This volume investigates the specific role of transnational corporations in the process of globalization and economic development. While it draws on a long history of academic research, it also shows new ways forward. It makes headway both in conceptual as well as empirical terms. Topics covered include locational clustering, research and development partnering, productivity spillovers, privatization, disinvestment, terrorism, and the role of and impact on transnational corporations. A future research agenda is also put forward.

An analysis of the major securities, derivatives and money markets from an operations point of view, 'Understanding the Markets' takes the reader through the major features and characteristics of the markets and the products. The relationship between the trading and dealing functions and the operations functions is examined and the issues discussed.
This book looks at the financial markets from the viewpoint of the person working in the operations functions that support the trading, dealing and investment processes, and as such is essential reading in order to fully understand the industry - an industry which has gone, and is still going through, much change.
As the markets undergo change so too do the administration, clearing and settlement functions, as the clearing houses, securities depositories and custodians merge and diversify. This is going to impact on the operations teams that support the trading, sales and retail business. A failure to be aware of and to understand the impact of changes in the markets will create massive problems, greater risk and ultimately financial losses. And yet the sheer size and diversity of the global markets, together with the rapid pace of change and expansion, and the increasing volume of transactions needing to be processed, presents a massive challenge to operations teams and managers.
Knowing how the markets work and what impacts on the operations team is crucial for managers and supervisors. In this book the author provides a full explanation of the markets and their impact in operations terms. So if you are about to embark on a career in operations 'Understanding the Markets' is essential reading. Alternatively, if you are planning a career as a dealer it will prove very useful in explaining the process that occurs after you have traded.
The definitive series of professional references for those finance professionals concerned with "Back office" or operations management unique to this industry.Presents concise references on the essential management functions such as technology, client services, and risk management for financial operations management professionals.A comprehensive resource from a leading financial management consultant for global banks and institutions.

The book investigates the EU preferential trade policy and, in particular, the impact it had on trade flows from developing countries. It shows that the capability of the "trade as aid" model to deliver its expected benefits to these countries crucially differs between preferential schemes and sectors. The book takes an eclectic but rigorous approach to the econometric analysis by combining different specifications of the gravity model. An in-depth presentation of the gravity model is also included, providing significant insights into the distinctive features of this technique and its state-of-art implementation. The evidence produced in the book is extensively applied to the analysis of the EU preferential policies with substantial suggestions for future improvement. Additional electronic material to replicate the book's analysis (datasets and Gams and Stata 9.0 routines) can be found in the Extra Materials menu on the website of the book.

This book studies the complex system of trade exchanges and commerce that profoundly changed Roman society. In ancient times there were several major trade routes that connected the Roman Empire to exotic lands in the distant East. Ancient sources reveal that after the Augustan conquest of Egypt, valued commodities from India, Arabia and China became increasingly available to Roman society. These sources describe how Roman traders went far beyond the frontiers of their Empire, travelling on overland journeys and maritime voyages to acquire the silk, spices and aromatics of the remote East.Records from ancient China, early India and a range of significant archaeological discoveries provide further evidence for these commercial contacts. Truly global in its scope, this study is the first comprehensive enquiry into the extent of this trade and its wider significance to the Roman world. It investigates the origins and development of Roman trade voyages across the Indian Ocean, considers the role of distant diplomacy and studies the organization of the overland trade networks that crossed the inner deserts of Arabia through the Incense Routes between the Yemeni Coast and ancient Palestine. It also considers the Silk Road that extended from Roman Syria across Iraq, through the Persian Empire into inner Asia and, ultimately, China.

Reflecting current debates and concerns within academic and policy circles, this substantial edited book provides wide-ranging and in-depth commentary on contemporary developments in the politics of international trade. The book is divided into three major sections dealing, in order, with key actors (states and firms, the WTO, civil society), issues (security, agriculture, services, intellectual property environment, labour standards) and regional dynamics (focusing on regions and regionalism, and on trade politics in major states in each of these) in international trade.

For more than two centuries following its formation in 1581, the Levant Company enjoyed a monopoly of British trade with the Ottoman Empire and provided Britain's diplomatic representation at the Sultan's court and throughout the Ottoman territories. Rather than focusing on "the Turkey trade" itself, or on the merchants who engaged in it, Christine Laidlaw examines the supporting cast of Britons -- officials, clergymen, physicians and accompanying family members -- who lived and worked alongside the merchants at the Company's three principal trading posts at Istanbul, Izmir and Aleppo during the eighteenth century. This unique perspective will be invaluable for historians of the eighteenth century and the Ottoman Empire.

This volume contains original essays by authors who have worked together to derive lessons for African export prospects from the experiences of some of the more successful developing countries in East Asia and Latin America. They present up-to-date data and analysis on non-traditional exporting experience, problems and prospects in a sample of five sub-Saharan African countries.

The decade of the 1980s has been full of disputes between industrialized countries and newly industrialized ones, between developing countries and Northern markets, and between Japan, the U.S., and the European community on a wide range of issues. This new volume not only reviews some of the major trends in trade and development policy during the 1980s, but also brings together ten essays on different disputatious trade and development issues. Focusing on the steel, copper, tropical, bauxite-aluminum, and textile, sectors, the author provides an in-depth examination of the areas where trade has been most sharply debated. On the development side, a range of issues are addressed: trade-related problems surrounding South-South relations, prospects for foreign direct investment, regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, and European trade preference schemes.

This book systematically explores the trade and environment interests of developing countries from a Southern perspective. The contributors write explicitly about both the fears and hopes in the South regarding trade and environment negotiations. Essays are from leading experts and thought leaders from various regions of the South and work to envision new, bold agendas and priorities for their region.

Trade theories predict and explain the consequences of economic integration. Generally, they show that freer international trade leads to specialisation, technological convergence and faster economic growth. This study compares the conclusions of the trade theories with empirical observations of economic changes in the European Union. These empirical analyses show that the main conclusions also hold empirically. However, many detailed empirical observations often contrast the theoretical expectation. Hence, although the trade theories do predict the general changes correctly, they are not capable of predicting the more specific empirical outcomes.

The empirical analyses use intercountry input-output tables in constant prices with 6 EU countries (Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark) of the years 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985. These data prove to be a valuable contribution to analysing the economic effects of international integration, since they provide a consistent database that can be used to analyse many economic aspects, such as technology, specialisation, intra-industry trade, economic growth, sectoral distribution, and direct and indirect effects.

This book will be especially useful to Regional Economists and Economists specialising in international trade, input-output analysis or European integration.

This work presents a new theory and approach to the rapidly changing economics of international trade, which challenges the prevailing neo-Keynesian point of view. From a theoretical perspective, the author examines the arguments of classical and neoclassical economists to develop the concept of dynamic disequilibrium with respect to the business cycle and its influence on a country's international trade position. Additionally, this concept is applied to multinational corporations and customs unions such as the European Community in their practical trade relationships.

Beginning with an examination of the general contemporary problem of trade in an uncertain world, Rich moves on to review theories of international trade--the welfare utility function, the international utility function--and their applicability to our changing economic world. Particular attention is given to the rise of the European Economic Community and the role of multinational corporations in contemporary international trade.

Principles of International Economic Law provides a comprehensive overview of the central topics in international economic law, with an emphasis on the interplay between the different economic and political interests on both the international and domestic levels. Following recent tendencies, the book sets the classic topics of international economic law, like WTO law, investment protection, commercial law and monetary law in context with aspects of human rights, environmental protection and the legitimate claims of developing countries. The book draws a concise picture of the architecture of international economic law with all its complexities, without getting lost in fragmented details. Providing a perfect introductory text to the field of international economic law, the book thoroughly analyses legal developments within their wider political, economic, or social context. Topics covered range from codes of conduct for multinational enterprises, to the human rights implications of the exploitation of natural resources. The book demonstrates the economic foundations and economic implications of legal frameworks. It puts into profile the often complex relationship between, on the one hand, international standards on liberalization and economic rationality and, on the other, state sovereignty and national preferences. It describes the new forms of economic cooperation which have developed in recent decades, such as the growing number of transnational companies in the private sector, and forms of cooperation between states such as the G8 or G20. This fully updated second edition covers new aspects and developments including the growing importance of corporate social responsibility, mega-regional-agreements like CETA, TTIP, and TPP, trade and investment related aspects of human rights law.

The link between trade and the environment has focused on two broad issues: how changing trade regimes have affected the environment and how stricter environmental regulations have affected trade. The answers are of particular importance to developing and transition countries where the relationship between trade and the environment has a major impact. This unique book, based on eleven case studies undertaken by research institutes in developing countries with the support of UNCTAD and UNDP, provides detailed empirical evidence from Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Malaysia, The Philippines, Poland, Thailand, Turkey and Zimbabwe. The central questions addressed are: * has the international programme of trade liberalization affected the environment negatively? * are stricter environmental regulations in both developed and developing countries having an effect on exports and imports and how can these effects be addressed? * what impacts, if any, result from differences in environmental standards between richer and poorer countries? * what impacts have multilateral environmental agreements had on trade flows between developed and developing countries * what impacts are firms' voluntary measures to protect the environment having on the export flows from developing and transition countries? The book provides a wealth of information and shows a wide difference of outcomes from country to country, allowing the authors to draw an interesting set of conclusions. It will be useful for students and researchers in environmental and international economics and will be essential reading for policymakers in government and non-governmental organizations.

Advancing a constructivist conceptual approach, this book explains the surprising outcome of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union and developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (the ACP countries). Despite the EU's huge market power, it had limited success with the EPAs; an outcome that confounds materialist narratives equating trade power with market size. Why was the EU unable to fully realise its prospectus for trade and regulatory liberalisation through the EPA negotiations? Emphasising the role of social legitimacy in asymmetrical North-South trade negotiations, Murray-Evans sets the EPAs within the broader context of an institutionally complex global trade regime and stresses the agency of both weak and strong actors in contesting trade rules and practices across multilateral, regional and bilateral negotiating settings. Empirical chapters approach the EPA process from different institutional angles to explain and map the genesis, design, promotion and ultimately limited impact of the EU's ambitious prospectus for the EPAs. This volume will be particularly relevant to students and scholars of international trade and development and the EU as an international actor, as well as those researching international political economy, African politics and international trade law.

Business and NGOs are seen by many to be locked in a perpetual war of values and ideologies. What this book demonstrates is that the war has moved on. Many companies are now engaging with their stakeholders - even those with which they have traditionally had antagonistic relationships - as part of their strategies for improved social and environmental performance. With contributions from an outstanding and diverse group of experts from business, consultancy, research institutes, NGOs and academia, Terms for Endearment investigates the how and why of these new collaborations and provides concrete examples of business working with stakeholder pressure for sustainable development. The book forcibly argues the notion of organizations of civil society setting the standards for business behaviour in the 21st century. For those companies that choose not to pursue high standards of social and environmental performance, confrontation with NGOs must be expected, with negative consequences for sales, costs and social capital, i.e. the bottom line. Terms for Endearment therefore presents business with both a threat and opportunity as we move closer to establishing a social basis for global economic activity.

From human trafficking to smuggling small arms to looting antiquities, illicit trade poses significant threats to international order. So why is it difficult to establish international cooperation against illicit trade? Governing Guns, Preventing Plunder offers a novel, thought-provoking answer to this crucial question. Conventional wisdom holds that powerful criminal groups obstruct efforts to suppress illicit trade. In contrast, Asif Efrat explains how legitimate actors, such as arms manufacturers or museums that acquire and display looted antiquities, often act to hinder policing efforts. However, such efforts to evade regulation often fuel intense political conflicts between governments that demand action against illicit trade and others that are reluctant to cooperate. The book offers a framework for understanding the domestic origins of this conflict-and how the distribution of power shapes the conflict's outcome. Through this framework, Efrat explains why the interests of governments vary across countries, trades, and time. In a fascinating empirical analysis, he solves a variety of puzzles: Why is the international regulation of small arms much weaker than international drug control? What led the United States and Britain to oppose the efforts against plunder of antiquities and why did they ultimately join these efforts? How did American pressure motivate Israel to tackle sex trafficking? Efrat's findings will change the way we think about illicit trade, offering valuable insights for scholars, activists, and policymakers.

Achieving success in the global marketplace is now a little easier thanks to this practical and comprehensive guide. International opportunities are not limited to the Fortune 500. Winning in the Global Market: A Practical Guide to International Business Success is a resource that will enable firms of all experience levels to explore the possibilities international markets hold and, if they are already engaged, to improve current international operations. Practical and easily understood, the guide synthesizes well-established approaches to global business best practices and shares the most cutting-edge ways of dealing with today's dynamic international business environment. Readers are shown how to conduct an international SWOT analysis that can spell the difference between failure and success and are taken sequentially through issues that must be addressed to compete in the international arena. Regardless of a firm's current status, the book will prove invaluable in answering four critical questions: which market, or markets, to enter (or continue in); when to do so; what the scale or scope of entry should be; and when it is appropriate to make changes. Scorecards that can be used to analyze and assess the reader's individual firm An appendix of resources that will help firms identify and access the most helpful outside sources for international business information and assistance

Growing global interdependence made the 1970s and 1980s a volatile period in the sugar trade at a time when Caribbean countries, while not the major world producers of sugar, were economically dependent on their sugar exports. Since then, government farm supports and quotas on imported sugar in the United States, overproduction in developing countries, and the emergence of a highly protected European Community sugar industry have all served to make the sugar trade a highly political global issue. This study focuses on the evolution of the U.S.--Caribbean Basin sugar trade in the 1980s and its impact on political relations between the countries involved. According to the authors, the sugar trade was not driven by laws of supply and demand, but by various political agendas. Economic protectionism, government subsidies for inefficient elements of the sugar industry, as well as corruption and mismanagement have contributed to the Byzantine politics of the sugar trade. Now the United States needs to determine how lifting quotas and terminating subsides will affect this complex relationship. By providing an in-depth look at the development of current policies in the sugar trade, this book offers the necessary background for making informed policy decisions.

After examining the U.S. sugar policy from 1974 to 1989, the book provides a broader Latin American perspective of U.S. and European Community sugar policies. It also offers subregional and country analyses covering the Commonwealth Caribbean, Central America, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Panama. Despite the difficulty of competing against the United States and Europe, Caribbean and Central American countries are likely to continue to depend on sugar cane. Climactic and ecological factors make agricultural diversification extremely difficult. Some Caribbean and Central American producers have considered making ethanol automobile fuel from sugar, but here too they face protectionist pressure from U.S. producers of corn. Given current political realignments, the authors predict that the influence of the United States and the Soviet Union will diminish in the 1990s. The European Community, on the other hand, is likely to have greater influence on the inter-American sugar trade. Students of Latin American politics and international relationships, as well as those involved in the sugar industry or the policies affecting it, will find this book a valuable resource for future decisions.

'Wolfe has combined a detailed examination of international regimes and agricultural trade, an interesting application of the concept of embedded liberalism as developed by Ruggie on the basis of Polanyi, and a thorough analysis of the Uruguay Round negotiations. In doing so, he has made a notable contribution to the IPE literature generally and the work on multilateral negotiations in the context of the GATT/WTO in particular' - Andrew F. Cooper, University of Waterloo, Canada The Farm War of the early 1980s was rooted in the political economy of agriculture, but it was a crisis for the international trading system. The war was evident in disruptions on the farm and in world markets, in conflicts among major governments, and in disagreements in international organizations. Wolfe shows how and why battles over agricultural protectionism were largely resolved through the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, demonstrating that the global economy is not self-regulating: it needs institutions if it is to be stable.

The argument about the limits of Free Trade or Protectionism rages throughout the world to this day. Following the Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, free trade became one of the most distinctive defining features of the British state, and of British economic, social, and political life. While the United States, much of the British Empire, and the leading European Powers turned towards protectionism before 1914, Britain alone held to a policy which had seemingly guaranteed power and prosperity. This book seeks to explain the political history of this tenacious loyalty. While the Tariff Reform opponents of free trade have been much studied, this is the first substantial account, based on a wide range of printed and archival sources, which explains the primacy of free trade in nineteenth- and early-twentieth century Britain. It also shows that by the centenary of the Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1946, although British free traders lamented the death of Liberal England, they heralded, under American leadership, the rebirth of the liberal international order.

In The Danish Slave Trade and Its Abolition, Erik Gobel offers an account of the well-documented Danish transatlantic slave trade. Denmark was the seventh-largest slave-trading nation with forts and factories on the Gold Coast and a colony in the Virgin Islands. The comprehensive Danish archival material provides the basis for Gobel's descriptions of the volume and composition of the slave trade and trade cargoes, as well as the shipping and conditions on board along the Middle Passage. Attention is also paid to the 1791 Danish Slave Trade Commission report and the final decision to abolish the slave trade altogether.

During recent years, American states have launched programs to promote direct foreign investment and product export, but there has been little self-scrutiny of these efforts. This book presents the findings of Michael Frazier's detailed empirical study of four, state-supported export trade agencies. Using the evaluation techniques of Mazmanian and Sabatier (the M-S Model), Frazier pinpoints the factors that determine how well states develop an international business orientation. He also expands the M-S model by identifying additional variables that should be considered in future program evaluations.

This book provides a survey of the literature on implementation research, and argues in favor of both theoretical and empirical evaluation. Using the the M=S Model for export trade agency evaluation, Frazier examines the public export trade agencies of four states: Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, and Virginia. He concludes that four factors--geographic location, state politics, economic interdependence and federal government involvement--heavily influence a state's level of success. The political leadership of the agency director and his supervisors, including the governor, is especially crucial. This is a useful handbook for legislators, policymakers, administrators, and students of program evaluation.