In The News

India's Call Centers Face Struggle to Keep Staff as Economy Revives

Ashok Bhattacharjee October 29, 2003
One the paradoxes of the call-center industry in India is that it requires English-speaking university graduates to answer questions from US customers but offers little in the way of advancement and intellectual stimulation. High turn-over rates are inevitable if the economy keeps expanding and thus offers more compelling employment options for well-educated Indians. Moreover, the rapid...

The Seeds of Iraq's Future Terror

Shirley Williams October 28, 2003
Reacting to the recent attacks on foreign targets in Baghdad, British parliamentarian Baroness Shirley Williams worries that the resistance will continue as long as an un-democratic occupation force remains in control of Iraq. The decision to privatize most of Iraq's economy was made without consultation of the Iraqi people, she notes, but rather initiated by the American head of Iraq's...

Putin Appeals for Calm as Russian Bourses Dive

October 27, 2003
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the head of Russia's largest oil and gas company, Yukos, was arrested over the weekend for corruption and tax evasion. In response, Russia's stock market, the MICEX, dove 12% on Monday, reflecting the jitters felt by Russia's business leaders. The development of Russia into a privatized, capitalist economy after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 has long...

When Jobs Move Overseas (to South Carolina)

Yilu Zhao October 26, 2003
Why would a Chinese refrigerator company move to America, where wages are ten times higher than at home? Prestige, argues Yilu Zhao, and political benefits back home. The Chinese government is pushing to put 50 of its companies on the Fortune Global 500 list and sees foreign investment and a greater share of the US market as the surest way. Thus state-owned companies, like the refrigerator...

Bangladesh Faces the Challenge of Globalization

Wahiduddin Mahmud October 22, 2003
Bangladesh's economy grew rapidly during the 1990s as the country liberalized its markets and became increasingly integrated into the world economy. Until the 2001 global recession, Bangladesh ranked third for improvement of human development - behind only Cabo Verde and China - thanks in large part to exports from its blossoming garment industry. Wahiduddin Mahmud, economist and former...

The World's Poor and Sick Have Not Been Forgotten

Krishna Ravi Srinivas October 20, 2003
If you're sick, it's definitely better to live in a rich country than a poor one. Pharmaceuticals produced in developed countries are prohibitively expensive for people in the world's poorest areas, but there are signs of improvement, says legal scholar Krishna Ravi Srinivas. In August 2003 trade ministers concluded negotiations on an agreement that will allow companies to profit...

Malaysia Gains from HSBC Jobs Shift

K.P. Lee October 18, 2003
HSBC is the latest in a series of financial institutions that are moving certain functions out of the US and UK and into areas that provide cheaper labor. Malaysia and India have become some of the most attractive relocation sites, given the preponderance of English speakers. Banks, as well as other businesses, are eager to cut costs by moving "call center" and "backroom...