Regulation Misled by Misread Theory: Perfect Competition and Competition-Imposed Price Discrimination

Regulation Misled by Misread Theory: Perfect Competition and Competition-Imposed Price Discrimination
William J. Baumol | 2006-03-25 00:00:00 | AEI Press | 52 | Popular Economics
Regulation Misled by Misread Theory changes how we think about economics. Standard economics has long held that firms can price discriminate only when they have monopoly power. Antitrust authorities and other regulators are thus tempted to use the existence of price discrimination as one indicator that a firm should possibly be subject to government investigation. In this monograph Professor Baumol shows that price discrimination not only exists in competitive markets but sometimes is a crucial feature of them. Baumol concludes by urging regulators to tread carefully when applying theory to policy.

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Petroleum Refining: Technology and Economics

Petroleum Refining: Technology and Economics
James H. Gary,Glenn E. Handwerk | 1993-10-29 00:00:00 | Marcel Dekker | 465 | Popular Economics
This third edition presents the latest developments in the fundamental aspects of petroleum refining technology and economics, discussing both the physical and chemical properties of petroleum, petroleum products and oxygenate fuel additives. It examines current environmental requirements and downstream implications of the Clean Air Act regarding processing, fuels and product specifications. End-of-chapter problems, a case study and sample illustrations are included.
Reviews
My husband is in the refining consultant business and to him this book is one of the best summary of all important technology and economics matters related to petroleum refining.
Reviews
This is the second edition of a review book on petroleum refining that technology and economics. The table of contents is:

Preface

1. Introduction

2. Refinery Products

3. Refinery Feedstocks

4. Crude Distillation

5. Coking and Thermal Processes

6. Catalytic Reforming and Isomerization

7. Catalytic Cracking

8. Hydrotreating

9. Catalytic Hydrocracking and Hydroprocessing

10. Alkylation and Polymerization

11. Product Blending

12. Supporting Processes

13. Lubricating Oils

14. Petrochemical Feedstocks

15. Cost Estimation

16. Economic Evaluation

Appendicies

Definition of Refining Terms

Physical Properties

Catalyst Costs

U.S. Bureau of Mines Routine Analyses of Selected Crude Oils

Economic Evaluation Example Problem

Photographs

Yield and Cost Data Figures

Author Index

Subject Index.



The book is 10.25 inches by 7.5 inches by 1.0 inches. 414 pages.
Reviews
Oddly, only one reference book proved adequate, in my opinion, in explaining refinery science: "William Leffler's "Petroleum Refining." The others, including "Petroleum Refining, Technology and Economics," by James Gary, Glenn Handwerk, and Mark Kaiser, "Refining Processes Handbook," by Surinder Parkash, and even the venerable "Petroleum Processing Handbook," by Bland and Davidson. Leffler wins out because his process descriptions are fairly detailed compared to the others while balancing a need to be understood by the non-technically educated. Where this text, by Gary, Handwerk, and Kaiser fails is its lack of detailed process design information.



For example, I was somewhat disappointed in the section on hydrotreating. This process involves removal of nitrogen and sulfur and alkylation of alkenes, phenols and benzenes from a feed of gas oils recovered from a pipestill. Tables provided showed the expected performance for the catalyst beds; some discussion was presented of the differences between fixed bed reactors and moving bed reactors. Only scant information was provided on reactor design. Even though it might have risked going into detail about a particular catalyst at the expense of others there was no exploration beyond mere statements of information such as hydrogen consumption and space velocity requirements. A good example of the failure to provide detail design information is the authors' reluctance to provide hydrogen consumption information in section 9.5.



Instead, the reader is referred to a monograph written by W.L. Nelson in 1971 for the Oil and Gas Journal. Why not present the data?



This situation highlights the primary problem with this text and the others: a lack of process design information. This book would have to grow by another hundred pages to meet his ambitions goal of providing a good reference for petroleum refining. Only Leffler meets this goal ¯ and, he does it without the science and engineering required in the other references.



Unless you want incomplete details on the subject of petroleum refining, buy Leffler, not this text. However, of the others, this is a good reference book for the subject. Be prepared to fill in the copious quantities of gaps in information. Maybe, you should buy Leffler and this text.



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Reviews
Oddly, only one reference book proved adequate, in my opinion, in explaining refinery science: "William Leffler's "Petroleum Refining." The others, including "Petroleum Refining, Technology and Economics," by James Gary, Glenn Handwerk, and Mark Kaiser, "Refining Processes Handbook," by Surinder Parkash, and even the venerable "Petroleum Processing Handbook," by Bland and Davidson. Leffler wins out because his process descriptions are fairly detailed compared to the others. Where this text, by Gary, Handwerk, and Kaiser fails is its lack of detailed process design information.



For example, I was somewhat disappointed in the section on hydrotreating. This process involves removal of nitrogen and sulfur and alkylation of alkenes, phenols and benzenes from a feed of gas oils recovered from a pipestill. Tables provided showed the expected performance for the catalyst beds; some discussion was presented of the differences between fixed bed reactors and moving bed reactors. Only scant information was provided on reactor design. Even though it might have risked going into detail about a particular catalyst at the expense of others there was no exploration beyond mere statements of information such as hydrogen consumption and space velocity requirements. A good example of the failure to provide detail design information is the authors' reluctance to provide hydrogen consumption information in section 9.5.



Instead, the reader is referred to a monograph written by W.L. Nelson in 1971 for the Oil and Gas Journal. Why not present the data?



This situation highlights the primary problem with this text and the others: a lack of process design information. This book would have to grow by another hundred pages to meet his ambitions goal of providing a good reference for petroleum refining. Only Leffler meets this goal ¯ and, he does it without the science and engineering required in the other references.



Unless you want incomplete details on the subject of petroleum refining, buy Leffler, not this text. However, of the others, this is a good reference book for the subject. Be prepared to fill in the copious quantities of gaps in information. Maybe, you should buy Leffler and this text.



If this review was helpful, please add your vote.



Thanks


Reviews
I am an investment analyst and used this book to get up to speed on an unfamiliar industry. I found it to be clear, well organized, and containing all the info I needed to understand the dynamics driving the business and the lingo. There was more engineering and scientific info than I needed for my purposes, but it was useful to thumb through those chapters to get a high level understanding of the issues. Highly recommended for people new to the industry.

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Basic Economics 2nd Ed: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy, Revised and Expanded Edition

Basic Economics 2nd Ed: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy, Revised and Expanded Edition
Thomas Sowell | 2003-12-24 00:00:00 | Basic Books | 448 | Popular Economics
Basic Economics has been written with the thought that learning economics should be not only a relaxed experience, but also an enjoyable one.

This is the revised and enlarged edition of a new kind of introduction to economics for the general public-without graphs, statistics, or jargon. In addition to being updated, Basic Economics has also become more internationalized by including economic problems from more countries around the world, because the basic principles of economics are not confined by national borders. While most chapter titles remain the same, their contents have changed considerably, reflecting the experiences of many different peoples and cultures.
Reviews
... but a really enjoyable read for a former left winger like myself. After reading the one star reviews, I can imagine that this must be a painful read for collectivists of all stripes (but since I accepted personal liberty and laissez-faire free market principles, this book is a breath of fresh air).



A word of warning to liberals: Common sense practiced inside this volume!
Reviews
This book is a reality check for those who do not get economics - I.e. Most of our politicians. It is too bad it is not required reading for every high school or college student.
Reviews
If you want to learn the basics of economics, then read some of the real textbooks, which passed thorough peer-review and which present balanced and reliable information. You can read summaries of chapters and sections of real academic textbooks, as they are written in lay language and will give you all the basics in under an hour. This book is mostly a libertarian manifesto and presents subjective views of the author. On the positve side, Dr. Sowell is an excellent writer and can explain complicated concepts in an easy and accessible language, without resorting to arcane academic terms.
Reviews
If you're looking to learn the basics of economics then do yourself a favor and search for a good Macroeconomics 101 textbook used to teach college students. Do not buy a basic economics book written by a political commentator because what you'll get is political ideology masquerading as basic economics.



Each chapter of "Basic Economics" begins as a basic intro into a topic (wages, investment, banking, trade) but then segues into a very specific discussion about one political issue or another meant to promote the author's political leanings. Here are a few examples:



"Chapter 17: The Role of Government" - Starts off innocently enough with a discussion of the role of government in providing basic services but by the end of the chapter Sowell has segued into how environmental regulations hurt the economy because the public can't understand the cost-benefit analysis of those regulations. Environmental laws meant to discourage pollution are dismissed as misguided government interference.



"Chapter 13: Risk and Insurance" - Starts off discussing the importance of risk transfer to the economy through insurance but soon degenerates into an attack on Social Security as a failed goverment program that is nothing more than a national Ponzi scheme.



"Chapter 10: Controlled Labor Markets" - This chapter starts off discussing the role of labor supply and demand but quickly turns into an anti-union lecture about how terrible organized labor is.



This is not an intro to economics book, it's a very thinly disguised political text written by a conservative political author who happens to have a degree in economics.
Reviews
This is a very good book for those searching for a down to Earth look at the way everything is effected by economics.

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The Role of Law and Ethics in the Globalized Economy (MPI Studies on Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law)

The Role of Law and Ethics in the Globalized Economy (MPI Studies on Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law)
Joseph Straus | 2009-05-11 00:00:00 | Springer | 177 | Popular Economics

The subprime crisis and the general crisis of the global financial system in 2008 not only put the globalization process and all that it involves under extreme pressure, but, at least for some, it called the entire system into question. What in spring had seemed unthinkable, at least for those who had ignored Paul Krugman's blogs, suddenly and without warning became hard reality.

A credo of today's prominent leaders is that thoroughly considered and internationally effective regulation is needed to address almost all current global challenges, whether they concern global warming, human rights and migration, or international finance. Such regulatory systems will have to pay attention to ethics and morals, which is something that the present collapsed system has failed to do.

This book provides insight into the functioning of the global economy, the roots of the present international financial crisis and the responses of highly distinguished politicians, industrialists and academics.

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Environmental Policy Integration

Environmental Policy Integration
Andrea Lenschow | 2001-12-15 00:00:00 | Earthscan Publications Ltd. | 256 | Popular Economics
Integrating environmental policies into the policies of all other sectors is the core European environmental policy. But there has been no thorough investigation of the political process involved. This volume provides it. It analyzes the process of policy integration--the greening of public policy--across the relevant sectors and countries. It finds very significant variation from sector to sector and from country to country, and it analyzes the reasons for this. (Surprisingly the UK, traditionally the "dirty man" of Europe is far more actively engaged than environmental "progressives" such as Germany.) It identifies the obstacles to integration and offers solutions for policy formulation, decision making and implementation at the relevant political levels.

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Fish versus Power: An Environmental History of the Fraser River (Studies in Environment and History)

Fish versus Power: An Environmental History of the Fraser River (Studies in Environment and History)
Matthew D. Evenden | 2004-05-03 00:00:00 | Cambridge University Press | 328 | Popular Economics
Amid contemporary debates over large dam development and declines in fisheries, this book offers a case study of a river basin where development decisions did not ultimately dam the river, but rather conserved its salmon. Although the case is local, the implications of this environmental history of the Fraser River (British Columbia), and the attempts to dam it for power and defend it for salmon, are global. Matthew Evenden explores the transnational forces that affected the river, the changing knowledge and practices of science, and the role of environmental change in influencing environmental debate.

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Environmental Policy Integration

Environmental Policy Integration
Andrea Lenschow | 2001-12-15 00:00:00 | Earthscan Publications Ltd. | 256 | Popular Economics
Integrating environmental policies into the policies of all other sectors is the core European environmental policy. But there has been no thorough investigation of the political process involved. This volume provides it. It analyzes the process of policy integration--the greening of public policy--across the relevant sectors and countries. It finds very significant variation from sector to sector and from country to country, and it analyzes the reasons for this. (Surprisingly the UK, traditionally the "dirty man" of Europe is far more actively engaged than environmental "progressives" such as Germany.) It identifies the obstacles to integration and offers solutions for policy formulation, decision making and implementation at the relevant political levels.

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Food Safety and International Competitiveness: (Cabi)

Food Safety and International Competitiveness: (Cabi)
G E Isaac,J Spriggs | 2001-07-20 00:00:00 | CABI | 208 | Popular Economics
Food safety is currently one of the most important issues confronting consumers, producers and distributors. It cannot be dealt with as just a physical problem but must be considered as a multi-dimensional one, affected by politics, economics and social influences. This book focuses on the specific example of food safety in the beef industry in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. It outlines the experience of a number of countries with food safety problems (such as BSE) and examines:drivers for change and institutional arrangements within the four countrieswhether there is a socially optimal approach to food safetyhow much consumers can rely on the industry to police itself and governments to look after their interestsIt also examines the implications for competitiveness and world trade.

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Time for a Change

Time for a Change
Richard Bandler | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | Meta Publications | 243 | Popular Economics
Reviews
Let's all be completely honest, this is not a fun read because it's a transcript. It's all out of context of the seminar it was hosted in. They really could have made a better book. Every line has bad syntax, I would have preferred if he wrote a book, not recorded what he said
Reviews
This transcript of a seminar is full of great Bandlerism's and insight into DHE and the ever hypnotic language of R.B.
Reviews
Definitely one of Richard's best. A "must have" for any serious NLPer complete with Propulsion and timeline work as only the Master can create!
Reviews
Entertaining and packed with information. I particularly benefited from "reprogramming limiting decisions" and "the house-cleaning pattern". Excellent appendices on Accessing cues, The Meta Model, Submodalities, Presuppositions, and Reframing. A must read NOW.
Reviews
Its funny but nlp is based upon computer engineering as creative input into the whole process of making people change.



With this more recent book, one can expect that the level of technique emulates incredible evolution like computer systems do, so this is great. I love this book!



Buy it. It is really professional, I dont think there is anything else you would need to feel good.

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Buddhism, Conflict and Violence in Modern Sri Lanka (Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism)

Buddhism, Conflict and Violence in Modern Sri Lanka (Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism)
Mahinda Deegalle | 2006-04-19 00:00:00 | Routledge | 304 | Popular Economics
This book explores dilemmas that Buddhism faces in relation to the continuing ethnic conflict and violence in contemporary Sri Lanka. Using an interdisciplinary approach, prominent scholars in the fields of anthropology, history, Buddhist studies and Pali examine multiple dimensions of the problem. Buddhist responses to the crisis are discussed in detail, along with how Buddhism can help to create peace in Sri Lanka. Evaluating the role of Buddhists and their institutions in bringing about an end to war and violence as well as possibly heightening the problem, this collection puts forward a critical analysis of the religious conditions contributing to continuing hostilities.

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Gender and Work in Capitalist Economies (Issues in Society)

Gender and Work in Capitalist Economies (Issues in Society)
Pam Odih | 2007-10-01 00:00:00 | Open University Press | 224 | Popular Economics
From the industrial revolution through to more recent advances in information technology, radical changes in working practices have accelerated rates of production to previously unimaginable levels. The establishment of wage relations, in the second half of the 19th Century, precipitated the rise of the 'employment society' and a movement towards synchronized work. Industrialization epitomized the capitalist definition of work time. In "Gender and Work in Capitalist Economies", Pamela Odih advances a politics of gender and time, exploring the sociological aspects of work.This book provides a dynamic intervention into Marxist analysis of time and capitalist accumulation, and looks at how in contemporary regimes this translates as the universal appropriation of women's labour time. Pamela Odih reasons that it is a disconcerting fact of global manufacturing, that accelerated turnover gains have become increasingly dependent on the exploitation of a spatially disaggregated, feminized global assembly-line. The book explores: industrial and post-industrial times as moments in a longer-term trend; manufacturing in the 24 hour economy; and, accelerated rates of disaggregated production. "Gender and Work in Capitalist Economies" is key reading for students of gender studies, sociology, organizational analysis and economic history.

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The Union and Its Members: A Psychological Approach (Industrial and Organizational Psychology Series)

The Union and Its Members: A Psychological Approach (Industrial and Organizational Psychology Series)
Julian Barling,Clive Fullagar,K. Kevin Kelloway | 1992-10-08 00:00:00 | Oxford University Press, USA | 264 | Popular Economics
This work explores three key topics in social psychology: the manner in which labor unions shape organizational behavior, a relationship which has been effectively ignored in the literature; the organization of the union itself, a fascinating test case for the organizational psychologist; and the way in which theories and methods of organizational psychology may assist labor organizations in achieving their goals. Since the union maintains unique characteristics of democracy, conflict, and voluntary participation within a larger organization, the authors offer a detailed study of a union's dynamics, including demographic and personality predictors of membership, voting behavior, union commitment and loyalty, the nature of participation, leadership styles, collective bargaining, among other topics. This is the first book to be published in the new Industrial/Organizational Psychology Series. It will be of interest to not only industrial/organizational psychologists in industry, academia, and private and public organizations, but to graduate students in psychology departments and business schools, and to academics and professionals in business and management studying industrial relations.

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Psychology of Decision Making in Economics, Business and Finance

Psychology of Decision Making in Economics, Business and Finance
Klaus P. Hofmann | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | Nova Science Publishers | 227 | Popular Economics
In a fast-moving world, the necessity of making decisions, and preferably good ones, has become even more difficult. One reason is the variety and number of choices perhaps available which often are not presented or understood. Alternatives are often unclear and complex paths to them confusing and misleading. Thus the process of decision making itself requires analysis on an ongoing basis. Decision making is often made based on cultural factors whereas the best alternative might be quite different. The subject touches ethics aspects as well as psychological considerations. This book presents important research on the psychology of decision making related to economics, business and finance.

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How New York Became American, 1890--1924

How New York Became American, 1890--1924
Angela M. Blake | 2006-03-17 00:00:00 | The Johns Hopkins University Press | 256 | Popular Economics

For many Americans at the turn of the twentieth century and into the 1920s, the city of New York conjured dark images of crime, poverty, and the desperation of crowded immigrants. In How New York Became American, 1890--1924 Angela Blake explores how advertising professionals and savvy business leaders "reinvented" the city, creating a brand image of New York that capitalized on the trend toward pleasure travel. Blake examines the ways in which these early boosters built on the attention drawn to the city and its exotic populations to craft an image of New York City as America writ urban -- a place where the arts flourished, diverse peoples lived together boisterously but peacefully, and where one could enjoy a visit.

Drawing on a wide range of textual and visual primary sources, Blake guides the reader through New York's many civic identities, from the first generation of New York skyscrapers and their role in "Americanizing" the city to the promotion of Midtown as the city's definitive public face. Her study ranges from the late 1890s into the early twentieth century, when the United States suddenly emerged as an imperial power, and the nation's industry, commerce, and culture stood poised to challenge Europe's global dominance. New York, the nation's largest city, became the de facto capital of American culture. Social reformers and tourism boosters, keen to see America's cities rival those of France or Britain, jockeyed for financial and popular support.

Blake weaves a compelling story of a city's struggle for metropolitan and national status and its place in the national imagination.

Reviews
How New York Became American, 1890-1924 was originally Angela M. Blake's doctoral dissertation, which is very much in evidence when you consider that there are sixty-five pages devoted to reference notes and sources.



Blake refers to herself as an interdisciplinary and cultural historian and as she mentions in her Essay on Primary Sources that appears at the back of her book, cultural historians ask questions about meaning, not just about when, where and how. Consequently, in writing her dissertation she was obliged to consult many sources that offered a diverse range of perceptions and interpretations. In How New York Became American, 1890-1924, Blake analyzes and presents her findings that were derived from map collections, postcards, stereographs, guidebooks, municipal archives and the Smithsonian Institution's museums.



On the whole, Blake's methodology focuses on an examination of various images and arguments of different interest groups that were employed to make New York City "knowable" to their constituents and consumers. The objective of these interest groups, as she states, was "to stabilize the city's image as a verifiable and worthwhile `American' place. It should be borne in mind that the period studied was one in which New York had an appalling reputation as a city wherein it was perceived as being dangerous, dirty, and downright un-American-something that certainly would keep tourists away rather than attracting them.



Blake's thesis revolves around the investigation of the power and cultural "importance of representations of Americanness during a period-from `closing' of the American frontier to the closing of the nation's doors to most immigrants." It was an era when the establishment of what and who was American became of prime importance in order to create national markets, set national boundaries, construct an industrial workplace, launch America power in Europe, and come to terms with the diverse population and electorate.



The book divides itself into six chapters preceded by a general introduction. These chapters expose such topics as reforming New York's image in the 1890s; tourism as it related to New York during this era; architecture, Americanism and a "New" New York 1900-1919; New York as not being America, where we learn about immigrants and tourists in New York after World War I and finally an analysis of brand New York and the making of Midtown in the 1920s.



In essence, these chapters explore the connections between public images, politics, business, immigration, national identity, and urban tourism. Moreover, considerable ink is devoted to the different perceptions of New York offered by the social reformers, tourism promoters and businessmen in the 1890s and 1920s. These perceptions, as we learn, played an extremely important role in the first generation of New York's skyscrapers that had a great deal to do with creating a national identity implanted in a unique American landscape.



How New York Became American, 1890-1924 is a testament to Blake's impressive writing and research skills offering the reader a comprehensive study of an era in which the roots of New York City as we know it today were firmly planted. And while the book was initially a doctoral dissertation, it nevertheless should appeal not only to the academic but also to casual readers interested in learning more about the development of major North American cities.



Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures






Reviews
At the turn of the century many Americans viewed New York as a crime-ridden city of the poor: Angela lake explores how savvy marketing turned it into a destination point in How New York Became American, 1890-1924. Primary sources both print and visual survey the extent of New York perceptions, from its development of skyscrapers and business areas to the changing idea of New York as a power place. From architectural changes to branding efforts, How New York Became American follows more than the evolution of a city: it surveys how city images are created, changed, and promoted.



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Mortgages: Fundamentals, Issues and Perspectives

Mortgages: Fundamentals, Issues and Perspectives
Bruce E. Foote,Edward Vincent Murphy | 2008-01-17 00:00:00 | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. | 177 | Popular Economics
A mortgage represents a loan or lien on a property/house that has to be paid over a specified period of time. Mortgages come in many different shapes and sizes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, terminology and vested interests. Mortgages represent one of the most (if not the most) significant investment decisions most individuals will make in their lifetimes. This new book presents invaluable information on some of the primary types of mortgages as well as FAQ and future trends in the industry.

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