While dry at times, this work overflows with valuable financial advice and fraud information.
A debut primer looks at the modern world of money laundering and similar crimes.
Suszek explains in the foreword to this educational work that in order to grasp money laundering, “one must understand the history of money laundering and the evolution of the inclusion of priceless items.” In the pages that follow, the author tackles topics such as the stages required to make funds gained by illegal means look legitimate (which is, of course, the point of laundering money), the ways in which the real estate market can aid criminals, and even the role of maritime piracy. In just over 200 pages, all is explained in a no-nonsense manner. Take, for instance, the idea of purchasing antiques that have been pilfered from a war zone. Many legitimate consumers are unaware that “the illegal trafficking of stolen antiquities provides financing for criminal and even terrorist operations.” Furthermore, the stolen antiquities market is a highly lucrative business with profits that “may range anywhere from $3.4 billion and $6.3 billion annually.” Certain chapters offer advice. The pages devoted to identity theft feature a bullet-point list on how the average person can stay safe. Tips include shredding sensitive documents and carefully reviewing bank account statements. Full of helpful information, the book covers the various subjects in a straightforward manner. Many examples are provided, including the case of Pedro David Pérez Miranda, the “Gold King of Peru,” which illustrates a gold laundering scheme. These cases tend to stick to the facts, albeit sometimes bland ones. Readers are told that Miranda was charged with exporting some $600 million of illicit gold out of Peru. But they will not find out a whole lot more about him. Miranda ultimately serves as an example without the sort of elaboration that would have painted a more vivid picture (for instance, how did he become such a big-time criminal?). Nevertheless, the volume’s primary focus is on instruction, and it skillfully does just that. Readers will come away with a useful understanding of the many diverse ways in which modern-day criminals perpetuate frauds.
While dry at times, this work overflows with valuable financial advice and fraud information.Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2020
ISBN: 979-8-69-077872-9
Page Count: 220
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A readable, persuasive argument that our ways of doing business will have to change if we are to prosper—or even survive.
A well-constructed critique of an economic system that, by the author’s account, is a driver of the world’s destruction.
Harvard Business School professor Henderson vigorously questions the bromide that “management’s only duty is to maximize shareholder value,” a notion advanced by Milton Friedman and accepted uncritically in business schools ever since. By that logic, writes the author, there is no reason why corporations should not fish out the oceans, raise drug prices, militate against public education (since it costs tax money), and otherwise behave ruinously and anti-socially. Many do, even though an alternative theory of business organization argues that corporations and society should enjoy a symbiotic relationship of mutual benefit, which includes corporate investment in what economists call public goods. Given that the history of humankind is “the story of our increasing ability to cooperate at larger and larger scales,” one would hope that in the face of environmental degradation and other threats, we might adopt the symbiotic model rather than the winner-take-all one. Problems abound, of course, including that of the “free rider,” the corporation that takes the benefits from collaborative agreements but does none of the work. Henderson examines case studies such as a large food company that emphasized environmentally responsible production and in turn built “purpose-led, sustainable living brands” and otherwise led the way in increasing shareholder value by reducing risk while building demand. The author argues that the “short-termism” that dominates corporate thinking needs to be adjusted to a longer view even though the larger problem might be better characterized as “failure of information.” Henderson closes with a set of prescriptions for bringing a more equitable economics to the personal level, one that, among other things, asks us to step outside routine—eat less meat, drive less—and become active in forcing corporations (and politicians) to be better citizens.
A readable, persuasive argument that our ways of doing business will have to change if we are to prosper—or even survive.Pub Date: May 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5417-3015-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
A welcome contribution from a newcomer who provides both a different view and balance in addressing one of the country's...
A fresh, provocative analysis of the debate on education and employment.
Up-and-coming economist Moretti (Economics/Univ. of California, Berkeley) takes issue with the “[w]idespread misconception…that the problem of inequality in the United States is all about the gap between the top one percent and the remaining 99 percent.” The most important aspect of inequality today, he writes, is the widening gap between the 45 million workers with college degrees and the 80 million without—a difference he claims affects every area of peoples' lives. The college-educated part of the population underpins the growth of America's economy of innovation in life sciences, information technology, media and other areas of globally leading research work. Moretti studies the relationship among geographic concentration, innovation and workplace education levels to identify the direct and indirect benefits. He shows that this clustering favors the promotion of self-feeding processes of growth, directly affecting wage levels, both in the innovative industries as well as the sectors that service them. Indirect benefits also accrue from knowledge and other spillovers, which accompany clustering in innovation hubs. Moretti presents research-based evidence supporting his view that the public and private economic benefits of education and research are such that increased federal subsidies would more than pay for themselves. The author fears the development of geographic segregation and Balkanization along education lines if these issues of long-term economic benefits are left inadequately addressed.
A welcome contribution from a newcomer who provides both a different view and balance in addressing one of the country's more profound problems.Pub Date: May 5, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-75011-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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