The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Box is more than a box.
  • No where near technical enough
  • Global supply chains explained
  • Interesting Look at the Building Blocks of Globalization
  • Superb for non-specialists
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
Marc Levinson
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Economic HistoryEconomic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0691123241

Book Description

In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the sharp fall in transportation costs that containerization brought about.

Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the first container voyage, this is the first comprehensive history of the shipping container. It recounts how the drive and imagination of an iconoclastic entrepreneur, Malcom McLean, turned containerization from an impractical idea into a massive industry that slashed the cost of transporting goods around the world.

But the container didn't just happen. Its adoption required huge sums of money, both from private investors and from ports that aspired to be on the leading edge of a new technology. It required years of high-stakes bargaining with two of the titans of organized labor, Harry Bridges and Teddy Gleason, as well as delicate negotiations on standards that made it possible for almost any container to travel on any truck or train or ship. Ultimately, it took McLean's success in supplying U.S. forces in Vietnam to persuade the world of the container's potential.

Drawing on previously neglected sources, economist Marc Levinson shows how the container transformed economic geography, devastating traditional ports such as New York and London and fueling the growth of previously obscure ones, such as Oakland. By making shipping so cheap that industry could locate factories far from its customers, the container paved the way for Asia to become the world's workshop and brought consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A Box is more than a box........2007-10-18

A good review of the transportation & shipping industry.
A little tedious at times but the points are well made.
I would like to have had a side bar on the boxes used in the
air cargo network to round out the topic.

3 out of 5 stars No where near technical enough.......2007-10-03

Like many jounalists' stories this is set around a particular factor. In this case an entrepeneur who no doubt had a big role to play.

But there were lots of other factors which are not given much play and others bearly alluded to. Also, not even one drawing of a container or its fittings!

So OK as an intro but by no means a comprehensive history.

4 out of 5 stars Global supply chains explained.......2007-08-13

It's hard to dispute that containerization has dramatically altered the rules of the game: global supply chains, logistics, and outsourcing are all direct consequences of the massive trade flows enabled by modern containerships. Marc Levinson's account of this industry is an interesting mix of politics and history. A good section of the book is dedicated to labor disputes, and the general resistance of the dock workers and US unions to mechanization. In retrospect, they were worried for the right reasons, modern ports require very little human involvement and the days of breakbulk shipping are long gone. In all, 'The Box' offers a good mix of the politics, strategy, and historical research.

4 out of 5 stars Interesting Look at the Building Blocks of Globalization.......2007-08-08

Although THE BOX may be somewhat too American centered, economist and business journalist Marc Levinson has written an eminently readable history of the advent of the modern logistics industry that goes a long way toward bringing the attention of a nonspecialist audience to the topic. Despite his belief that his subject has "all the romance of a tin can" (p. 1), his account is anything but dull because he builds much of his narrative around a cast of colorful entrepreneurs, engineers, and union leaders. The most significant character is Malcom P. McLean, who launched modern containerization in April 1956 by having fifty-eight truck trailers loaded onboard a refitted oil tanker that sailed from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston. The main background to Levinson's account, however, consists of the various roadblocks to containerization put in place and enforced by government regulators in agencies such as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), the United States Maritime Administration, and the Federal Maritime Board. In the author's opinion, the bureaucrats, far from having the consumer's best interest in mind, usually undertook to protect established commercial interests by limiting competition in the transportation industry....

Levinson's treatment of the revolutionary days of container shipping, which lasted until the early 1980s, is very thorough, but his account of the more recent past is much less so. Indeed, people familiar with the industry may get the impression that a final (non-American) chapter is missing from the book. For example, although Levinson describes the rise of container ports in western Europe and East Asia, he devotes only two paragraphs to the fact that European and Asian firms that were late entrants in the game now dominate the industry. No U.S. firm is currently listed in the world's top eighteen container ship companies. Five of these top firms (including the three largest) are headquartered in Europe, three in China (two in mainland China and one in Hong Kong), three in Japan, two in Taiwan, two in South Korea, and the remaining three in Singapore, Chile, and Israel. (See Ted Smith-Peterson, "Railroading's New Economy: The Spigot," TRAINS 66, no. 9 [2006]: 34-41.) In Levinson's opinion, these late entrants achieved success because they "arrived with financial and managerial skills foreign to many of the carriers they replaced, skills appropriate to an industry in which raising capital and managing information systems were far more important than maritime knowledge" and because they were not burdened with "the legacy of government subsidies and directives that had crippled many of their predecessors by forcing them to buy ships built in their home countries or to sail routes determined by regulators" (p. 275). No doubt many readers would like to know more about these developments and about which skills Levinson means.

Levinson also barely alludes to more recent technological advances and to the amazing fact that the rest of the world now handles only one-third as many containers as the Chinese do (for both domestic and international trade). Furthermore, in the words of one industry analyst, China has now become the "U.S. railroads' growth engine" and has been the cause of an American "rail renaissance" (Tom Murray, "Railroading's New Economy: The China Factor," TRAINS 66, no. 8 [2006], p. 28).

Despite such shortcomings, however, THE BOX is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in understanding the emergence of our contemporary "globalized" world economy.

5 out of 5 stars Superb for non-specialists.......2007-05-08

I read this book a few months ago for my nonfiction "foreign policy" book club and we loved it. I continue to rave about it and recommend it to others in diverse fields from national security to development to leadership studies. As generalists unfamiliar with shipping, this book was incredibly readable and engaging. Chapters treated a diverse range of topics, which we found well covered and incisive, such as the discussion of the role of labor unions, business entrepreneurship, and interplay between containerization and globalization. Kudos to Mr. Levinson for a superb effort.
International Logistics: Global Supply Chain Management
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Best of breed
  • Great Textbook !
  • A Word From The Author
  • Frequent errors mar first print editions
International Logistics: Global Supply Chain Management
Douglas Long
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:
  1. Collaborative Product Design and Manufacturing Methodologies and Applications (Springer Series in Advanced Manufacturing) Collaborative Product Design and Manufacturing Methodologies and Applications (Springer Series in Advanced Manufacturing)
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ASIN: 1402074530

Book Description

Students of logistics, transportation, and supply chain management, as well as international managers will find International Logistics: Global Supply Chain Management an essential reference for understanding how cargo is moved around the world. A comprehensive guide that includes the theory and practice of global supply chain management, International Logistics: Global Supply Chain Management uses current, real-world issues to make the material as relevant as possible, notwithstanding the fast-paced nature of this industry. Yet, the author also includes the theory and history of global supply chain management to provide a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved.
Logistics and transportation are the key elements of business and international trade. Based upon his experience in over 120 countries, including private industry, the military, and the United Nations, the author challenges conventional wisdom by discussing the myth of supply chain management and offering penetrating questions on the role of information systems.
International Logistics: Global Supply Chain Management is distinct in the following ways: A balanced approach between theoretical research and real-world practice, Cutting-edge, original graphics help explain concepts better than any current book, Instructor's Manual provided by the author upon request. Combined with pedagogical features and real-world case studies, International Logistics: Global Supply Chain Management is a must-have textbook for students of logistics, transportation, and supply chain management students, as well as a reference for international managers.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Best of breed.......2006-01-23

My first acquaintance with Mr. Long's work was his article "Logistics of Famine" which I found unique for its down-to-earth treatment of a topic rarely recognized as important at the time it was written, delivered in his now-familiar user-friendly style. The man knows and loves his subject, and the care he has taken with this book to clearly explain and illustrate the many aspects of global supply chain management shows that.

5 out of 5 stars Great Textbook !.......2004-04-01

This book is one of the best textbooks I have ever read. All concepts are very well explained. Unlike other textbooks, "International Logistics" provides so many examples that the material becomes easy to understand. The writer's extensive world traveling is portayed in most of the chapters.I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested in the field.

5 out of 5 stars A Word From The Author.......2004-02-13

I would like to take this opportunity to thank reviewers for any comments and suggestions, which have been the source of countless improvements to this book and the overall project.

The manuscript was not edited prior to publication. I don't know why, but this is Kluwer's policy. The good news is that it is the #1 book in its field, and sold out in 4 months, so the second printing afforded the chance to fix most of the typos. This is my first book, written while in a doctoral program, teaching, and researching/travelling, so your patience is appreciated.

Besides being #1 in English, it is also one of the most widely translated business books ever. It is being published in 12+ overseas editions which are translated and edited for that region. If you speak another language and are interested in logistics elsewhere, you may want to check these out. Douglas Long

3 out of 5 stars Frequent errors mar first print editions.......2004-02-08

Frequent typographical errors and fundamental gramatical mistakes in the first printing (due to the publisher's failure to edit the manuscript, according to the author) distracted this reader from the book's content at all times. Be sure you receive the second printing. As of February 2004, Amazon was still selling what I assume is the first printing.
Shipping Company Strategies: Global Management under Turbulent Conditions
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Shipping Company Strategies: Global Management under Turbulent Conditions
    Peter Lorange
    Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    Similar Items:
    1. Maritime Economics Second Edition Maritime Economics Second Edition
    2. The Business of Shipping The Business of Shipping
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    5. The Tankship Tromedy: The Impending Disasters in Tankers The Tankship Tromedy: The Impending Disasters in Tankers

    ASIN: 0080446116

    Book Description

    This book is about developing implementable strategies for shipping firms. It opens with an initial historical retrospective that highlights cases on A.P. Moller-Maersk and Leif Hoegh and Co. Here the reader is introduced to the global nature of competition in shipping, as well as the volatility of shipping markets. The book then turns to the question of how to play these markets. It looks at commodity based shipping company strategies for the bulk carrier, tanker container-ship and other segments. Here, the focus is on both going long-short, in-out, and maintaining a low cost base. Next is a discussion of operations versus asset play. The book analyzes Marsoft's forecasting methodology, with case studies on The Torvald Klaveness Group, Norden, Frontline and Teekay.

    The book then takes a close look at the challenge of driving one's strategy towards niches, i.e. on-commodity segments, with a spotlight on how to find a viable business opportunity and develop a defendable strength there. Examples come from I.M. Skaugen, Farstad Shipping, The Torvald Klaveness Group and Leif Hoegh and Co.

    Since overall corporate-wide portfolio strategies can be important in shipping, particularly if the various elements in the portfolio are relatively unrelated, the next part of the book turns to analytical approaches, citing several examples. Then follows a discussion of key organizational issues, particularly how to create and sustain more effective, predominantly network-based organizations. The penultimate subject is the important role the board of directors can play here. Finally, the role of family firms, and the future of shipping firms, is discussed, again with several rich examples.
    Maritime Economics Second Edition
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Very good content marred by poor editing
    • The Bible of Shipping
    • Best book ever on Maritime Economics
    • mariitme economics
    Maritime Economics Second Edition
    M. Stopford
    Manufacturer: Routledge
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    1. The Business of Shipping The Business of Shipping
    2. Shipping Company Strategies: Global Management under Turbulent Conditions Shipping Company Strategies: Global Management under Turbulent Conditions
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    ASIN: 0415153107

    Book Description

    Extensively revised, Maritime Economics provides a valuable introduction to the global shipping industry, outlining the economic theory behind this large and complex subject as well as many of the operational practicalities involved.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Very good content marred by poor editing.......2006-01-05

    A small number of reviewers were impressed by this work and that accolade is understandable and, for the most part, well warranted. I found Mr. Stopford's book was a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the arcane field of maritime economics and finance. I believe that anyone interested in this field, particularly maritime attorneys, ship financing brokers, maritime finance department representatives, ocean carrier finance departments, and other players will find it very useful. However, I regret that I cannot give this work five stars. The volume I purchased contains far too many spelling and grammatical mistakes, no doubt due to poor editing by Routledge. These spelling and other errors are not just small mistakes that can be overlooked. There are far too many distracting errors that greatly undermine the usefulness of the book. At times, I found it very difficult to even follow the book's lessons because spelling and grammatical errors made it hard, if not impossible, to determine what lesson Mr. Stopford was trying to impart to the reader. It's a shame such a good book's lessons were marred and undermined by such shoddy editing.

    5 out of 5 stars The Bible of Shipping.......2005-06-23

    It is the Bible of Shipping, a must for anyone interested on the Maritime World

    5 out of 5 stars Best book ever on Maritime Economics.......2004-03-19

    Maritime Economics by Martin Stopford is not only the most comprehensive and understandable introduction to the world of shipping but today also a "must have read" for newcomers to both the shipping and vessel finance industries. Well written, close to real life practice. Just read it and get convinced

    5 out of 5 stars mariitme economics.......2000-10-13

    It is an excellent guide book to students whose willing to study maritime business. It provides not only a good theorical understanding but real aspect getting from author's plenty experiences. If you want to learn about maritime transport economy, it is neassary to read it as soon as possible.
    Port Economics, Volume 16 (Research in Transportation Economics)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Port Economics, Volume 16 (Research in Transportation Economics)

      Manufacturer: JAI Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      ASIN: 0762311983

      Book Description

      A port (or seaport) is a place that provides for the vessel transfer of cargo and passengers to and from waterways and shores. Port economics is concerned with the study of the economics of port services.

      Users of port services are those that utilize the port as part of the transportation process of moving cargo and passengers to and from origin and destination locations. Users include transportation carrriers such as shipping lines, railroads and trucking firms that perform these movements and shippers and individuals that provide the cargo and themselves as passengers to be transported. Port users demand port services, whereas port service providers such as the port terminal operator supply port services to port users.

      Port economics and shipping economics comprise the branch of economics known as maritime economics. This volume provides original contributions to the study of port economics: 1) the evolution of port economics; 2) economic theories of the port, port cost functions and port investment; and 3) empirical evidence on the relative efficiency of ports, the impact of ports on international maritime transport costs, the competitiveness of ports and the impact of deregulation on dockworker wages.

      *Provides original contributions to the study of port economics
      *Examines the evolution of port economics, economic theories of the port, and emprical evidence on the relative efficiency of ports, the impact of ports on transport costs, and the competitiveness of ports
      Drop Shipping as a Marketing Function: A Handbook of Methods and Policies
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Drop Shipping as a Marketing Function: A Handbook of Methods and Policies
        Nicholas T. Scheel
        Manufacturer: Quorum Books
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 0899305326

        Book Description

        This practical handbook offers indepth coverage of the role of drop shipping in today's marketplace. The book analyzes carefully the advantages and disadvantages of this process from the perspectives of the many different users and providers of drop ship services. Useful, practical information is given, from packaging to storage costs. Forms of direct response advertising are also analyzed, such as mail order advertising techniques. The fundamental drop shipping relationship between manufacturers and middlemen is examined and applied to the diverse needs of the importer, distributor, wholesaler, retailer, and in particular, the mail order direct marketer. The types of industrial and consumer goods that are or should be drop shipped are listed, and the reader is provided with methods for contacting U.S. drop shippers. Drop Shipping as a Marketing Function, with its focus on both analysis and practical application, is invaluable as a guide for anyone implementing or expanding the use of drop shipping as a marketing function.
        FedEx Delivers: How the World's Leading Shipping Company Keeps Innovating and Outperforming the Competition
        Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
        • A Very Disappointed Book
        • Is this book about Fed Ex?????
        • Good Book.
        • Sharp delivery on FedEx's innovative philosophy
        • Book that execs should read
        FedEx Delivers: How the World's Leading Shipping Company Keeps Innovating and Outperforming the Competition
        Madan Birla
        Manufacturer: Wiley
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 0471715794

        Book Description

        An inside look at leadership practices that enabled the world's leading shipping company to outthink and outperform its competition

        Using firsthand accounts from top leaders at FedEx, FedEx Delivers explains how the company became an international powerhouse and one of the most trusted global brands by using leadership practices that tapped into the creativity and commitment of its employees.

        Both a compelling business story and a prescription for business success, FedEx Delivers presents a model to show how these practices created and sustained an innovation culture. Readers will learn how to apply this model to their organizations for developing a culture of innovation that evolves with the times and offers fresh solutions to new challenges.

        Innovative thinking and disciplined execution are what made FedEx a market leader, and they can help any business in any industry do the same. Each chapter covers a different aspect of innovation with real-life stories that highlight its effectiveness, and offers valuable ideas that lead managers through the process of implementing those practices.

        By breaking innovation down to its three simplest steps-generation, acceptance, and implementation of ideas-and offering proven leadership practices that really work, FedEx Delivers offers unique insight and invaluable advice on building an organization that can adapt to any challenge and meet any goal in today's highly competitive global economy.

        Download Description

        An inside look at leadership practices that enabled the world's leading shipping company to outthink and outperform its competition Using firsthand accounts from top leaders at FedEx, FedEx Delivers explains how the company became an international powerhouse and one of the most trusted global brands by using leadership practices that tapped into the creativity and commitment of its employees. Both a compelling business story and a prescription for business success, FedEx Delivers presents a model to show how these practices created and sustained an innovation culture. Readers will learn how to apply this model to their organizations for developing a culture of innovation that evolves with the times and offers fresh solutions to new challenges. Innovative thinking and disciplined execution are what made FedEx a market leader, and they can help any business in any industry do the same. Each chapter covers a different aspect of innovation with real-life stories that highlight its effe

        Customer Reviews:

        1 out of 5 stars A Very Disappointed Book.......2007-09-12

        I'm afraid that I've to say that it is a terrible book on both FedEx and Innovation. The book talks a very little about FebEX in terms of its story and its business innovation, although in the name of FedEX Delivers. And it is very shallow and unsystemic, actually no (much) value, in learning of management and of innovation.
        It is almost waste of time!
        Sorry of my frank comments but I just share my feeling.

        3 out of 5 stars Is this book about Fed Ex?????.......2006-12-18

        I was very disappointed in this book on Fed Ex. This is a great management theory book but really told me nothing about how Fed Ex is innovating again and again. I am hoping that someone will come out and tell us how Fed Ex as a company is succeeding but it is not this book. For those interested in academic management you will find this interesting otherwise don't waste your time and money.

        4 out of 5 stars Good Book........2006-05-03

        There are lots and lots of useful management ideas in this book. Fed Ex seems to know how a business should run and how to treat its customers and its employees. If you have a business with employees or are contemplating starting one this book would be good to have around. It will help you to grow your business by incorporating the help of others whith their views which may be different from your own.

        4 out of 5 stars Sharp delivery on FedEx's innovative philosophy.......2006-03-08

        Author Madan Birla spent 22 years with FedEx, watching its culture of innovation develop as it applied new ideas in the marketplace. Birla's fluid writing style and his first-hand observations and insights make this an exceptional corporate story. He knows the people who built FedEx at all levels, from delivery drivers to CEO Frederick Smith. Birla focuses his book on how FedEx became a leading innovator and reshaped the global airfreight business. While many corporations give lip service to innovation and employee development, Birla says FedEx delivers the real thing, and he provides rare specifics as he shows companies in other industries how they can replicate FedEx's successes. We recommend this book for executives at all levels in large and small businesses. If you absolutely, positively must learn to innovate, this book delivers.

        4 out of 5 stars Book that execs should read.......2006-02-25

        This book pointed out key elements of how to be successful in creating innovative company cultural. Reading this book reminds me of a few experiences I had before and helps me understand why some companies did it so well and some failed.
        Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas
        Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
        • Dont waste your money
        • 3 stars for getting the topic out in front of people, -2 stars for not getting it right.
        • LOU DOBBS IS IGNORANT AND INCOMPETENT NEO-POPULIST
        • Predicitions that have come true
        • Honest Polemic
        Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas
        Lou Dobbs
        Manufacturer: Business Plus
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        2. Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America
        3. Outsourcing America: What's Behind Our National Crisis And How We Can Reclaim American Jobs Outsourcing America: What's Behind Our National Crisis And How We Can Reclaim American Jobs
        4. Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
        5. State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America

        ASIN: 0446577448

        Customer Reviews:

        1 out of 5 stars Dont waste your money.......2007-05-17

        How come I don't see anyone without a job? Dont waste your money buying this useless book. Watch a movie in the theaters instead.

        3 out of 5 stars 3 stars for getting the topic out in front of people, -2 stars for not getting it right........2007-04-29

        This subject is getting a lot of ranting from people on the outskirts who know squat. Manufacturing is one thing, but IT is where the real action is. I work in IT outsourcing and I have seen both sides, while so many are talking from 3rd hand knowledge. Number 1 issue is that these imported visa techies are more sinned against then sinning. The imported worker isn't fully paid, gets only a paltry salary, the winner in the game, the true elite, are mddlemen ....It's all the vendor/employers who make the money, and sometimes there are so many layers of them, they don't even make much; and, they are rarely US corporate..... Oddly enough, most of them are immigrants themselves. Some immigrant guy gets a stable of visa guys with desireable skills (e.g., SAP) and vends them to other vendors, perhaps more than to actual US companies (you have to be a "preferred vendor" to get in on the action with the largest US Companies). Who knows what the poor visa guy actually gets, while the large US companies who seek to buy this contingent H1 visa labor don't get much of a bargin either. Yeah, they try to get competition for the sake of lower rates, but they also TRY to squeeze from the top and demand the TOP Tier "preferred" vendors send them with visa techies with such and such skills for a ceiling of $X; however, there are STILL market forces, and these middle level vendor/employers know the rates and sometimes the preferred vedor above them cannot not find or provide someone when any of the layers cannot make at least a minimal amount on the rate. Consequently, the rates creep up, and end up not that far behind the going rate. I have seen some Corporations/Companies have to re-process their original req with higher salaries cause they need someone badly, and eventully they go to the 2nd tier vendors. Ultimately while they may pay slightly less on the contract than for a full time guy, and slightly less than a US guy, it's not that much less, only a little, while the vendor middle-men gets his bucks (and more and more of them pop up every day). These vendor/employers make their bucks either on specific skills (lake SAP, .NET) or on volume, like parasites. Meanwhile US Companies cannot be bothered with hiring entry level. They need someone to "hit the ground running." The imported guys are just beyond entry level, having already got that back home from the same US companies overseas OR from other foreign companies or domestic companies over there. So, yeah, they are up and running faster than an entry level guy. The real tragedy is that our US IT grads have so few entry level jobs available. And the big bonanza, right now (jobs paying over $100k) is in managerial IT. The ones who have a leg up on those are the visa guys who tough it out and survive to get that magic Green Card. Having survived all the levels, they are often the best candidates for these well paid positions, and compete with native born US citizens who survived the tech bust. However, understandably, these GC guys want a competitive salary with their American counterparts. When the best candidates for these jobs are Green Cards, the US grads who never got the entry level job originally, lose out once again. Meanwhile, in places like India, IT is booming, and they badly need midlevel managers, so who will go? How many Americans are ready to uproot and learn Hindi? There is an r2i movement (r2i==return to India).... Probably all those Green Card guys who earned their stripes here, will go back, and again the US IT departments will have to go to another 3rd world country, and start the whole mess all over. Meanwhile, the rest of us low paid flunkies are barely making ends meet, work long hours, and get NO health benefits.

        1 out of 5 stars LOU DOBBS IS IGNORANT AND INCOMPETENT NEO-POPULIST.......2007-03-14

        Shame on Lou Dobbs and his ignorant and arrogant rethoric.

        4 out of 5 stars Predicitions that have come true.......2007-03-11

        Lou Dobbs writes a book on outsourcing and corporate greed. The wonder of this book was that it was written in 2004, in the early stages of the outsourcing pandemic in this county. Most of his charges have come 100% true in current day. This book is a simple read - I finished it in about 4 hours and is easily read.

        He curtails so called free trade agreements such as NAFTA, CAFTA and FTAA and organization such as the WTO and gives many examples of how these free trade agreements are completely unbalanced and unfair to the US worker and economy. US workers have been forced to compete (and history has now show)and loose to third world labor in China and Mexico. He was accused of being a "protectionist" when the reality is most people do not call for no trade with other countries. They call for fair and balanced trade. He explains how countries have set high tariffs and quotas on US imports but the US maintains little to no quotas and tariffs - and these are countries we are in trade agreements with. US businesses relocate our jobs and manufacturing base to cheap labor and unregulated markets in developing nations to only re import their good to the US. We are being exploited at the expense of corporate greed which does not have this nation's interests in sight. I am very unhappy with the fact that amongst his laundry list of present day status quo of terribly chartered agreements by our current administrations (Bush and Clinton), he does not really charge our nation's citizens with their insatiable appetite for consumption of flat screen TV's and just about any other exorbitant commodity we purchase. This has been a major factor on why these agreements stay in effect - our out of control consumer consumption has become culture at which it becomes very hard to change. But then again, most Americans really do not have a tiny grasp on the big picture because they are ignorant of it. They simply get annoyed when they call their bank customer service and wind up speaking to a representative in India of which they can't understand. Mr.s Dobbs goes into detail on how US companies have used the tax systems to their advantage and wind up paying no tax which leaves the middle class to pick up the burden. He gives a very good account of local and state government exporting their work to foreign countries! One of the most important discussions in the book is where early proponent of "free trade" would say that as our manufacturing base (about 3 million jobs) leaves the country, we will replace these jobs with higher level professional and services jobs (IT, lawyers, accountants). He details how we have now begun exporting these "replacement" jobs to our trading partners. What's left next to go? Since we have become now dependent on imports for our basic needs and have financed both consumer and economic debt and deficit with foreign funds - we have become very dependent and vulnerable as the worlds sole superpower.

        I found this book a little bit of "preaching to the choir". I would highly recommend this to a person looking to wet their feet in trade issues of present day. Someone who has done much reading on the fleecing of the middle class will have come across much of what Mr.s Dobbs speaks about. Nonetheless, it still has some very good informative material that have been proven to be the reality. My last grievance is that of his 10 chapters of laundry type lists and critiques - 1 is devoted to finding solutions. I find this to be the case with his other book - "war on the Middle class (which I highly recommend). Mr. Dobbs is truly a great popularist of our present day. And if you watch his nightly CNN "Lou Dobbs Tonight' you'll know he committed to leveling the playing field for the middle class.

        4 out of 5 stars Honest Polemic.......2006-12-28

        A market loving Republican has written a powerful indictment of the outsourcing of jobs that is hurting the middle class. As a business journalist & news anchor he fully understands the machinations of the business world. Ex: Free trade is not always fair trade. Note our trade deficit has been growing for thirty years. Some reforms & tasks can't be left to the market alone. The Federal & state governments have a duty to the citizenry. The latter with the peoples consent can stop corporate greed & corruption by preventing the constant outsourcing of middle class jobs to third world countries. If nothing is done to stop the jobs from leaving. We could become in the not to distant future a two tier society. Pharoahs at the top & a poorly paid majority of drones at the bottom.
        Construction Equipment Management
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Managing Your Equipment
        Construction Equipment Management
        John Schaufelberger
        Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        2. Mechanical and Electrical Systems in Buildings (3rd Edition) Mechanical and Electrical Systems in Buildings (3rd Edition)
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        ASIN: 0137162677

        Book Description

        B>A valuable reference for those in civil/construction technology, this practical and informative guide provides critical knowledge of construction equipment, its use, and management considerations. It provides clear, concise explanations of concepts, supported by detailed example problems and realistic exercises, and requires only limited knowledge of construction equipment. Covers all major types of equipment typically used on commercial construction projects, and illustrates the operational capabilities of each type with numerous figures. Shows how to select the proper equipment for specific construction tasks, and discusses techniques for estimating equipment productivity and costs. Discusses major equipment management issues, including the time value of money, fleet management, and maintenance management. Contains a glossary, common conversion factors, and tables of interest factors.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars Managing Your Equipment.......2000-01-21

        This text starts of with some accounting techniques that are very important. The book then goes into some simple calculations of spoil piles and conversion factors of spoil. The machines takes the last two-thirds of this book. While not getting into great detail about the machinery, it covers how to calculate how much to charge per cubic yard of mterial to use or machine hour. At the end of all chapters in this text there are several questions to answer to help you get right calculations. There are several examples in the chapter demonstrating how to fiigure the problems. The book covers graders, dozers, scrapers, cranes, lifting equipment, concrete, asphalt, loaders and dump trucks. If you are looking for great detail of machines this is not the book you are looking for. I felt that the machines could of had more detail to them but this is an overall very good buy. I recommend to all.
        Shipping and Ports in the Twenty-first Century: Globalization, Technical Change and the Environment (Ocean Management and Policy Series)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Shipping and Ports in the Twenty-first Century: Globalization, Technical Change and the Environment (Ocean Management and Policy Series)
          Brian Slack
          Manufacturer: Routledge
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          GeneralGeneral | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 0415283442

          Book Description

          Shipping and port systems are vital to societies and lifestyles around the world. In the late twentieth-century, however, assumptions concerning the robustness of these systems were severely shaken by economic shocks triggered by oil crises.

          This volume explores how many of the consequent uncertainties have been resolved, and how adapted systems have been shaped to meet the challenges of the new millennium. To explore these issues, contributors focus on issues such as:

          * Economic integration of emerging economies - in particular China
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          Contributors' investigations, such as those in to the homogenization of the container industry and the port cluster concept and 'model' vessels for the offshore oil industry, make for a rewarding book that will be of interest to academics working in many fields including transport studies, marine and coastal studies and economic geography. Professional Organizations and policy-makers will also appreciate the book.

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