Thursday, February 26, 2009

Cuba!

I'm back..... after an 8-day trip to Cuba on the "Librarians and Bibliophiles Havana Book Fair Tour". It was my first visit to Cuba and I found it fascinating, completely unique. I had obtained a U.S. "research license" in order to enter the country for library work yet it was still a bit of a challenge. Most of the time I was with a group of librarians and a Cuban tour guide -- we attended the book fair and also visited a publisher of handmade books, the writer's union, the University of Havana, Casa de las Americas, literacy campaign museum, the National Library, and many other book-related places and events. Some of us also managed to attend the Buena Vista Social Club at the National Hotel and the Spanish Ballet of Cuba performing La Casa Alba. I'm still processing it all and trying to get caught up but I wanted to post a few thoughts relevant to business and economics....

Many of the Cubans I spoke with expressed the hope that President Obama will make changes in U.S. - Cuba foreign and economic policy. The embargo or "bloqueo" dominates the economy and daily life in Cuba. As a generalization, it seems that Cubans are proud of their accomplishments, yet also pragmatic and worn-down from the struggle. Cuba will most certainly change in the near future and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out....

A librarian in our group ran across this article ("Che: The Ronald McDonald of Revolution") and I thought it might be of interest to those who follow Cuba... Che is everywhere! (but even more so in Cuba is Jose Marti).

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

New Business and Economics books in the library, Jan 31-Feb 23, 2009

New BUSINESS and ECONOMICS books in the Poynter Library, USF-St Petersburg (in LC Call Number order, HB-HJ only) January 31 – February 23, 2009

The following new business and economics books are kept on the “New Books” cart on the first floor in the library for a few weeks, and then moved to the circulating collection on the second floor, unless checked out… (Also, please note the DATES of publications – some are donations)

Panic : the story of modern financial insanity / [edited by] Michael Lewis.
HB3722 .P36 2009

A people's history of poverty in America / Stephen Pimpare.
HC110.P6 P56 2008

Global information systems : the implications of culture for IS management / Dorothy E. Leidner and T. R. Kayworth.
HD30.35 .G56 2008

Management / Peter F. Drucker, with Joseph A. Maciariello.
HD31 .D772 2008

Doing business beyond America's borders : the do's, don'ts and other details of conducting business in 40 countries / Lawrence W. Tuller.
HD62.4 .T85 2008

Blue-green coalitions : fighting for safe workplaces and healthy communities / Brian Mayer.
HD6510 .M39 2009

Global efforts to combat smoking : an economic evaluation of smoking control policies / Rajeev K. Goel and Michael A. Nelson.
HD9130.6 .G63 2008

The big rich : the rise and fall of the greatest Texas oil fortunes / Bryan Burrough.
HD9567.T3 B873 2009

Where am I wearing? : a global tour to the countries, factories, and people that make our clothes / Kelsey Timmerman.
HD9940.A2 T56 2009

Two billion cars : driving toward sustainability / Daniel Sperling, Deborah Gordon.
HE5611 .S67 2009

The U.S. policy on Cuba / Amy Francis, book editor.
HF1500.5.U5 U53 2009

The career performance portfolio system : build your ladder to career success / Rick Nelles.
HF5383 .N378 2005

The mobile marketing handbook : a step-by-step guide to creating dynamic mobile marketing campaigns / Kim Dushinski ; foreword by Laura Marriott.
HF5415.1265 .D87 2009

Accounting trends & techniques 2008 / AICPA.
HF5681.B2 A35

The ascent of money : a financial history of the world / Niall Ferguson.
HG171 .F47 2008

Lords of finance : the bankers who broke the world / Liaquat Ahamed.
HG172.A2 A43 2009

A more complete list of new books at the Poynter Library can be found here.

Please let me know if there are any particular publications that you would like to see in the library collection. Thank you,

Friday, February 13, 2009

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language)

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is an open standard computer language for the electronic communication of business and financial data. The concept is to uniformly identify and tag specific data items within financial documents to facilitate and improve analysis, reduce errors, and ultimately reduce costs for companies as well.

The XBRL standard is being developed by XBRL International, an international non-profit consortium, and is being adopted by countries and jurisdictions around the world. In the U.S., the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) is undertaking a "21st Century Disclosure Initiative", which will include requiring public companies to add XBRL tags to their financial filings.

XBRL International and XBRL U.S. also offer education and training, as well as a wealth of quick information, informative reports and links to other XBRL-related information on their website.

While accounting and finance students will likely see the most immediate impact of these changes, XBRL will also bring changes important to all business students, researchers, and users of financial data.

business professor blogs

The "Top 50 Business Professor Blogs" list from Biz.edu includes the Gary Hamel blog on management; Carpe Diem (economics); the John Quelch Marketing KnowHow blog, and other well-read business blogs.

If you're not a regular blog reader, this might be a good list to get you started. With a blog reader such as bloglines, you can select blogs to follow and then read the most current postings when you have the time, and all in one place. It's a fast and easy way to stay current and follow paths you may not have considered otherwise.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

think tanks

Think tanks are organizations that conduct research and publish reports and analysis on public policy and other issues. Think tanks are often political and serve specific agendas or ideologies. However, the research they produce may still be of great value in understanding public policy issues, including issues affecting business. Better-known U.S. think tanks include the Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation.

SourceWatch, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy, discusses the nature of think tanks and offers a long list of think tanks in the U.S. and Europe, and other related links.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

...in defense of marketing

In a recent issue of Working Knowledge from the Harvard Business School, John Quelch writes "In Praise of Marketing":
"... marketers still do a surprisingly poor job of marketing Marketing. They do not appreciate, let alone articulate, the economic and social benefits of marketing. Marketplace exchanges are based on mutual trust between buyers and sellers. They create value for both parties. .... Good marketers offer consumers choices. Choice stimulates consumption and economic growth and facilitates personal expression....."
So, if you're a marketer and feeling a little defensive about the value of your work, this might be a good narrative for you to try.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

NYT: "In Florida, Despair and Foreclosures"

The New York Times recently profiled Lehigh Acres, Florida and the impact of the real estate crisis and economic downturn in this community outside of Fort Meyers.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Manufacturing in China reacts to global economic downturn

An article in the China edition of Knowledge@Wharton looks at the impact of the global economic downturn on manufacturing in Guangdong, China. According to "Restructuring Guangdong's Economy: Moving up the Value Chain as Exports Go Down":
"As Western consumers’ spending power has shrunk, orders have fallen and the pain inflicted on Guangdong’s manufacturers has intensified. According to official figures released in early January, as many as 62,400 companies went bankrupt and 600,000 migrant workers left the province in 2008. The situation continues to deteriorate on a daily basis. Local governments have been forced to compensate thousands of angry unemployed workers out of their own coffers...."

There is also an interesting article about development in China and some of the fundamental differences between conducting business in China and in India: "What Will Be the Next Chapter in China's 'Impressive Story' of Development?"


Morningstar - Where to Invest in 2009

At a recent library conference I attended, Morningstar was promoting their booklet, "Where to Invest in 2009". They are encouraging electronic distribution so I am providing a link to the PDF here. Topics covered in the booklet include: 10 Best Companies in the World, The Best Funds for 2009, and Clip and Save: 20 Common Investing Mistakes.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

New Books in Business and Economics, USFSP Jan 12-30, 2009

New BUSINESS and ECONOMICS books in the Poynter Library, USF-St Petersburg (in LC Call Number order, HB-HJ only)
January 12 - 30, 2009

The following new business and economics books are kept on the “New Books” cart on the first floor in the library for a few weeks, and then moved to the circulating collection on the second floor, unless checked out…
(Also, please note the DATES of publications – many are donations)


Density-related public costs / American Farmland Trust.
HB1953 A4 1986

Population movements, conflicts, and displacements in Nigeria / edited by Toyin Falola and Okpeh Ochayi Okpeh, Jr.
HB2126.7.A3 P67 2008

State of the world : a Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society.
HC59 .S766 2009

Appalachian aspirations : the geography of urbanization and development in the Upper Tennessee River Valley, 1865-1900 / John Benhart Jr.
HC107.A135 B46 2007

Survey team final reports / Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative.
HC107.F53 B572

A bright, great bay / Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative, Policy Development Committee.
HC107.F63 E525 2001

Vault career guide to consulting / Laura Walker Chung, Eric Chung and the staff of Vault.
HD69.C6 C478 2007

Principles of geographical information systems for land resources assessment / P.A. Burrough.
HD108.15 .B87 1986

Unstoppable : Finding hidden assets to renew the core and fuel profitable growth / edited by Chris Zook.
HD2746 .Z664 2007

My life and the ICU; the autobiography of a Black trade unionist in South Africa / edited, with an introduction by Stanley Trapido.
HD8799.S73 K33 1970

Minerals yearbook. Volume III, Latin America and Canada : Area reports: international.
HD9506.L29 M56 2002

South Africa's city of diamonds : mine workers and monopoly capitalism in Kimberley, 1867-1895 / William H. Worger.
HD9677.S63 K568 1987

Historia de la navegación en la Ciudad de México / Carlos J. Sierra.
HE636.Z7 M497 1996

Selling ASAP : art, science, agility, performance / Eli Jones, Carl Stevens, Larry Chonko.
HF5438.25 .J658 2005

Human resource management / Gary Dessler.
HF5549 .D4379 2005

Long-term financial planning : creative strategies for local government / edited by Jeffrey I. Chapman.
HJ275 .L66 1987


A more complete list of new books at the Poynter Library can be found here.

Please let me know if there are any particular publications that you would like to see in the library collection. Thank you,
Marcy

Monday, February 2, 2009

"Sweatshop Labor is Wrong Unless the Jeans are Cute—Motivated Moral Disengagement"

Although many U.S. consumers say they are concerned about moral issues such as the use of sweatshop labor, there is still only a very small demand and market for goods guaranteed to have used no sweatshop labor in their production. One explanation for this discrepancy is that consumers adopt 'moral disengagement tools' when confronted with products that may conflict with their moral standards. Two researchers at Harvard examined these phenomena and present their findings in the working paper, "Sweatshop labor is wrong unless the jeans are cute -- motivated moral disengagement". According to the researchers:
"....beliefs about sweatshop labor use moderates the impact of desirability on purchase intention, and moral disengagement mediates this process. Thus, moral disengagement can drive people to like products they believe to be made with sweatshop labor even more. Desire-driven moral disengagement is relevant in moral psychology, and may broadly contribute towards the tolerance of harm in our social and economic systems."
This work is an interesting commentary on the moral judgments we make on a daily basis and how we might justify harmful behavior.

Privacy on the Internet

Have you ever searched for yourself on the Internet? - more than typing your name in Google but actually trying different search engines and following the leads to see what information about you is 'out there'? A reporter from Computerworld did just that and found more than he hoped, including a local government site with his social security number. He conducted free and fee-based searches and also contacted a private investigator to dig deeper. In his article, Robert Mitchell discusses the results of his efforts, evaluates the effectiveness of different tools, and offers some advice for protecting your privacy on the Web.