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
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our...
A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner summarizes and synthesizes the recent decades of research on intuition and systematic thinking.
The author of several scholarly texts, Kahneman (Emeritus Psychology and Public Affairs/Princeton Univ.) now offers general readers not just the findings of psychological research but also a better understanding of how research questions arise and how scholars systematically frame and answer them. He begins with the distinction between System 1 and System 2 mental operations, the former referring to quick, automatic thought, the latter to more effortful, overt thinking. We rely heavily, writes, on System 1, resorting to the higher-energy System 2 only when we need or want to. Kahneman continually refers to System 2 as “lazy”: We don’t want to think rigorously about something. The author then explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that our System 1 hates doubt and despises ambiguity. Kahneman largely avoids jargon; when he does use some (“heuristics,” for example), he argues that such terms really ought to join our everyday vocabulary. He reviews many fundamental concepts in psychology and statistics (regression to the mean, the narrative fallacy, the optimistic bias), showing how they relate to his overall concerns about how we think and why we make the decisions that we do. Some of the later chapters (dealing with risk-taking and statistics and probabilities) are denser than others (some readers may resent such demands on System 2!), but the passages that deal with the economic and political implications of the research are gripping.
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27563-1
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
IN THE NEWS
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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