In The News

A Global Alliance Against Forced Labor

May 12, 2005
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has issued an update on its four-year-old report on slavery and other types of forced labor. The new report, issued May 2005, takes a longer view on the issue, describing developments in the last four years and looking toward the future. After defining and identifying the scope of the problem, the group evaluates efforts in the past years to stem the...

Onshore Outsourcing: Made in America

Paul McDougall May 11, 2005
In the United States, mere mention of the term "outsourcing" will likely ruffle protectionist feathers. For companies who prefer to keep their operations within US borders, there are other options – besides relying on overseas labor – for trimming expenses. More businesses have begun to "insource," or outsource IT work to smaller cities within the 50 states. Though hourly...

Tangled Threads of Protectionism – Part III

Linda Lim May 10, 2005
One of the textile industry's oldest problems is again under focus: how to adjust in the face of changing technology, tastes, and economic fundamentals. Politicians are calling, not surprisingly, for a populist solution – protect jobs by raising walls against imports. In a three-part series, trade experts examine the issues surrounding the post-quota state of the textile industry. With the...

Virtual Secretary Puts New Face on Pakistan

Mitra Kalita May 10, 2005
While offshore call centers have become more commonplace, one US company has pushed this booming business to a new level: The Resource Group employs a "virtual receptionist." Though stationed in Pakistan, she receives phone calls, welcomes guests (via front desk flat screen), and places lunch orders for the Washington office. Proud company managers boast, "We're able to...

Third World Gets Help to Help Itself

Doreen Carvajal May 6, 2005
A late-1980s campaign to help small coffee growers has blossomed into a US$500 million industry. Fairtrade goods, from bananas to cotton, aim to appeal to Western consumers' consciences by supporting above-market compensation for third-world growers. Though the industry has indeed flourished in the past few years, as the International Hereald Tribune writes, "the business of...

Tangled Threads of Protectionism – Part II

Edward Gresser May 5, 2005
One of the textile industry's oldest problems is again under focus: how to adjust in the face of changing technology, tastes, and economic fundamentals. Politicians are calling, not surprisingly, for a populist solution – protect jobs by raising walls against imports. In a three-part series, trade experts examine the issues surrounding the post-quota state of the textile industry. With the...

Business: A Jack Welch of Communists

Sarah Schafer May 3, 2005
While China is already a world economic powerhouse, it has produced virtually no global companies. Haier, arguably China's most respected business leader, aims to change this. With over US$10 million in debt in the early 1980s, the firm started from humbled beginnings. Today, though, Haier is one of the world's top five producers of household appliances, with 30,000 employees and more...