is grounded in real business issues, and rigorous in covering the concepts accessibly. It will be an essential text and reference for practitioners and students of marketing.

Practical approach and style which will engage professional readership
Uses many contemporary business cases and examples
No other research of such depth has taken place in the UK recently indicating that this is a unique statement of present best practice

Book Description

I'll Get Back To You takes readers straight to the top, revealing the communication secrets of such sales stars as Mary Kay Ash, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, discount broker Charles Schwab, and Prudential Securities CEO Hardwick Simmons, among many others. It distills their accumulated wisdom and experience into practical action plans, complete with sidebars with sample phone dialogue, that help others open doors and command attention for products and ideas. I'll Get Back To You steers users toward telephone sales strategies that work and away from those which are instant turnoffs.

Customer Reviews:

156 Ways.......2006-06-21

no longer have to read long books by one CEO! How the author got 100 honest CEOs is beyond me. But he did. 156 wys real good ones! I'm a middle manager with 155 people who report to me and this book was very very helpful and gave me some great food for thought.

Search Amazon Used if you Have To.......2004-05-07

I hear this gem may be out of print. I cannot imagine it is, but if so, look through Amazon's used and out of print titles. Today, you compete with the Internet, voice mail, answering machines, cell phones, television, e-mail, pagers... the list goes on. Getting through is NOT in bad taste or impolite - Doing so shows you care about the person you want to speak to and you owe it to them to get your message across OR if not, then your mssage is unimportant and you shouldn't be bothering them in the first place.

The best advice centers not around deception but around leaving them wanting more! when you call, tell them what you need or want to say but don't say it all! Leave a trailer in their mind of, "I wonder what he or she meant by that?" or "I just HAVE to call back to get more details!" You are competing for a person's time, the only resource that person has that is not renewable. If your message is valuable you need to master Shook's skill set training. Of the 156 ways, if you learn and use only ONE, you will improve your callback response rate. And that's a great thing, you succeeded in competing against all the other noise that's out there. I only ask... make sure your message is worth getting through. Otherwise, don't waste the person's time.

Something for everyone!.......2003-10-14

If you are in business-to-business telephone sales, this is your book! Regrettably out-of-print (call or email the publisher),it contains 156 Ways of GETTING THROUGH,or getting your call returned. All techniques are not appropriate for your business, but so what? There is no person alive in its intended market who cannot benefit out of all proportion to the cost of this book.

Another printing is called for.

Some interesting tipsýbut the book encourages lying........1999-11-20

The book has some good tips on getting your voice mail messages returned, but a great many of these tips involve deception. I don't need to read a book on how to come up with whopper stories-that comes easily for most people. While lying may get someone to return your calls-that is not the reason for your call. You want to build a relationship on a solid foundation-lying to clients does not work!

A very creative approach for having people get back with you.......1998-03-18

This book is packed with fun and creative ways for having people get back with you. I personally used some techniques and was surprised how effective they were.

Book Description

The issues addressed in this study are: What internal factors support changes in the international operations of new firms? and What effect do these changes have on the firm's structure, control system, and market performance.
To answer these questions, this work examines the internal resources and market performance of a set of publicly traded biotechnology firms. Findings support the view that new firms can enter international markets through a variety of strategies, including international joint ventures and subsidiaries. Changes in international operations also are found to enhance firm market performance when accompanied by changes in firm structure and control systems. However, managers must be patient because market performance only improves significantly two years after these organizational changes have taken place.

Customer Reviews:

Very informative stuff.......2001-08-09

Dr. Coombs' book is a great work on strategies employed by biotech firms. I found the results to be interesting and helpful to me professionally. Nicely written and concise.

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