When this work was first published in 1966, there was much interest in various types of commodity agreements and compensatory financing as methods of reducing the effects of export fluctuations on the economies of developing countries. The book concluded that short term fluctuations in export earnings, though perhaps important for some countries, did not appear to be the general problem that had been assumed. If correct, it would suggest that any measures should be carefully designed to fit the situations of countries that were affected and be subjected to cost-benefit analysis. This led to many published and unpublished studies on the issues: some supported, others contradicted the book's conclusions. The data available now are vastly greater and probably more accurate than pre-1966. However, the work and the issues it raised remain important because most schemes proposed to reduce export instability would be costly and likely to divert resources from uses more obviously aimed at raising economic development in most developing countries.

The pace of reform for China's enterprises of all kinds has quickened as they seek to cope with the challenges of self-determination in a rapidly evolving context of difficult social and welfare changes, and the realities of increasing global competition. This book explores these challenges from the perspective of the enterprise. It includes discussion of current and likely future overall trends, reports on new research findings on the true extent of governance and accounting reforms within enterprises, and considers the impact of increasing global competition on strategy, business relationships and management culture in a range of different kinds of enterprises.

There is no doubt that China is a major economic force, and the country's phenomenal recent rate of growth means that it is primed to become an even bigger player on the world stage. The pace of reform for China's enterprises of all kinds has quickened as the Chinese have sought to cope with the challenges of self-determination - strategic, financial and governmental - in a rapidly evolving social and political context. This timely collection explores China's current challenges from the perspective of the enterprise. It includes discussion of current and likely future overall trends, reports on new research findings on the true extent of governance and accounting reforms within enterprises, and considers the impact of increasing global competition on strategy, business relationships and management culture across a range of different kinds of enterprises. Starting with the macro view, contributors then focus on aspects such as Chinese-European cooperation, Chinese shareholders, corporate governance, the insurance industry, value creation and business style. problems, this book will be an invaluable resource for academics and businesspeople examining the underpinnings of the Chinese economic systems and its probable course.

Integration with the world economy is crucial to economic success for most, if not all, transitional economies. Rapid development of successful exports is vital to that aim. Governments can help through export promotion policies. These include the general macroeconomic policies governing the level of domestic demand and the exchange rate, but also direct support through institutions to provide insurance, finance and marketing assistance for exporters. As important market failures affect foreign trade, governments have good reason to intervene. In transitional economies market failures are even more common and acute because of their recent history of planned allocation, but their attempts to correct for market failures and support exporters have been weak so far. There is much scope for improvement and for lessons to be learned for both them and for latecomers to transition.

When this work was first published in 1966, there was much interest in various types of commodity agreements and compensatory financing as methods of reducing the effects of export fluctuations on the economies of developing countries. The book concluded that short term fluctuations in export earnings, though perhaps important for some countries, did not appear to be the general problem that had been assumed. If correct, it would suggest that any measures should be carefully designed to fit the situations of countries that were affected and be subjected to cost-benefit analysis. This led to many published and unpublished studies on the issues: some supported, others contradicted the book's conclusions. The data available now are vastly greater and probably more accurate than pre-1966. However, the work and the issues it raised remain important because most schemes proposed to reduce export instability would be costly and likely to divert resources from uses more obviously aimed at raising economic development in most developing countries.