In The News

India's Medical Tourism Industry

Neeta Lal June 2, 2010
Producers of necessary goods anticipate sustained profits, but that does not preclude competition in the areas of quality or affordability. As costs for health care climb in developed nations, India’s hospitals and physicians step up efforts to become a destination for tourists seeking a range of treatments. Travel companies organize trips, sometimes combining treatment with sightseeing tours;...

Emerging Green Technology Poses Threat of Trade Wars

Bruce Stokes May 14, 2010
Smart investors recognize that cheap oil won’t last forever and emerging green technologies could revolutionize everyday business as much as computers did. As with any new technology, nations compete to perfect and produce new products for the world, making lots of money along the way, explains international economics columnist Bruce Stokes. But Stokes warns that the global trading system lacks...

Cutting Climate Change's Gordian Knot

John C. Topping Jr. April 2, 2010
Black carbon, commonly known as soot, a byproduct of incomplete combustion, is a major contributor to global warming. It also can have significant, deleterious effects on one’s health. Now, several environmental groups are asking the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate black carbon under the Clean Water Act on the grounds that it affects sea ice and glaciers. While this proposal may...

Toyota’s Stumble is Not a Metaphor for Japan Inc.

Lam Peng Er March 26, 2010
Many equate Toyota’s current woes with a failure of Japan Inc, even Japan itself, according to East Asian specialist Lam Peng Er. But this would be a mistake. Toyota’s ills are really a congeries of missteps now caught up in conspiracy theories and political wrangling. For years, Toyota was synonymous with Japanese manufacturing excellence. But this search for constant improvement at an ever...

Silicon Sweatshops: An illness in Suzhou

Kathleen E. McLaughlin March 19, 2010
A large number of workers at a plant in China that makes components for Apple products have become sick from handling a chemical used to clean the glass screens for products like the iPod and iPhone. The company doesn't have the necessary permits to use the chemical, n-hexane, but continues to do so to shave a few seconds off its production time. Apple, meanwhile, refuses to answer questions...

Adieu, Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna?

Alex David Rogers March 17, 2010
The Atlantic blue fin tuna risks extinction thanks to overfishing and poor global governance, according ocean expert Alex David Rogers. To add insult to injury, recent proposals to ban all international trade in the fish are being rejected by Japan, the largest consumer. Japan’s decision could significantly undermine the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and deal a...

Beer Globalization in Latin America

Benjamin Dangl February 24, 2010
The global beer industry is experiencing a round of consolidation, including the recent takeover of Mexican brewer FEMSA by the Dutch Heineken. The growing concentration of brewing might in the hands of a few companies is a natural result of corporate globalization – today four companies control half of the world’s beer production globally. But this trend could also lead to “homogenization of...