"This book provides many references to what has been established by case histories particulary in the UK, Hong kong, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and US. That these will not always be acceptable references in terms of the governing laws that apply to a particular contract where it is not based upon a common law system buy possibly a civil code system. They can still, however, serve as a general guide as to what is recognised in an international context as the basis upon which to resolve an otherwise obscure issue.In practical context, whilst possibly not providing any real support in a truly legal manner, such references may well conform to current interpretations under civil code rules or customary trade or industrial practices and can often provide extremely forceful arguments at the pre-litigation negotiation stage when parties are directing their efforts towards reaching an amicable solution to their dispute.This book should be used as a guide and not as a definitive work on international contract law, which it is certainly not. It should direct the reader to issues that it would be beneficial to research in more detail as they relate to a particular project and be looked upon as a springboard to further knowledge."
"This edition provides practitioners and students with a comprehensive understanding of the disaster management profession by utilizing a global perspective and including different sources of risk and vulnerability, systems that exist to manage hazard risk and the many different stakeholders involved. It examines the impact of many recent large-scale and catastrophic disaster events on countries and communities, as well as their influence on disaster risk reduction efforts worldwide. It also expands coverage of small-island developing states (SIDS) and explores the achievements of the United Nations Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015) and the priorities for action in the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction currently under development. It provides updated statistics on disaster frequency and impact and presents information on multilateral emergency management agreements as well as profiles of important NGOs and international organizations. --"
