In this book, the author weaves a unique narrative that looks at both empires of business created from mergers and acquisitions and global empires from world history in an attempt to answer the question: why do certain empires endure for long periods while others collapse in a short space of time.
In a business climate marked by escalating global competition and industry disruption, successful mergers and acquisitions are increasingly vital to the growth and profitability of many corporations. If history is any guide, 60 to 70 per cent of new mergers will fail – and will destroy shareholder value. To date, analyses of the M&A failure rate tend to focus on individual causes – e.g., culture clashes, valuation methods, or CEO overconfidence – rather than examining the problem holistically. The Value Killers is the first book based on a holistic analysis of successful and unsuccessful transactions. Based on research, interviews with top executives, and case studies, this book identifies the key causes of failures and successes and offers prescriptions to increase the odds that future transactions will deliver all the anticipated synergies. The Value Killers offers practical advice in the form of 5 Golden Rules. These rules will help managers and boards to ensure that target companies are properly valued; potential synergies and risks are identified in advance; checks and balances are installed to make sure that the pros and cons of the transaction are rationally and objectively evaluated; mechanisms are created that will trigger termination of bad deals; and obstacles to successful post-merger integrations are assessed (and solutions developed) before the deal closes. Each chapter includes questions for executives considering future M&As to allow them to see whether they are on the right track or not.
International Relations and the Origins of the Pacific War takes the unique approach of examining the history of the relationship between Japan and the United States by using the framework of international relations theories to search for the origins of the Pacific War, that erupted with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941.
Unoki addresses the significance of racism in international relations by focusing on its conception as a doctrine and its interrelationship with imperialism, its doctrinal role in the development of the discipline of International Relations (IR), and various episodes from Western and Asian history in which racism had affected state behavior and the practice of diplomacy. The creation of empires that oppressed indigenous peoples, the two World Wars and the campaigns of ethnic “cleansing” and genocide that accompanied these wars and other conflicts, and international movements calling for the elimination of racial discrimination, attest to the impact racial prejudice, or racism, has had on international relations. Despite this history, racism’s relevance is seldom mentioned in IR courses offered in universities or IR textbooks. Instead, IR scholars have often explained the behavior of states using the framework of theories that highlight variables and themes such as power, fear, and the search for security in an anarchic world. Unoki demonstrates that racism has not only substantially influenced the course of international relations but that it continues to do so in the 21st century, making it imperative that policymakers are aware of racism’s deleterious legacy. A vital resource for students, policymakers, and those who are interested in building a more tolerant and just world.
Most of the competition laws currently enforced by states aim to protect consumer welfare and promote fair competition by regulating against anticompetitive behavior. Yet despite the shared objectives the global community does not have a common global competition law. In exploring the reasons for this, this book takes a unique interdisciplinary approach by using international relations theories to illustrate the relationship between the enforcement of competition laws and international relations through an analysis of competition cases relating to cartels, extraterritoriality, and corporate mergers and acquisitions. Through an examination of this relationship, this book will consider why the views held by state leaders on the condition of international relations may at times lead them to either arbitrarily over-enforce or disregard their competition laws to the detriment of fair competition and consumer welfare. This book also provides suggestions for global business investors who face competition law issues on how they may accommodate such views.
The US dollar and the euro are not true international currencies, but the currencies of the United States and the Euro, which are “adopted” into international currencies. We designed a truly international currency that is controlled jointly by all (member) countries in the world in a democratic and decentralized manner. The name of the system is organic. The organic system issues an international currency called organic currency. The organic currency is only for international transactions between member countries. Meanwhile, domestic transactions still use their respective national currencies. This system can provide international currency and FX reserves to all (member) countries in the world for free. This system can free all countries from government foreign debt, maintain a balance of payments, make the international monetary system stable, and eliminate the monetary crisis from its roots. This system can start from a small scale, such as ASEAN, South Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Latin America, East Africa, West, Central, and other regions. Unlike the Euro model, this system does not require economic integration. So all countries in the world can join in their condition as they are. In this third edition book, we deepen the theory, improve the plot, sharpen the analysis, add examples, remove some less essential parts, and add references to raise academic standards. We maintain a very simple writing system, easy to read, accompanied by empirical examples and easy-to-understand illustrations. We want the discussion of the international economic and monetary system to be “friendly” for all and “not scary”. We avoid very technical terms. Even if there are, we always provide very simple explanations and illustrations. Everyone can read this book. Because international currency is of public interest. Every individual on earth has the right to know clearly.
Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Cold Steel is the gripping story of one of the world's biggest and most hard-fought industry takeovers, and epic corporate battle. In 2006, the two largest steel-producers went head to head in a bitter battle for total market domination. It's a story of considerable interest to Canadians because of the implications for Canadian steel. At the heart of the story is Lakshmi Mittal, a rags-to-riches billionaire, and Guy Dolle of Arcelor, an elitist Frenchman who was renowned for getting his own way at the top of a rough industry. Locally, for thousands of residents of steel-dependent Hamilton, Ontario, the takeover played out like terrifying soap opera when Dofasco Steel Works found itself in—not one—but two global steel battles. Dofasco had already been the object of a hostile takeover battle between giants Arcelor and ThyssenKrupp. Suddenly Mittal entered the picture. The epic battle was on. Fast-paced and electrifying, Cold Steel brings to life the cut and thrust of big business at war. Praise for Cold Steel : “A rare, insider's account of lots of people making millions... The book reads like a thriller, with each side trying to rope in other steel companies on both sides of the Atlantic as allies... As this book shows, money and business logic prevailed in the end over politics and protection.†-- The Economist “A compelling tale... too few page-turning books are written on the high drama and low cunning of business and finance. Cold Steel is a welcome addition.†-- Financial Times “Tim Bouquet was the first British journalist to write a major profile of Mittal, while Byron Ousey was a PR adviser to the Luxembourg government, one of Arcelor's biggest shareholders. Together they are admirably qualified to guide us through the myriad twists and turns of this compelling business saga and have produced an enormously entertaining read.†-- Daily Express “Tim Bouquet and Byron Ousey have written an account of the takeover in the style of a thriller. Cold Steel describes the often brutal and chaotic five-month battle between Mittal and Arcelor. The combatants are described as though starring in a fictional work of industrial espionage.†-- Management Today “The authors recount these events in the form of a thriller with fanatic changes of scene from one boardroom or luxury hotel to another, as each side seeks to drum up support from investors. The result is a tumultuous narrative.†-- Sunday Telegraph
“ExxonMobil has met its match in Coll, an elegant writer and dogged reporter . . . extraordinary . . . monumental.” —The Washington Post “Fascinating . . . Private Empire is a book meticulously prepared as if for trial . . . a compelling and elucidatory work.” —Bloomberg From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author of Ghost Wars and The Achilles Trap, an extraordinary exposé of Big Oil. Includes a profile of current Secretary of State and former chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson In this, the first hard-hitting examination of ExxonMobil—the largest and most powerful private corporation in the United States—Steve Coll reveals the true extent of its power. Private Empire pulls back the curtain, tracking the corporation’s recent history and its central role on the world stage, beginning with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and leading to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The action spans the globe—featuring kidnapping cases, civil wars, and high-stakes struggles at the Kremlin—and the narrative is driven by larger-than-life characters, including corporate legend Lee “Iron Ass” Raymond, ExxonMobil’s chief executive until 2005, and current chairman and chief executive Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for Secretary of State. A penetrating, news-breaking study, Private Empire is a defining portrait of Big Oil in American politics and foreign policy.
A COMPANION TO THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK A COMPANION TO THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK Edited by Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose “As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer.” Choice “If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history Of the book ... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended. “ Adrian Johns, Technology and Culture From the early Sumerian clay tablet through to the emergence of the electronic text, this Companion provides a continuous and coherent account of the history of the book. A team of expert contributors draws on the latest research in order to offer a cogent, transcontinental narrative. Many of them use illustrative examples and case studies of well-known texts, conveying the excitement surrounding this rapidly developing field. The Companion is organized around four distinct approaches to the history of the book. First, it introduces the variety of methods used by book historians and allied specialists, from the long-established discipline of bibliography to newer IT-based approaches. Next, it provides a broad chronological survey of the forms and content of texts. The third section situates the book in the context of text culture as a whole, while the final section addresses broader issues, such as literacy, copyright, and the future of the book. Contributors to this volume: Michael Albin, Martin Andrews, Rob Banham, Megan L Benton, Michelle P. Brown, Marie-Frangoise Cachin, Hortensia Calvo, Charles Chadwyck-Healey, M. T. Clanchy, Stephen Colclough, Patricia Crain, J. S. Edgren, Simon Eliot, John Feather, David Finkelstein, David Greetham, Robert A. Gross, Deana Heath, Lotte Hellinga, T. H. Howard-Hill, Peter Kornicki, Beth Luey, Paul Luna, Russell L. Martin Ill, Jean-Yves Mollier, Angus Phillips, Eleanor Robson, Cornelia Roemer, Jonathan Rose, Emile G. L Schrijver, David J. Shaw, Graham Shaw, Claire Squires, Rietje van Vliet, James Wald, Rowan Watson, Alexis Weedon, Adriaan van der Weel, Wayne A. Wiegand, Eva Hemmungs Wirtén.