Though mankind has traded tangible goods for millennia, recent technology has changed the fundamentals of trade, in both legitimate and illegal economies. In the past three decades, the most advanced forms of illicit trade have broken with all historical precedents and, as Dark Commerce shows, now operate as if on steroids, tied to computers and social media. In this new world of illicit commerce, which benefits states and diverse participants, trade is impersonal and anonymized, and vast profits are made in short periods with limited accountability to sellers, intermediaries, and purchasers. Louise Shelley examines how new technology, communications, and globalization fuel the exponential growth of dangerous forms of illegal trade--the markets for narcotics and child pornography online, the escalation of sex trafficking through web advertisements, and the sale of endangered species for which revenues total in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The illicit economy exacerbates many of the world's destabilizing phenomena: the perpetuation of conflicts, the proliferation of arms and weapons of mass destruction, and environmental degradation and extinction. Shelley explores illicit trade in tangible goods--drugs, human beings, arms, wildlife and timber, fish, antiquities, and ubiquitous counterfeits--and contrasts this with the damaging trade in cyberspace, where intangible commodities cost consumers and organizations billions as they lose identities, bank accounts, access to computer data, and intellectual property.

Tells the story of one state in particular whose role in the slave trade was outsized: Rhode Island Historians have written expansively about the slave economy and its vital role in early American economic life. Like their northern neighbors, Rhode Islanders bought and sold slaves and supplies that sustained plantations throughout the Americas; however, nowhere else was this business so important. During the colonial period trade with West Indian planters provided Rhode Islanders with molasses, the key ingredient for their number one export: rum. More than 60 percent of all the slave ships that left North America left from Rhode Island. During the antebellum period Rhode Islanders were the leading producers of “negro cloth,” a coarse wool-cotton material made especially for enslaved blacks in the American South. Clark-Pujara draws on the documents of the state, the business, organizational, and personal records of their enslavers, and the few first-hand accounts left by enslaved and free black Rhode Islanders to reconstruct their lived experiences. The business of slavery encouraged slaveholding, slowed emancipation and led to circumscribed black freedom. Enslaved and free black people pushed back against their bondage and the restrictions placed on their freedom. It is convenient, especially for northerners, to think of slavery as southern institution. The erasure or marginalization of the northern black experience and the centrality of the business of slavery to the northern economy allows for a dangerous fiction—that North has no history of racism to overcome. But we cannot afford such a delusion if we are to truly reconcile with our past.

About the Book The world of business has undergone a major transformation in the last few decades. E-commerce has revolutionized the way we conduct business, making it more accessible and convenient for both customers and businesses. The rapid pace of technological advancements in recent years has further amplified the importance of e-commerce in our lives. "A Handbook on E-Commerce" (ISBN: 978-93-5914-963-9) aims to provide a comprehensive guide for students pursuing B. Com. / B. B. A. CBCS syllabus of North Bengal University (NBU) and all major Indian universities, as well as anyone interested in understanding the nuances of e-commerce. The book is divided into five chapters, each covering essential aspects of e-commerce. Chapter I provides an introduction to e-commerce, including its history, benefits, and challenges. It also discusses the technologies used in e-commerce and their impact on businesses and consumers. Chapter II focuses on security and encryption, which is crucial for ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of online transactions. It covers the different types of security threats and measures that can be implemented to protect against them. Chapter III is dedicated to the legal aspects of e-commerce, including the IT Act and cybercrimes. It outlines the various provisions of the IT Act that relate to e-commerce and how it helps protect businesses and consumers from cybercrimes. Chapter IV covers e-payment systems, including digital wallets, credit/debit cards, and online banking. It discusses the functioning of payment gateways and the various payment options available to consumers. Chapter V provides an overview of online business transactions and the different types of transactions that businesses can conduct online. It also discusses the key considerations that businesses need to keep in mind when conducting online transactions. The book provides an easy-to-understand language and a practical approach to e-commerce, making it accessible to students and professionals alike. The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive guide to e-commerce and its functioning, enabling readers to understand the benefits and risks associated with it. I hope that this handbook will serve as a useful guide for anyone who wants to learn more about e-commerce and its impact on the business world.