From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up–Spanning topics ranging from economic terminology ("Opportunity Cost") to specific company histories (Ben & Jerry's), this alphabetical encyclopedia will help students learn about capitalism (and other systems) primarily in its modern, applied forms. Most entries are clearly written using lively language and realistic (though fictional) examples. The general tone is objective, though some of the essays (e.g., "Labor Market") present oversimplified examples. Many of the company histories and biographies lack any critical edge. However, in some important areas like tort reform, the articles not only explain the issues clearly but also present opposing arguments. The entries achieve a good balance between the brevity needed to maintain student attention and the depth needed to cover the topic. The final volume includes an extensive bibliography, Webliography, and list of resources in visual arts and literature, as well as statistical tables, texts of legal documents, and a number of indexes. The well-chosen, full-color illustrations are generally informative. However, the extremely simplistic time lines add little. In comparison, neither Burton S. Kaliski's
Encyclopedia of Busine$$ and Finance (Macmillan, 1999) nor Jane Malonis's
Encyclopedia of Business (Gale, 1999) provides information on specific companies or much on individual entrepreneurs, and their discussions of key topics are more scholarly.
Business and Industry will serve both public and school libraries.
–Jonathan Betz-Zall, City University Library, Everett, WA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Targeted for high-school students, this encyclopedia introduces them to the effect business and industry have on people's daily lives. Focusing on the U.S., the articles present an overview of how capitalism works and how it is different from competing economic systems like mercantilism, socialism, and communism. Individuals who have been important to the evolution of capitalism, like Henry Ford, Alan Greenspan, and Adam Smith, have biographies, as do more than 50 other entrepreneurs, labor leaders, economists, and venture capitalists. Mold- or glass-ceiling-breaking women like Mary Kay Ash, Martha Stewart, and eBay CEO Margaret Whitman and individual companies like small-scale Ben and Jerry's Homemade, giant General Motors, new economy Amazon.com, and old economy General Electric all have individual entries.
Other entries explore economic concepts (Competition, Division of labor, Recession); industrial and economic sectors (Internet, Retail and wholesale, Utilities industry); and aspects of finance, labor, and legislation and public policy. The editors also hope to inspire readers to participate in the world of business and industry, and to this end there are entries discussing various topics in operations and management. The global economy is not ignored, with articles on foreign firms like British Airways and the Royal Bank of Canada as well as international agreements and organizations like the WTO and NAFTA. Numerous color pictures, sidebars, diagrams, flow charts, and graphs add interest.
Each volume is arranged alphabetically, and cross-references are provided to lead readers to related entries and information. The "Thematic Outline of Contents" at the beginning of volume 1 organizes the articles into nine broad categories to help readers access specific material in areas of interest. Each volume is indexed, and volume 11 has a very detailed index of the entire set. Each entry has a further reading list that is amplified in volume 11 with a thematically organized bibliography, followed by a listing of resources available on the Web. Statistics and excerpts from important laws are also featured in volume 11.
Presenting basic business information in a clear, readable style accessible to the intended audience, this set is recommended for high-school and public libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
