New Business Books - April 2008
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Up To Our Eyeballs: The Hidden Truths and Consequences of Debt in Today's America and What We Can Do About It
by Jose Garcia

From the Publisher

A groundbreaking book that debunks the notion that Americans' personal indebtedness results from profligacy and offers startling analysis and realistic solutions.

"For the first time ever recorded, Americans owe more money than they make. Household debt levels have now surpassed household income by more than 8 percent."—Newsweek, August 8, 2006

At a time when Americans owe close to $800 billion in credit card debt, the myth is that credit cards are primarily financing America's luxury lifestyles—helping white suburban families pay the costs attached to extravagant homes, luxury cars, and golf club memberships—or helping those who aspire to these lifestyles. Up to Our Eyeballs reveals the disturbing reality that credit cards are in fact the new "safety net," being used by desperate middle- and low-income families to manage essential expenses.

In the increasingly volatile American economy, where a decline in work-related benefits like health insurance and pensions has accompanied a rising cost of living and increased job instability, consumer debt has become a fact of life for many American families. Up to Our Eyeballs is a troubling examination of the causes and consequences of this explosive rise in consumer debt.

Including a critical look at how the financial industry became the aggressive, hyper-profitable industry it is today, this book also incorporates solutions that will be of real relief to struggling households.

   
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The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage
by Alexandra Harney

From the Publisher

Acclaimed Financial Times correspondent Alexandra Harney uncovers the truth about how China is able to offer such amazingly low prices to the rest of the world. She has discovered that intense pricing pressure from Western companies combined with ubiquitous corruption and a lack of transparency exacts an unseen and unconscionable toll in human misery and environmental damage.

   
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Cargill: From Commodities to Customers
by Wayne Broehl

From the Publisher

This final volume of Wayne G. Broehl, Jr.'s Cargill trilogy brings the history of this large privately held company up to the present day, offering a unique and informative behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's premier agribusiness corporations. The story picks up in 1977 as Whitney MacMillan begins his stewardship of the company and as Cargill begins to work its way through issues of corporate governance, business restructuring, and generational transitions within the owning families. MacMillan leads the company through great growth, diversification, and globalization. Broehl also discusses the changes at Cargill under two non-family CEOs, Ernest Micek and Warren Staley. Together, they transform the organization from a commodity-oriented entity to a customer-focused one.

   
   
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