Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Labors of Sisyphus or Internet Business Intelligence

The Labors of Sisyphus: The Economic Development of Communist China

Author: Maria Chang

Maria Hsia Chang's The Labors of Sisyphus is a reassessment of the meaning and purpose of the Chinese communist revolution. In it, she discusses the thought of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, reform and its dilemmas, regionalism in greater China and autonomous areas, and nationalism. She also examines China's immediate present and uncertain future. If it manages to transform economic growth into development, China - filled with natural resources and a large, capable labor force - has the potential to become a world superpower. It could also collapse under the weight of its own problems: regionalism, a flawed state sector, corruption, and a pronounced decline in state capacity. If China succeeds, an imposing new economic power will enter the global stage, one that is often arbitrary and prone to despotism and xenophobia, unless it is tempered by political reform. Maria Hsia Chang lends structure, meaning, and purpose to the very complex recent political and historical past of Communist China. With greater access to more accurate information, Chang is able to analyze objectively, without political motive or intention, providing readers with a fresh look at the People's Republic. Her pathbreaking work will be of interest to scholars of international economics and politics, sinologists, and historians.



Book review: Fish Drying and Smoking or The Story of Crisco

Internet Business Intelligence: How to Build a Big Company System on a Small Company Budget

Author: David Vin

Business Intelligence-the acquisition, management, and utilization of information-is crucial in the global marketplace of the 21st-century. This savvy handbook explains how even the smallest firm can use inexpensive Web resources to create an Internet Business Intelligence System (IBIS) that rivals the multimillion-dollar systems of Fortune 500 companies. IBIS tracks competitors, explore markets, and evaluates opportunities and risks. It can also be used to launch a business, find customers, test new products, and increase sales. David Vine owns and operates a computer technology company and contributes to Internet World magazine. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.



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