Books published by Nova Science Publishers Inc

Organic crop acres in the United States more than doubled between 2002 and 2011 as acreage increased from 1.3 to over 3 million acres. While acreage for some major field crops increased substantially during this period, growth was more modest or had stalled for others. This book examines the profitability of corn, wheat, and soybean production using national survey data and finds that significant economic returns are possible from organic production of these crops. The main reason for higher per-bushel returns to organic production is the price premiums paid for organic crops. Despite potentially higher returns, the adoption of organic field crop production has been slow and is challenging due to such factors as achieving effective weed control and the processes involved with organic certification.

This book examines the national security and preparedness issues, developments and analyses facing the U.S. today. Topics discussed include President Barack Obama''s national security strategy; national security implications of climate-related risks and a changing climate; the department of defense strategy for countering weapons of mass destruction; orbital debris mitigation and removal; maritime critical infrastructure protection; and the Project BioShield Act.

Indian energy resources hold significant potential for development, but remain largely undeveloped. Interior''s Bureau of Indian Affairs'' (BIA) reviews and approves leases and other permits required for development. Other Interior components and federal agencies also have roles in this process. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided the opportunity for interested tribes to pursue tribal energy resource agreements (TERA)agreements between a tribe and Interior that allow the tribe to enter into energy leases and agreements without review and approval by Interior. The act also authorises Interior to provide grants to tribes to develop the capacity needed to enter into a TERA. However, no tribe has entered into a TERA. This book examines factors that have hindered Indian energy development; factors that have deterred tribes from pursuing TERAs; and the effectiveness of Interior''s efforts to build tribes'' capacity to enter into TERAs. Moreover, the book provides results of a final evaluation report on oil and gas leasing in Indian Country; and uses an established geospatial methodology to estimate the technical potential for renewable energy on tribal lands for the purpose of allowing Tribes to prioritise the development of renewable energy resources either for community-scale on-tribal-land use or for revenue-generating electricity sales.

Constrained budgets and increasing energy efficiency goals have led federal agencies to explore innovative ways to fund energy improvements, including the Department of Energy''s Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC). An expected increase in the use of ESPCs has raised questions about agencies'' ability to ensure that the government''s interests are protected. ESPCs can span up to 25 years and be valued at millions of dollars each. This book examines the extent to which agencies have used ESPCs and plan to use them; projects have achieved their expected cost and energy savings; and agencies have overseen and evaluated such projects.

China''s global rise has prompted numerous discussions and studies of this historically monumental phenomenon and its implications for the world. On the one hand, China''s emergence as a global player has generated a lot of optimism for global development and economic convergence. On the other, it has spurred concerns about possible collisions on the world stage as existing and emerging powers seek to retain and redesign their roles and influences. Related opportunities and fears have been especially pronounced in countries neighbouring China, including in Central Asia where the newly independent and post-Soviet republics face a possibility of yet another imperial expansion due to strategic advances of the "Middle Kingdom." As the strongest power on the planet, the United States has a major stake in China''s and the region''s future because both directly affect the U.S. global standing and the U.S.-led global economic and security order. This book assesses China''s global rise through the prism of geopolitical and geo-economic forces sweeping through Central Asia.

Globalisation is characterised by the increase of MNEs, an increased role for international financial institutions, and/or an explosion of multilateral agreements and arrangements. Vertical integration mirrors the spatial dispersal of supplies, raw materials, crucial inputs and intermediate products. MNEs reach advantages owing to both vertical and horizontal integration. Global network organisations more and more perceive the relocation of HQ activities as the next movement in the optimisation of their global networks. The EU should be transformed into a federation, the United States of Europe (USE), with a common federal economy solving current political, societal and economic problems within EU. The United States of Europe (USE) would be a much more attractive environment for the location of MNEs with all advantages for the whole EU area, such as transfer of technology. ΜΝΕs shift income into low-tax states through transfer pricing and debt financing. There is a swift development and emergence of e-MNEs on such things as line shops and emergence of e-logistics, but there is a long distance towards a real overwhelming spread of e-MNEs. Risk management has become more and more important in the financial industry. The business of global governance is set to become one of the key international policy issues of the twenty-first century.