Boyes and Melvin have developed the Sixth Edition of Economics to enhance its central features: direct and accessible writing, proven pedagogy, and thorough integration of global economic issues. The text's international perspective has been strengthened and extended to focus on the implications of economic principles for business strategy in an era of global competition. International issues appear consistently throughout the text in examples that illustrate basic economic concepts. In addition, economic data drawn from around the world underscores the authors' long-standing emphasis on global issues. Extended coverage of topics affecting global competitiveness, such as resource pricing and foreign exchange markets, explicitly connects the study of economics with real-world business decisions. New! Chapter 19, Globalization, now provides in-depth coverage of this controversial phenomenon, including the arguments for and against globalization and how it has affected economic growth and poverty worldwide. New! The Sixth Edition features greater coverage of macroeconomics, including the large-scale impact of war in Iraq, the recent recession, and the role of financial market development in economic growth. All macroeconomic data has been updated to include statistics through 2002—and in some cases 2003. New! Global Business Insight boxes illustrate essential economic concepts using thumbnail maps and examples from around the world, including value-added taxes, the development of informal banking networks in the Islamic world, and the World Trade Organization. A consistent framework of instruction helps to improve students' understanding and performance in the course. Fundamental Questions reinforce 5–8 key points per chapter, appearing repeatedly throughout the chapter as well as the supplements. In addition, the text's internal referencing system establishes a hierarchy of ideas by designating a number for each section and subsection—cited consistently in the textbook and supplements (including the Test Bank). New! Eduspace is Houghton Mifflin's online learning tool. Powered by Blackboard, Eduspace is a customizable, powerful and interactive platform that provides instructors with text-specific online courses and content in multiple disciplines. Features of the Boyes/Melvin Economics course include algorithmic homework with hints as well as presentation slides, photos, illustrations and links to group projects.