In The News

Sony Leads Charge to Cash in on Iraq

Julia Day April 10, 2003
Sony has registered the phrase “shock and awe,” used to describe US military tactics at the beginning of the war in Iraq, for a possible computer game. However, the game may not be sold in Britain and Europe if the scenario is set in Iraq owing to the European criticism of the war. Sony registered the name on March 21 one day after the war began. Other companies have also sought to capture patent...

Corporations as Good Global Citizens

Susan Ariel Aaronson April 8, 2003
Global corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often agreed about in theory, and has informed the policy of some governments. However, its implementation is still far from ideal. While some countries make no effort to promote CSR, even the ones that do have left the terms of compliance uncertain. CSR principles are often mandated, but corporations are rarely monitored. A number of European...

War and a Slowdown Empty Caribbean Beaches

David Gonzalez April 8, 2003
Just as tourists to the Caribbean were getting used to new travel realities in the post-Sept. 11 environment, other global events have caused yet another downward slide in the fortunes of the scenic island nations. First, the general slump in the American economy has meant fewer tourist dollars for countries such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. And now the war on Iraq has discouraged all...

Use SARS as Excuse to Reinvest in Taiwan

Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟 April 7, 2003
SARS is frightening, but so is the 'economic Sinocization' that threatens Taiwan, says Huang Tien-lin, a national policy adviser to Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian. In this opinion piece from the Taipei Times, Huang suggests that by encouraging Taiwanese businesspeople to stay home in relatively safe Taiwan, "the [SARS] crisis will not only boost the nation's GDP but...

Terrifying for Asia, Worrying for the World

April 3, 2003
With the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), all fingers are pointing to China. World Health Organization Officials believe the disease spread more quickly because of China’s reluctance to admit that the disease originated in its Guangzhou region. The outbreak went undetected by international health organizations and spread through doctors and businessmen traveling in Southeast...

The Cost of an Empire

Jeffrey E. Garten April 2, 2003
In this article, Jeffrey Garten, Dean of the Yale School of Management, warns of the mismatch between America's economic policies and its “mushrooming overseas commitments.” In order to finance the global fight against terrorism and the arduous process of nation-building in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, Washington will have to drastically alter its current economic policies, says Garten...

SARS Virus Begins to Take Toll on Global Economy

Jacqueline Thorpe March 31, 2003
Fears over the war in Iraq, aftereffects of September 11th, 2001 and high rates of unemployment in the US have already taken their toll on the global economy. Making matters worse, the recent outbreak of the SARS virus, an acute respiratory illness, is hitting hard at an already struggling travel industry. SARS has kept people at home in the worst-affected Asian countries. In Hong Kong, for...