Author: Biz India

Author: Morten Jerven Publisher: Cornell University Press – 187 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram Morten Jerven went to Lusaka in 2007 for fieldwork in connection with his doctoral thesis in economic history.  He wanted to find out how national income estimates were arrived at in Zambia and in general, in African countries. He writes of his experience: “I was struck by the derelict state of the Central Statistical Office in Lusaka. The planned agricultural crop survey was being delayed by the need for car repairs. Most of the offices were dark, and the computers were either missing or...

Author: John J. Vento Publisher: Wiley Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram What struck me first as I looked at the cover of this book was how small the pot of gold is. Is the value of that pot large enough that if the gold coins are sold and the cash used to buy high dividend-paying mutual funds for example, will the dividend income be large enough even to pay for a modest lifestyle? I am of course not being critical of the book itself but the cover image chosen for it. The gold represents wealth, and ‘financial independence’ means...

Author: Mun Young Cho Publisher: Cornell University Press – 207 pages Book Review by: Paiso Jamakar “China will defeat America, and soon become the wealthiest country in the world!” This was a statement uttered by someone in the Chinese city of Harbin while watching the spectacular opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He was urging a friend to look for a job “in this country,” because China has vast potential, he asserted. This potential has actually become a reality in some respects, he pointed out, such as for example China’s ability to host a sports extravaganza that...

Editors: Eric Helleiner and Jonathan Kirshner Publisher: Cornell University Press – 250 words Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram The editors write that this book began with a single question: What is the future of the United States dollar as n international currency? The editors invited six scholars to share their views in a set of lectures and a workshop at Cornell University and at the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Waterloo in Ontario, Canada Their purpose was not to come up with a conclusion or a consensus on the future of the dollar: whether it will continue...

Authors: Richard H. Penner, Lawrence Adams, AIA, and Stephani K.A. Robson Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company – 444 pages, Hardcover Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram This is a very beautifully-designed, elegant, large-format (8 ½” x 11”) book with more than 500 full-color photos and illustrations such as site designs and floor plans that serve to enhance the overall experience of the reader, hotel professional, enthusiast or consumer in enjoying to learn the many aspects of hotels and the hospitality industry. This second edition released in 2013 takes into account many of the technological innovations in hotel design that developed...