A compelling look at the history of offshore banking and its current applications. Revealing. Insightful. Candid.

Offshore Banking - When initially brought up, the concept probably elicits images of the Swiss Alps or the beach in the Caribbean, yet in today's global economy these fairytale-like images are not related to offshore banking at all. Behind the Offshore Veil reveals the long, prestigious history of private banking and its current applications. Serving as a detailed introduction into the complexities of the offshore world, Behind the Offshore Veil puts to rest the mainstream misconceptions over the legality of offshore banking.

Over the past two decades, the offshore market has experienced a significant increase in popularity as more individuals have begun to see the vast benefits associated with it. Now more than ever, the need to diversify offshore has become commonplace in furthering business interests while protecting personal wealth. The Banking Crisis of 2008 further affirms the need for business owners and professionals to exert greater control of their assets by bringing critical banking functions in house.

Written by two authors with a combined 30+ years in the international banking industry, Behind the Offshore Veil is a must read for individuals in the business, financial and entrepreneurial sectors; all who seek greater profit, privacy and diversification of their assets.

Bringing together a collection of interdisciplinary chapters on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this book offers a comprehensive overview of the topic from a business and management perspective. With a focus on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Volume II provides theoretical and empirical analyses of the opportunities and challenges facing businesses. With contributions covering economics, agriculture, energy, value chain, ethics, governance, and security, this collection is a useful tool for academics as well as policy-makers and practitioners in China, Pakistan, and other countries along the new Silk Road.

In recent years much has been made of the sucess of developing countries, particularly in East Asia, which have achieved economic growth by manufacturing goods which are then exported to developing economies.
"Manufacturing for Export in the Developing" "World" looks at a number of countries which have tried to affect a similar transition. It combines case studies of five countries with an introduction that considers the overall contact and conclusions. The book uncovers serious potential difficulties in maintaining the pace of manufacturing for export in the developing countries, and shows that there is no simple relationship between import liberalization and manufacturing for export.

Not surprisingly, the companies and leaders that are successful globalizers engage in similar practices - key practices that other companies regardless of size can emulate. In my two decades of operating and consulting to over 200 major corporations on outsourcing and globalization, I've seen similar trends and patterns among firms that have succeeded in services globalization and have come to recognize that there are seven best practices. This book is about sharing those practices, these seven secrets. The seven secrets also includes sage advice and wisdom from executives at organizations that are successful globalizers, including Applied Materials, Lenovo, Cisco, Fedex, Virgin and Plantronics. The end result is a book designed for executives at organizations positioned at all levels of global maturity.

A Basic Guide to International Business Law is an introduction to those parts of European and international law that are relevant to business. Having read this book, students will come away with a broad understanding of the international rules of law within the EEC, institutional rules of the European Union, international contract law, rules of competition and the four freedoms within the EEC. The edition includes student friendly features, such as summaries of statements and references to relevant case law, making the book an ideal introduction for those on law and/or business programmes.

This books analyses how transnational gas markets have evolved and impacted on EU-Russia energy relations. It examines how the political conflict surrounding Ukraine has accelerated a negative interdependence in the region, with energy interdependence increasingly used as an instrument of diplomacy.

This book offers a collection of studies on regional integration and the dynamic business environment in East Asia. The papers included, originally presented at the 2014 Asia Pacific Business Conference on "Free Trade Agreements and Regional Integration in East Asia," examine the challenges and dynamics in the increasingly integrated East Asian markets and outline a new paradigm for doing international business in the region. The papers address diverse areas related to regional integration, financial markets, investment, trade and capital flow, sustainability, accounting and auditing issues, exchange rates, strategies and the regional business environment. The book provides a valuable resource for practitioners, policy-makers and students who are interested in understanding the vibrant aspects of business in today's East Asia.

This book explores the relations between the EU and the BRICS in the areas of politics, economic development, trade and security. The contributions cover topics such as the position of the EU and BRICS in the global order and the EU as a "normative power," as well as the evolution, characteristics and institutionalization of BRICS and the roles of its member countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The book will appeal to researchers and scholars interested in the rise of BRICS and the resulting challenges and opportunities for the European Union and Global Governance.

The most severe frost of the twentieth century ravaged Brazilian coffee-growing areas in 1975--leading to a worldwide increase in coffee prices of more than 400 percent. This unique volume traces the political and economic effects of the frost from U.S. consumers to the world coffee market. By concentrating on a single commodity example, concepts of dependence and interdependence are exemplified and integrated--facilitating student understanding of the workings of international political economy.

Multinational Business Finance trains the leaders of tomorrow's multinational enterprises to recognize and capitalize on the unique characteristics of global markets. Because the job of a manager is to make financial decisions that increase a firm's value, the authors have embedded real-world mini-cases throughout, applying chapter concepts to the types of situations managers of real multinational firms encounter. The 16th Edition attempts to capture the rapid evolution of our global marketplace. It takes a closer look at the types of organizations that permeate the widespread arena, competition and opportunities in emerging markets. It also examines how financial leadership can integrate the strategic and financial challenges that global businesses face today.  

This book covers diverse areas in which nanoscience and nanotechnology have led to significant technological advances and practical applications, with special emphasis on novel types of nanomaterials and their applicability into a new generation of nano- and micro-devices. Different nanomaterials are reviewed with a focus on several practical application areas and their commercial utilization. Production technologies of nanomaterials are presented as one of the challenges today. Sectors where nanotechnology has already significantly contributed are presented, along with specific nanotechnology solutions: energy related sectors, NEMS/MEMS, micro power generators, spintronics and healthcare. The basic properties and applications of nanostructured thermoelectric materials, ferroelectric and piezoelectric nanomaterials are reviewed. Examples of several developed thin-film thermogenerators are shown. A review of existing solutions and developing challenges are given regarding sustainable energy production, photovoltaics, solar cells, hydrogen economy and improved classes of batteries as contributions to green products and circular economy. Novel, highly promising areas in nanotechnology, are shown, such as voltage-driven nano-spintronics. Recent advances in friction characterisation at the nano level are described. Several proven nanomaterials have been reviewed pertaining to biomedicine. The use of nanomaterials in ophthalmology and cosmetic industry are reviewed, and the potential for silver nanoparticles and iron-based nanomaterials in biomedicine, also with recognised challenges and possible threats of non-controlled use of nanomaterials. This work is the result of joint efforts of different companies, academic, and research institutions participating in WIMB Tempus project, 543898-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-ES-TEMPUS-JPHES, "Development of Sustainable Interrelations between Education, Research and Innovation at WBC Universities in Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials where Innovation Means Business", co-funded by the Tempus Programme of the European Union.

This proceedings volume provides current research on emerging issues in business, economics and finance in the global economy with particular emphasis on Eastern Europe. Featuring selected papers from the 2017 International Economics Conference in Sibiu (IECS) organized by the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania, the contributing chapters consider new business models, theories, practices and instruments from advanced and emerging economies in the context of recent global trends. After over 20 years of increasing openness and liberation of the world economy, recent events in regions such as Europe, USA and Asia have created challenges to the idea of globalization and integration. There is a delay between the real-world economic changes and the reflection of such changes in the economic research literature. The 2017 IECS conference and the enclosed papers aim to fill this gap in the study of globalization, covering diverse topics such as business administration, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, finance, accounting, tourism and business informatics.

The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was created to extend the multilateral trading system to the service sector, in the same way the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade provides for merchandise trade. Little is said in the GATS about subsidies beyond stipulating that a subsidy to a service provider or industry must be in accordance with the most-favored nation and national-treatment principles. This timely book provides a comprehensive analysis of services subsidies under the GATS. It begins with a description of services and trade in services and of the salient characteristics that make regulation of services subsidies more complex than those associated with agricultural and industrial goods. It then analyzes the economic arguments underpinning the need for regulation, as well as the need for governments to retain sufficient latitude to implement non-trade related policy measures. A description of the data on services subsidies is followed by a classification of services subsidies according to their distortive effects and by a detailed analysis of those elements that may form a definition of services subsidies for the purpose of a future regulatory framework. A key section is devoted to the analysis of those existing provisions of the GATS that may exert a certain measure of discipline on services subsidies and to the question of the desirability and technical feasibility of countervailing measures. Rules on services subsidies contained in regional trade agreements are also discussed. Finally, and prior to the conclusion, two sectoral studies deal with the question of subsidies aimed at attracting foreign direct investment and subsidies to the audiovisual sector. This work represents the first extensive and comprehensive analysis of the issue of services subsidies in the context of the GATS and includes numerous references to relevant European Union State Aid legislation and jurisprudence.

Recent transatlantic relations have been plagued by a seemingly endless series of disputes over trade and other economic and political interests. Some of these disputes have been amongst the most prominent of the WTO era: the Bananas Case, the Beef Hormones Case and the furore over the Helms-Burton Act. This book analyses the sources of transatlantic disputes, and the means employed to prevent and settle such disputes both bilaterally and through the multilateral dispute settlement mechanism of the of the WTO, and identifies promising areas for reform.

An Inside View of the CAP Reform Process is about EU decision-making, in particular for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). From its formation in the 1960s through to 1992 the CAP was almost immune to change; but from 1992 a series of major reforms took place. Many authors have asked why and how this change came about, including academics writing from political economy and political science traditions, and EU officials themselves. With the benefit of Arlindo Cunha's intimate insider's knowledge, this book delves into the mysteries of the policy making process by assessing the MacSharry, Agenda 2000, and Fischler reforms, explaining how, and why, CAP reform became part of the political agenda, and the decisions that were taken. It focuses in particular on the role of the Commission and the Commissioner for Agriculture, the Council of Ministers and its Presidency, and the European Parliament. Drawing upon the economics and political science literatures as appropriate, the book adopts a heuristic political economy approach.
The MacSharry reform was much influenced by the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, and the 2003 Fischler reform by the Doha Round of WTO negotiations. A Delphi survey of key decision-makers, assessing their perception of the drivers of policy reform, and an analysis of subsequent CAP reform, including the Health Check in 2008 and preparations for the post-2013 CAP review, round-off the discussion. The former EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Franz Fischler, contributes a Foreword.

This monograph compares two trade agreements among three important economic regions, namely, the Korea-EU free trade agree (FTA) and the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The two new types of agreements came into effect in the 2010s. They not only create more favorable trade and economic conditions in these regions but also produce spillover effects to bring about more comprehensive conditions in other area. First, the quantitative research for both agreements using the CGE model and a tentative analysis of the Japan-EU EPA in the analysis show that both have already created positive impacts on all three economies by lifting or reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers. Such positive impacts are also expected to be felt by SMEs in these countries that are involved. Additionally, the high level of tariff and non-tariff liberalization in the two current agreements will make positive impacts on the negotiation of other FTAs and on WTO reform. The advantages of the FTA and EPA dealt with in this book are not restricted to these economic effects. As the agreements are comprehensive, they will create more favorable social conditions not only in these economic regions but in other areas of Asia as well.

Internalization theory, despite criticism of its empirical deficiency, has dominated the industrial organization approach to the multinational enterprise and its foreign direct investment (FDI) decisions. Liu improves the empirical foundations of internalization theory, through the elaboration of the FDI signaling framework, which holds that a firm's direct foreign investment influences the perceptions of less-informed market participants. The signaling concept is derived from the premise that a firm's intangible assets in know-how cannot be correctly priced in a market with asymmetric information, and this motivates the firm's decision to undertake FDI. If the premise is correct, the firm's decision is based on inside information, and the firm's action reveals that information to the market. The firm's FDI internalization is evidence of management's confidence in its intangible assets, and its action may further influence market perceptions. The hypotheses generated along this line of analysis are subjected to investigation, and the evidence supports the FDI signaling proposition. Moreover, the study represents an indirect test of internalization theory. As a result, internalization is transformed from a untested theory to an empirical result.

The book deals with the key aspects of social and economic inequalities developed during the transition of the formerly planned European economies. Particular emphasis is given to the latest years available in order to consider the effects of the global crisis started in 2008-2009.

The increasing international mobility of capital, firms and consumers affects tax policies in most OECD countries, playing a major role in reforming national tax systems. Haufler uses standard microeconomic analysis to consider the fundamental forces underlying this process. Topics include a variety of different international tax avoidance strategies--capital flight, profit shifting in multinational firms, and cross-border shopping. Haufler addresses the issue of coordination in different areas of tax policy, with emphasis on regional tax harmonization in the EU. Also included is a detailed introduction to recent theoretical literature.

In the evolving environment of global financial markets, governments, corporations, individual investors, and their associated financial institutions must grapple with a host of thorny issues that affect emerging economies with particular force, as we saw during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Among the issues analyzed by some of the top financial scholars from around the world are covered arbitrage possibilities in the absense of hedging instruments; the effect of capital controls on capital flows; the potential impact of currency unification, as well as the possibilities for pegging currency in the context of floating foreign exchange regimes; regulatory reforms; and political risk analysis.

The rapid development of Asian countries has met with mixed reactions among economists. Most economists understand that a genuine development is underway; but, since the process has been a complex one, each has been able to apply favorite explanations to the situation. In Eastern Asia, regional interdependence has been important to developing countries. This work discusses the interaction between the regional economies through trade and foreign direct investment, relating interaction to economic growth and development.

Eleonora Poli analyses how ideas and material interests have come to determine the evolution of antitrust policies in the USA, EU, Japan and BRICS. She argues that three major economic crises together with market globalisation have changed governments' perceptions of market competition, giving rise to a neo-liberal global phase.

Multinationals are increasingly taking internationalised approaches to the ways in which they generate new knowledge and develop innovative new products from it in the pursuit of global competitiveness. These new perspectives in MNEs' technological behaviour open up important additional possibilities for those countries that play host to operations of these companies. This book analyses in detail the new dimensions in MNEs' approach to global competitiveness and the role played in this by overseas R & D units, and discusses the implications of this for host countries' growth and welfare.

This book brings together a good mix of academics and practitioners for a discussion that focuses on how to change financial practice and the academic field of finance in order to understand the current financial crisis and deal with future turbulent financial times. The volume is based on contributions by prominent academics and practitioners from Europe, Asia and the USA. The book contains several essays, most prominently by Maurizio Murgia, an internationally renowned European corporate finance scholar, and Robert E. Krainer, a senior professor with banking and business cycles research interest from University of Wisconsin-Madison. This book also deals with pedagogical, empirical and theoretical considerations in light of the crisis.