In The News

Managing Globalization: Selling Globally, Pitching Locally

Daniel Altman June 16, 2006
Critics of globalization claim that the domination of global brands such as Coca-Cola and Nike has squashed local business and culture. Multinational corporations, however, find it more effective to play on local cultures in advertising their products. Technology allows advertisers to create more than 200 separate ads – changing colors of a flag or language of a greeting with a touch of a button...

The Dirt Road to the Information Superhighway

Jens Glüsing June 15, 2006
Admittedly, Microsoft’s inexpensive, pay-as-you-go “Flexgo” personal computers might not be the most efficient way to introduce computer technology to the developing world. However, as evidenced by the explosion of mobile phones in such areas, affordable technology can always find a vast market in developing and underdeveloped regions. As US economist C.K Prahalad pragmatically puts it, “the...

Opportunities in Globalization

Rocco Leonard Martino June 13, 2006
The global telecommunications industries are potential sutures to wounds in the US economy brought on by corporate outsourcing to countries with low labor costs, according to Rocco Leonard Martino, the CEO of CyberFone Technologies. The technological advances of the internet provide the US with extraordinary opportunities to advertise innovative products at a rapid pace, allowing for increased...

Zarqawi Built Global Jihadist Network on Internet

Scott Shane June 9, 2006
Since April 2004, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted his first communiqué on a jihadist website, the militant leader has used the Internet as a successful and deadly tool. Creating a worldwide network, Zarqawi’s volunteers post messages from their leader and videos of militant acts, like beheading, on multiple servers to avoid delays in downloading, also making it difficult for the material to be...

On a Tiny Island, Catchy Web Name Sparks a Battle

Christopher Rhoads April 5, 2006
Domain names ending in dot.nu – “nu” meaning “now” in Swedish – sell like hot cakes in Sweden. The rights to operate dot-nu domain names, accorded to the US-based entrepreneur Bill Semich in the late 1990s, have earned him financial success. Semich has applied some of his newfound profits to the impoverished South Pacific island of Niue, via the provision of free wireless internet to the citizens...

China and the Break-Up of the Net

Michael Geist March 30, 2006
The internet community experienced a bout of trepidation earlier in March when “The People’s Daily” announced pending changes in China’s domain name system. The move could signal an attempt to break away from the single-body control over worldwide net domain names by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, a US non-profit organization that controls website accessibility...

French MPs Say Song Downloads Must Work on Any Player

Angelique Chrisafis March 27, 2006
France has rejected any monopoly in the music download market, requiring that downloads be accessible to any type of digital player. The legislation would be a blow to Apple’s online music, ITunes, which dominates the global online music market and can only be played on the Apple iPod. The decision reflects a growing sentiment among French politicians against foreign domination of any sector of...