In The News

China-IBM Computer Deal Marks a New Era

Jean-Pierre Lehmann April 1, 2005
The recent Chinese acquisition of the IBM PC division does not illustrate China's rise at the expense of the US. Rather, it signals a deeper shift in the information technology (IT) business, which has been changing the global economic landscape. Jean-Pierre Lehmann contends that the shift arises from the emergent IT stars – China, India, and the United States – adapting to the realities of...

Curry in Hot Garlic Sauce

Simon Long March 31, 2005
China, the world's most populous country, looks set to become one of the 21st century's main movers and shakers. Analysts speak in less glowing terms about China's neighbor and budding rival, India. The subcontinental giant has years of catch-up to play to match China's startlingly rapid rise. Yet Simon Long argues that despite its delayed entrance into the free-market game,...

Fraying of a Latin Textile Industry

Ginger Thompson March 28, 2005
The garment and textile industry has, for decades, been a source of employment and economic vitality for many South and Latin American nations. In El Salvador, the industry has been crucial to improving the standard of living for its people. But across the region, garment workers are being blindsided by changes in global trade. January 2005 saw an end to textile quotas worldwide, and companies...

The Global Footprint of an Indian Outsourcing Giant

Joe Bolger March 21, 2005
Bombay businessman Subramaniam Ramadorai and his company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), are looking for farther shores and a broader base to operate their ever-growing partnerships with western businesses. TCS, a multibillion dollar group based in India, has been among the strongest actors in the movement to outsource work from the West. The firm has many prominent big-business clients in...

HSBC to Double Offshore Jobs

Mark Bendeich March 16, 2005
Global banking giant HSBC plans to shift a large number of Western clerical and call-center operations to lower-cost areas, according to a top executive. In the next three years, HSBC may employ as many as 25,000 workers in Asia, offshoring thousands of jobs in a move that would save the company over US$1 billion. Though outsourcing has raised many eyebrows among skeptics – US and European...

Central Asia Is Corrupted by Cotton

Quentin Peel March 10, 2005
Though many developing countries are cheering a recent WTO ruling declaring US agricultural subsidies illegal, indigent farmers in Central Asia will never know the difference. Since the dismantling of the Soviet regime, the cotton industries in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have been hijacked by wealthy insiders. Working with international traders, middlemen sell expensive inputs to...

Don't Blame Wal-Mart

Robert B. Reich February 28, 2005
Multinational giant Wal-Mart is notorious for its anti-union stance and questionable labor practices. But, as Robert B. Reich opines, "Isn't Wal-Mart really being punished for our sins?" Reich suggests that US consumers, in their quest for bottom-dollar bargains, continue to shop at low-price retailers – thereby enabling their practices. In the competition to stay afloat,...