In The News

Where Have All the Chinese Gone?

Sunil Jain July 7, 2003
Multinational corporations aggressively courted China, the world’s most populous nation, in the hope of tapping into what they hoped would be the largest consumer market. However, as an Indian journalist notes, increasingly MNCs are discovering that China’s population does not necessarily translate into a consumer market. For one thing, rural Chinese – a substantial percentage of the population...

Foreign Influence Growing in Telecom Sector

Yang Sung-jin July 3, 2003
In South Korea, foreign investment firms are putting pressure on the government to allow greater foreign ownership of telecommunication companies. South Korea is one of the leading East Asian countries in deregulation, allowing foreign investment and market forces to have a considerable degree of influence. While the telecommunications sector is currently in much need of capital, some of the...

Is 'Wi-Fi' Good for Developing Nations?

July 1, 2003
Prioritizing internet access may prove more wasteful than helpful to developing countries, says technology analyst Bill Thompson. With computer companies touting the immense benefits of wireless technology for the world's poor – citing the importance of internet access for participation in the global economy and the utility of information on weather and crop prices to poor farmers and...

Nike Versus Sweatshop Critic: Back to California

S.L. Bachman June 27, 2003
Nike, the world's largest shoe manufacturer, could become the world's leader in improving labor standards across the globe. If US courts decide that it must, that is. The US Supreme court decided on June 26 to allow a California state court to proceed with a trial in which US-based Nike is charged with lying to the public about labor conditions in its factories overseas. A California...

Hundreds Rally in Aceh Gasfield to Demand Extension of Contracts

June 25, 2003
Residents of Indonesia's Aceh province now fear unemployment in the midst of war and military rule. Oil giant ExxonMobil, which employs about 3000 people in the rebel province, announced that it will not be renewing contracts with up to 1200 workers "due to declining gas production and substantially reduced activities." Amidst the instability of military activity and martial law...

Citizenship Doesn't Entitle You to a Job

Chua Lee Hoong June 25, 2003
In recent years, more and more multinational companies have relocated their factories to countries that provide cheap blue-collar labor. However, as the competition for jobs becomes fiercer in countries experiencing recession, white-collar jobs are also being exported. In Singapore, those affected by this new trend include airline pilots, lawyers, engineers, and accountants. In this article in...

Jury Still Out on Kuala Lumpur's Drive to Free Manufacturing Sector

Eddie Toh June 24, 2003
As China rises up to become the most attractive location for foreign direct investment (FDI), many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are seeing declines in FDI. In response to the sharp fall, Malaysia has decided to fully liberalize its manufacturing sector by allowing foreigners to own 100% of their new operations. Through this new policy, Kuala Lumpur hopes to prevent some multinational...